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NJ Student Learning Standards - Science
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The New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) in Science are based on the national Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that have a three-tiered approach to science education. Students need to meet performance expectations that integrate these tiers. The three tiers are:
- Disciplinary Core Ideas: Essential science content in the areas of life science, physical science (chemistry and physics), and earth and space science.
- Cross-Cutting Concepts: Connections and tools that are related across different content areas, such as structure and function, patterns, cause and effect, stability and change, systems and models, scale and proportion and quantity, and energy and matter.
- Science and Engineering Practices: Science practices involve scientific inquiry. In other words, formulating a question and answering it through investigation. Engineering practices involve formulating a problem that can be solved through design.
These standards went into effect during the 2016-2017 school year for grades 6-12 and during the 2017-2018 school year for grades K-5.
The New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) are designed to prepare students to understand how and why climate change happens, the impact it has on our local and global communities, and to act in informed and sustainable ways. New Jersey is the first state to require school districts to address climate change. All science curriculums K-12 must incorporate the 2020 edits made to the NJSLS.
Resources:
For more information about the standards, refer to the following websites:
