States have previously used the National Science Education Standards from the National Research Council (NRC) and Benchmarks for Science Literacy from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to guide the development of their current state science standards. While these two documents have proven to be both durable and of high quality, they are around 15 years old. In addition, major advances have since taken place in the world of science and in our understanding of how students learn science effectively. Explore the timeline below to read some of the recent foundational science education research and reports on which the Next Generation Science Standards were based.
| 1989 |
Science for All Americans, AAAS |
| 1992 |
Content Core/Scope, Sequence, and Coordination of National Science Education Content Standards, National Science Teachers Association
|
| 1993 |
Benchmarks for Science Literacy, AAAS |
| 1996 |
National Science Education Standards, NRC |
| 1998 |
Blueprints for Reform, AAAS |
| 1999 |
Designing Mathematics and Science Curriculum Programs, NRC |
| 1999 |
Selecting Instructional Materials: A Guide for K-12 Science, NRC |
| 2000 |
Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards, NRC |
| 2001 |
Designs for Science Literacy, AAAS |
| 2001 |
Classroom Assessment and the National Science Education Standards, NRC |
| 2001 |
Atlas for Science Literacy, Volume 1, AAAS |
| 2005 |
Systems for State Science Assessment, NRC |
| 2005 |
America’s Lab Report: Investigations in High School Science, NRC |
| 2007 |
Atlas for Science Literacy, Volume 2, AAAS |
| 2007 |
Taking Science to School, NRC |
| 2007 |
Rising Above the Gathering Storm, NRC |
| 2008 |
Science Framework for the 2009 NAEP, National Assessment Governing Board
|
| 2009 |
College Board Standards for College Success: Science, College Board |
| 2009 |
Opportunity Equation, Commission on Mathematics and Science Education
|
| 2009 |
Learning Science in Informal Environments, NRC |
| 2011 |
Rising Above the Gathering Storm Revisited, NRC |
| 2011 |
Framework for K-12 Science Education, NRC |
| 2013 |
Next Generation Science Standards, NGSS Lead States |
