The draft was released last year and the Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards are due out this summer. I have always been frustrated with our “mile wide and inch deep” curriculum in physics here in Indiana. Eight years ago I sent out emails to physics professors all throughout the state trying to start up a conversation about this topic. I was disheartened by the feedback I received. Everybody had their own little pet topics that they wanted to be able to cover. Most agreed that doing everything actually accomplished nothing–just as the research stated.
I was so dissollusioned in fact that last year at a Modeling Workshop where we had the ear of the state science curriculum specialist I chose not to get on the “less is more” bandwagon because I “knew” that it would go no where and just fall on deaf ears. Its nice to know that someone with more power might just force our state to move in the right direction. I know that once the framework is completed none of the states will be compelled to adopt them. However, now that we have the common core standards being adopted for Math and English and the Literacy standards for the other courses it seems like the next logical step would be to adopt the science framework.
I’m pretty excited about this. I think all three goals fit nicely with the Modeling approach. More information about developing the next generation of science standards can be found here.