Executive Summary:

Science, engineering and technology permeate every facet of modern life, and they also hold the key to meeting many of humanity’s most pressing current and future challenges. Yet too few U.S. workers have strong backgrounds in in these fields and many people lack even fundamental knowledge of them. This national trend has created a widespread call for a new approach to K-12 science education in the United States.

To support students’ meaningful learning in science and engineering, three major dimensions need to be integrated into the standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment:

·         Science and engineering practices;

·         Crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science and engineering through their common application across fields; and

·         Core ideas in four disciplinary areas: physical sciences; life sciences; earth and space sciences; and engineering, technology, and the application of science.