March 22, 2017 Achieve today released the NGSS District Implementation Indicators, a document outlining important indicators of successful NGSS implementation at the district level and highlighting examples of measurable action steps that districts can take to clearly define and achieve desired implementation goals.
Designed primarily for district leaders, this document outlines thirteen important indicators of successful implementation at the district level and illustrates what a transition to the NGSS looks like in three broad categories. Each indicator is written as a declarative statement that describes a concrete, high-level outcome from one area of science standards implementation. The indicators were developed by Achieve with support from state, district, and local educators, and based upon key recommendations from the National Research Council's Guide to Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards.
The first category describes foundational strategies to consider before beginning the transition to the NGSS, such as making sure all students have access to robust science instruction and ensuring that critical management infrastructure--people, budgets, policies, authorities--is in place to drive the change. The second category describes areas of strategic importance to successful NGSS implementation, including instructional materials, assessments, collaboration, professional learning, communications, and school structures. The document ends with a third category focused squarely on student outcomes.
As many district leaders understand, the implementation of new standards is not a linear process. For this reason, the identified categories, indicators, and measurable actions in this document are designed to be interconnected examples, not discrete steps or a sequential process. Still, this document can be used to guide development of local NGSS implementation plans and inform decisions on how to monitor progress and measure success.
The full resource is available online.
For any questions or comments about this resource, please email ngss@achieve.org.