Dear Parents and Guardians,

This year, our classroom will be transitioning to the New York State P-12 Science Standards, which are designed to make science education more engaging and effective for our students. These new standards align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and introduce a fresh approach called three-dimensional learning.

So, what does this mean for our students? The NYS P-12 Science Standards focus on three key dimensions:

1. Scientific and Engineering Practices (SEPs): Students will engage in practices that mirror the work of scientists and engineers. A few practices they’ll learn are how to ask questions, plan and conduct investigations, develop and use models, analyze data, and engage in evidence-based arguments, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving.

2. Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs): Since we live in an era with an enormous amount of information available at our fingertips, our core ideas will include a limited set of ideas that will help students evaluate sources, dig deeper into a science topic, and continue their use of science moving forward. We will not be focusing on memorizing everything related to Biology for example, but rather building a base of core knowledge to support students as they utilize available resources.

3. Crosscutting Concepts (CCs): These are broad ideas that apply across all scientific disciplines, such as patterns, cause and effect, structure and function, and system models. Students will develop an organizational structure with these CCs to better understand the world around them and the DCIs. 

The three-dimensional approach aims to make science more relevant and interactive. Instead of learning facts through lectures, students will work together to solve real-world problems through exploring phenomena and making connections. This method helps them develop a deeper understanding and retain information longer.

This change started in Science 7 and 8 last year (continuing this year), and will be implemented in Regents Biology this year. As such, we are planning on taking the new Regents Biology exam in early June which will reflect the shift in standards.

We are excited about these changes and confident that they will provide our students with a richer and more dynamic learning experience. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the NYS P-12 Science Standards or the new Regents exam, please feel free to reach out.

Warm regards,

Mrs. Natalie - Secondary Science Instructor