This section lists online resources to help you explore national standards and state frameworks for science education. As you examine various sets of standards, ask yourself the following questions:

• What major topic areas do the standards propose for the grade that I teach?
  
  
• What types of learning experiences do the standards emphasize?
  
  
• What areas of science do I need to explore for my own scientific self?

As Science Stories points out, the National Science Education Standards recommend that students be engaged in inquiry—learning experiences in which students ask their own questions, design investigations, and analyze their own data. How much is such inquiry stressed in your state and local frameworks or standards?

Remember as well that standards and frameworks are guidelines for developing appropriate curriculum. Each local school and district can develop locally relevant learning experiences that address these guidelines.

National Standards

American Association for the Advancement of Science: Benchmarks for Science Literacy
http:/www.project2061.org/

International Society for Technology in Education:
National Educational Technology Standards
http://cnets.iste.org/

International Technology Education Association: Standards for Technological Literacy
http://www.iteawww.org/TAA/PDFs/xstnd.pdf

National Research Council: National Science Education Standards
http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/

State Frameworks

These sites offer links to the education frameworks adopted by individual states:

Center for Performance Assessment
http://www.makingstandardswork.com/standards/

Council of State Science Supervisors: State Science Frameworks
http://csss.enc.org/frame.htm

Education World: State Standards
http://www.education-world.com/standards/state/

Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education: State Frameworks
http://www.enc.org/professional/standards/state/

Wappingers Central School District (NY): Developing Educational Standards
http://edstandards.org/Standards.html