Review and identify the standards set by the National Science Education Standards (NSES) - Essay Example

National Science Education Standards National Science Education Standards National Science Education Standards are standards set for the entire nation as a guideline on what learners in K-12 stage of education have to learn, comprehend, and do as well as enable them perform excellently (Hurd, 1998). The standards were set in 1996 by National Research Council for tutors to have standards that they will use on students and guidelines to enable administrators foster development in the teaching profession. These standards have greatly influenced the way states run their education curriculum particularly with regard to science subjects since they were formulated (Pushkin, 2002). The standards state the methods of teaching the students since it is believed that learners will acquire the skills and knowledge set by the standards. The standards are categorized into science teaching, science content, systems, assessment, programme, and science teacher development.
The Mississippi state curriculum is prepared by the Centre for Education and Training Technology (CETT), which is based at Mississippi state university. The centre has been reviewing the state K-12 curriculum since 1996 (Hurd, 1998). It focuses on the development of materials to be used in teaching, and the training of the teachers in the whole state as well as the entire nation. The major objective of CETT is ensuring that the content and strategies of instruction to be used by the teachers in K-12 are well enhanced so that student achievement is guaranteed (Pushkin, 2002). Through this strategies science teachers get a clue of how to tackle the framework objectives. The aim of these strategies is to complement textbooks and any other resources used by the teachers (Hurd, 1998).
The Mississippi state core curriculum has connections with the NSEC and INTASC in the following ways. First, these curriculums are geared towards ensuring that science teachers use several instructional strategies to enhance student understanding, second, promote professional development so that teachers are up-to-date with the happenings in the science environment and lastly, that there is adequate assessment of the student for them to continue with acquisition of skills and knowledge in science.
References
Hurd, P. (1998). Scientific literacy: New Minds for a Changing World. Science Education, 82 (3), 407-416.
Pushkin, D. (2002). A theoretical nature of the national science education standards: Theres more Theory than we Think—A Response to Thomas Shiland. Science Education, 86 (2), 161-167. Read More