The new science standards reflect our state’s emphasis on giving all students the real-world knowledge and skills needed to be ready for success in college and in the workforce, regardless of the career paths they choose. Iowa’s Science Standards are written as three-dimensional performance expectations that include three-equally important, distinct dimensions to learning science – science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. This is often referred to as three-dimensional (or 3D) learning.

Key Points:

• The Iowa Science Standards are grade-level specific K-8 and grade band 9-12.
• Educators will need to use both the Iowa Science Standards and their clarification statements, assessment boundaries, and foundational boxes to make curricular and instructional decisions. Educators can locate these supporting materials at the Next Generation Science Standards website or the NGSS@NSTA website.
• Educators have the flexibility to arrange the standards in any order within a grade level to suit the needs of students and science programs.
• All standards are intended for all students so districts need to consider how this expectation might impact high school scope and sequence.
• The Iowa Science Standards Implementation Plan is provided to districts as an implementation guide describing available supports and suggested annual goals for each year of the four-year implementation process leading to full implementation by 2020.

These online modules have been designed to help with the learning targets for year two of the Iowa Science Standards implementation. These modules can be used as stand-alone pieces for learning about the the specific topic, or you can follow the suggested pathway to engage with all of the learning goals established for the second year of Iowa's implementation of our new science standards.

Modules 1 and 2 are available at no cost to Iowa district and AEA employees and are aligned to the Iowa Teaching Standards:

Standard 2 - Demonstrates competence in content knowledge appropriate to the teaching position. Criterion 1: Understands and uses key concepts, underlying themes, relationships, and different perspectives related to the content area.

Standard 2 - Demonstrates competence in content knowledge appropriate to the teaching position. Criterion 3: Relates ideas and information within and across content areas.

Standard 2 - Demonstrates competence in content knowledge appropriate to the teaching position. Criterion 4: Understands and uses instructional strategies that are appropriate to the content area