Pennsylvania’s new science standards are transforming teaching and learning in K-12 classrooms. The new standards, called STEELS, are modeled after the Next Generation Science Standards which are used by twenty states and are based on the 2012 Framework for K-12 Science Education. Pennsylvania’s STEELS standards address Science, Technology, Engineering, Environmental Literacy, and Sustainability. The retired standards, adopted in 2002, were long out of date and focused primarily on science content knowledge such as describing the rock cycle or the parts of a cell. The new standards are currently being incorporated into lesson plans and will be fully implemented in the 2025-2026 academic year.
The new standards are based on a 3-dimensional model where students are engaged in science and engineering practices and use cross-cutting concepts to understand themes in science all while learning about science content. In 3-dimensional science classrooms, students are presented with phenomena, complex observable events, that frame and guide student learning.
For example, local students could be asked to explore and explain the Devil’s Den boulders found at the Gettysburg National Military Park. To study these rock formations, students would spend several weeks asking questions, conducting investigations, manipulating models, and discussing evidence to understand how rocks are formed, the geologic history of PA, plate tectonics, weathering, and erosion. Additionally, students will consider how energy, a cross-cutting theme in science, drives the cycling of Earth’s materials and how scale, another big science theme, is important to understand the slow pace of geological time.
While PA is a late adopter of 3-dimensional science learning, the state is unique in the emphasis on Environmental Literacy and Sustainability. This facet of the new standards frames learning within the PA context providing opportunities for students to understand PA’s past and plan for a sustainable future.
The goal of 3-dimensional learning is to move away from memorization of “Jeopardy” style facts that can easily be Googled. In a 3-dimensional classroom, students are thinking and acting like scientists and engineers as they answer big questions and solve problems. This shift in teaching and learning will require time, training, and funding. Our area teachers are already working to learn new teaching methods and identify curriculum resources that will support 3-dimensional classrooms.
Professional learning partners like Advancing Science at Gettysburg College and the local Intermediate Units provide teacher training opportunities as well as access to science tools and models. The Advancing Science program is a free K-12 lending library for science kits and equipment. The program has supported area teachers since 1994 but will become increasingly important to support the shift to 3-dimensional learning equitably and cost-effectively. The Advancing Science program receives funding from the PA Department of Education, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and corporate donations through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program.
Learn more about Advancing Science, the PA STEELS Standards, Devil’s Den, and the Framework for K-12 Science Education.