A Twenty-First Century Skills Lens on the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards

The changing natures of technology, competition in the global job market, and college and career readiness have impacted the skills and knowledge that young people need to be successful in today’s global economy (Trilling B, Fadel C, Royal society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures and commerce journal. A game of skills. What talents do young people need to thrive in the 21st century?, 2012). In the United States, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide an opportunity to transform education standards to be more aligned with the needs of today’s world. By the end of 12th grade, all students should possess sufficient knowledge of science to engage in public discussion of related issues, be careful consumers of scientific and technological information related to their everyday lives, and have the skills to enter a career of their choice, including but not limited to careers in STEM (NRC, A framework for K-12 science education: practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2012b). The National Research Council’s (NRC) Science Framework for K-12 Science Education (2012b) lays out an agenda that can begin to reshape what students need to know and be able to cultivate as twenty-first century leaders in science and citizenship. Furthermore, it has become evident that strong linkages between twenty-first century skills and scientific and engineering practices will provide insight into deeper learning of STEM content and to certain clusters of twenty-first century skills (NRC, Education for life and work: developing transferable knowledge and skills in the 21st century. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2012a).