Flanked by Dr. Susan Enfield, (left) Highline Schools Supt., Cascade Middle School Principal Diana Garcia and Washington State Supt. of Instruction Randy Dorn (right) Governor Jay Inslee spoke at his former junior high school about the statewide adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards. The standards have been in a pilot program at Cascade.
Speaking from the gymnasium where he "learned to shoot a jump shot" at Cascade Middle School, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced on Friday Oct. 4 that the state would become the 8th in the nation to adopt new science education standards. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has been a pilot project at Cascade supported by Washington STEM.
NGSS is a set of internationally benchmarked standards, rich in content and practice that connect multiple science disciplines in a meaningful way. They include instruction from elementary through high school aiming to prepare students for college and careers. These standards now move statewide and include engineering standards embedded in them. The NGSS is based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education developed by the National Research Council.
Governor Inslee was joined by State Superintendent Randy Dorn, who endorsed the standards and applauded the Governor for his efforts to get them adopted in the state. Also speaking at the event were Highline Schools Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield and Cascade Principal Diana Garcia.
The Governor briefly toured two classrooms speaking to the students asking about their studies and even briefly quizzing a class about global warming, a favorite topic.
