North Penn SD curriculum team previews new Pennsylvania science standards, emphasizes phenomenon-based learning

The North Penn School District curriculum department briefed the ECI committee on the state'adopted Pennsylvania science standards and how the district will align instruction ahead of the July 1, 2025, implementation date.

Donna Doan and Dr. Sean Arnie, curriculum department presenters, told the committee the standards (described in the presentation as the "steel standards," and modeled on the Next Generation Science Standards) shift classroom practice from memorization to sense-making, embed environmental literacy and sustainability, and add engineering and cross-cutting concepts across grade levels. "The steel standards which, science, technology, engineering, environmental literacy, and sustainability are Pennsylvania's new science standards which will be going into effect, 07/01/2025," Dr. Arnie said.

The new approach emphasizes…