#1172: Teacher Perception and Practices of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): Insights from a New England Study

This qualitative study explores how secondary science teachers understand and implement two core dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs). Drawing on semi-structured interviews with ten teachers from schools serving economically diverse communities in a New England state, the analysis reveals distinct orientations toward SEPs. These orientations range from identity-based and assessment-aligned approaches to emerging understanding through professional learning. In contrast, CCCs appeared less intentionally addressed, with most teachers using them as implicit outcomes rather than explicit instructional goals. A few teachers, however, used CCCs to promote interdisciplinary connections and support comparative reasoning. These findings highlight variation in teachers’ enactment of NGSS dimensions and the need for ongoing professional learning that supports integration of SEPs and CCCs. The study contributes to efforts to bridge the gap between policy vision and classroom realities in three-dimensional science teaching and assessment.