Schools with Advanced Science Students Get Accelerated Pathways Advice

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 11/03/15

The organization behind the Next Generation Science Standards has developed a guide to help schools compress the timeframe in which science courses can be taught. The intent is to serve high-achieving students who wish to tackle more advanced content earlier in their middle or high school careers.

The "NGSS Accelerated Pathways" document doesn't offer curriculum. It focuses on three exemplar course maps that outline how a school might reorganize NGSS performance expectations into fewer courses without omitting any.

In appendices the material also tackles the question of how NGSS and Advanced Placement (AP) courses are conceptually similar.

"Districts and schools should maximize opportunities for high-performing students to learn the science in the Next Generation Science Standards as well as excel far beyond them," said Peter McLaren, director of state and district support for science at Achieve. "The accelerated model course pathways were created to allow this unique population of students access to advanced level and AP science courses sooner in their high school experience."

Achieve, a non-profit, was a lead partner, alongside the National Science Teachers Association and other organizations in creating the science standards. It also coordinated development of the newest resource.

NGSS has produced a five-minute video that explains the accelerated pathways.

The complete resources are available on the NGSS Web site.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • a cloud, an AI chip, and a padlock interconnected by circuit-like lines

    CrowdStrike Report: Attackers Increasingly Targeting Cloud, AI Systems

    According to the 2025 Threat Hunting Report from CrowdStrike, adversaries are not just using AI to supercharge attacks — they are actively targeting the AI systems organizations deploy in production. Combined with a surge in cloud exploitation, this shift marks a significant change in the threat landscape for enterprises.

  • student reading a book with a brain, a protective hand, a computer monitor showing education icons, gears, and leaves

    4 Steps to Responsible AI Implementation in Education

    Researchers at the University of Kansas Center for Innovation, Design & Digital Learning (CIDDL) have published a new framework for the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence at all levels of education, from preschool through higher education.

  • figures sitting around a round table, discussing over an open book, papers, and glasses

    Alliance for Learning Innovation, Digital Promise Form National Education R&D Advisory Committee

    The Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI) and Digital Promise are bringing together a coalition of education leaders to help develop a national education research and development agenda and foster innovation in schools and districts across the country.

  • red brick school building with a large yellow "AI" sign above its main entrance

    New National Academy for AI Instruction to Provide Free AI Training for Educators

    In an effort to "transform how artificial intelligence is taught and integrated into classrooms across the United States," the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers, is launching the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative that will provide access to free AI training and curriculum for all AFT members, beginning with K-12 educators.