High-quality science instructional materials are a necessary component of the successful transition to today’s science standards. NextGenScience aims to create a shared vision and common understanding about what design for today’s science standards means among educators and developers.
Designing instructional materials that prepare students to meet the goals of today’s science standards is complex but critical work. Developed in close collaboration with teachers, state education leaders, and science education researchers, our suite of tools* surfaces the most important design features of high-quality materials and provides feedback to developers on how to improve their materials.
We provide review services using the following tools:
- NGSS Lesson Screener
- Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products (EQuIP) Rubric for Science
- Task Screener and Science Task Prescreen
- NextGen TIME (in partnership with WestEd’s K-12 Alliance and BSCS)
We also work with states and districts to support their instructional materials selection processes. Learn more about that work.
* The tools were developed when the NextGenScience team was a part of Achieve.
Review Types
NextGenScience offers several types of reviews, depending on a client’s needs and purpose.
Case Study: How do we know if units are designed for the NGSS?
See how one instructional materials developer used review feedback throughout their program.
The EQuIP Rubric for Science Full Review
The EQuIP Rubric for Science Full Review includes several reviewers independently examining the materials and then building a consensus report. The confidential review process includes:
- Detailed, criterion-based evidence, reasoning, and suggestions for improvement for each of the EQuIP Rubric for Science criteria.
- Follow-up to discuss the feedback that is provided.
- Quick re-review for minor modifications to the unit at no additional cost, if needed.
If the unit earns the highest rating on the EQuIP Rubric for Science, it will be eligible for the digital NGSS Design Badge. Information about the unit and a link to the developer’s website will be posted on nextgenscience.org.
The EQuIP Rubric for Science Foundations Review
The shortest review for a unit or lesson, the EQuIP Foundations Review provides developers with detailed, criterion-based feedback on foundational elements of NGSS-design using the same process as the EQuIP Full Review. Developers have used the feedback from these reviews to determine if their unit is designed around core NGSS design principles and to inform any re-design approach. Units undergoing a Foundations Review are not eligible to earn the NGSS Design Badge, but can be submitted for a full review upon revision.
NGSS Lesson Screener Reviews
NGSS Lesson Screener Reviews provide quick feedback on a lesson and determine whether its level of NGSS design indicates that it is worth investing time in a full EQuIP Rubric for Science evaluation, which is a more thorough vetting. The NGSS Lesson Screener includes fewer criteria than the EQuIP Rubric for Science. However, feedback from an NGSS Lesson Screener Review can help a developer see whether a lesson being developed or revised is on the right track. For the purposes of using the Lesson Screener, a lesson is defined as a coherent set of instructional activities and assessments that could extend over several class periods or days; it is not just a single activity.
Science Task Screener Reviews
Science Task Screener Reviews provide in-depth feedback about four key criteria for assessment tasks:
- High-quality scenarios that focus on phenomena or problems.
- Sense-making using the three dimensions.
- Fairness and equity.
- Supports intended targets and purpose.
Review Pathways
There are two pathways to have materials reviewed by the NextGenScience team: one free of charge through our Peer Review Panel and one on a fee-for-service basis. See the table below for more details.
| If Your Materials Are: | They Qualify for: |
|---|---|
Free, publicly available, and designed for high school |
Review by our Peer Review Panel. These reviews are confidential, unless they earn the top two ratings on the EQuIP Rubric for Science, in which case developers must agree to share them publicly along with their EQuIP review on our website of high-quality examples. |
Free and publicly available for elementary or middle school OR Commercial or proprietary materials for grades K–12 |
NextGenScience works with a cadre of highly trained expert consultants to review and provide feedback on elementary and high school materials as well as K–12 proprietary materials. These fee-for-service reviews are confidential unless they earn the top rating on the EQuIP Rubric for Science, which is designated by the NGSS Design Badge. If you’re interested in receiving a quote for the review of your materials, please fill out this survey to give us a little more information about them. Review costs are based on the length of the unit, the review type, and the review pathway. |
NextGenScience Peer Review Panel
The NextGenScience Peer Review Panel (Science PRP) is a cohort of educators from across the country, with expertise in the NGSS and in high-quality materials design, that reviews lessons and units to determine the extent to which they are designed for the NGSS.
The Science PRP was launched by Achieve in 2016 to address the issue of insufficient and inadequate publicly available examples of science instructional materials designed for the NGSS. The Science PRP reviews materials that are free and publicly available and provides independent, third party feedback to developers to improve the materials. When materials are highly rated, they are shared as Quality Examples of NGSS Design.
NextGenScience thanks the Carnegie Corporation of New York for their generous support of the NextGenScience Peer Review Panel (PRP). Opinions expressed on this page and in PRP reviews do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of our funders.
The Review Process
NextGenScience’s reviews of units, lessons, and assessments provide developers with evidence-based feedback and suggestions on the design of their products so they can improve their design in ways that matter most for students.
Each review takes approximately eight weeks to complete but may be completed sooner, depending on the unit type. Read more about the NextGenScience EQuIP Review Process.
