2012 California Science Education Conference Registration Opens!
by Lisa Hegdahl
June is here and it’s time for teachers to say goodbye to students and get ready for vacation. Before you head off for your summer holidays, consider registering for the 2012 California Science Education Conference, October 19 – 21 in San Jose. This year’s conference promises to be one of the most important conferences in years, with cutting edge information about the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The NGSS will have a significant influence on the revised science standards to be considered by the Board in March and July, 2013. SB 300 (Hancock) authorized the drafting of new science content standards that take the NGSS into consideration. The California State Board of Education must adopt, reject, or modify the new standards by July 30, 2013. With California participating as a lead state partner in the development of the NGSS, all signs are pointing to the NGSS being a part of the future of science education in California.
The 2012 California Science Education Conference will give you the background information you need, as well as practical tools to help you be successful and be a leader at your site when it comes to the topic of the Next Generation Science Standards.
2012 California Science Education Conference NGSS sessions include:
• Keynote Address by Helen Quinn, author of A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (Framework), on the research and reasoning behind the Framework (the guiding document for the NGSS).
• Focus Speaker Session by Framework author Jonathan Osborne on scientific and engineering practices.
• Workshop presentations from teachers who have been participating in the NGSS review process.
At the CSTA website, you can register for the California Science Education Conference directly, or download a registration form. With conference hotel rooms being offered at incredibly low rates, they are likely to sell out soon. Conference registration includes access to over 150 workshops, the exhibit hall, evening events, Focus Speaker sessions, and General Sessions. Early Bird registration continues through July 1st.
Lisa Hegdahl is an 8th grade science teacher at McCaffrey Middle School in Galt, CA, CSTA’s middle school director, and chair of the 2012 Conference Committee.
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