As schools across the state implement the Next Generation Science Standards, this EdSource primer provides an easy-to-read guide for parents and other community members to understand the rationale for the standards and their potential to affect science instruction in California schools. California adopted the Next Generation Science Standards, or NGSS, in 2013, representing the first update to the state's science standards in nearly two decades. The new standards will significantly shape how science will be taught and tested as well as what students are expected to know and be able to do at each grade level.