Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy and Sustainability (STEELS) Standards

The newly adopted Pennsylvania Integrated Standards for Science, Technology & Engineering, and Environmental Literacy and Sustainability, and Pennsylvania Technology and Engineering Standards were developed jointly to ensure consistency, coherence and a cohesive K—12 integrated approach to science education in the Commonwealth. On July 16, 2022, the Pennsylvania Bulletin published the new standards, designed for implementation July 1, 2025.

This STEELS Hub provides educators resources to implement and support the new standards. An implementation plan, developed by PDE, aims to ensure that all students have access to an education that prepares them to succeed and become life-long learners.

New and Noteworthy
Communication
STEELS Standards
Foundation Boxes
Curriculum Frameworks: Technology & Engineering
Curriculum Frameworks: Science
Curriculum Frameworks: Environmental Literacy & Sustainability: Coming Soon!
Instructional Resources
Curriculum Resources
Research
Professional Learning
Assessment
Safety Guides - Coming Soon!

LEAs should make a concerted effort to ensure students, parents, and guardians are aware of the new standards and their impact on classroom instruction. Communicating the new standards and implications for instruction is critical to ensuring strong support for the changes.
Implementation Guide Opens up a PDF file in a new tab

This standards document includes the new STEELS standards; each standard is hyperlinked to its relevant Foundation Box.
STEELS Standards Revised May 2023 Opens up a PDF file in a new tab

Foundation Boxes provide detail for each standard: Clarifying Statements, Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science and Engineering Practices, and Crosscutting Concepts or Technology and Engineering Practices. Foundation boxes also include a PA context, linkage to PA Career Ready Skills, and connections to other PA standards.
Foundation Boxes opens in new window

The two Curriculum Framework documents may assist LEAs in designing a standards-based T&E curriculum. The Frameworks are organized by strand and standard - and include essential elements necessary to deepen understanding.
Technology & Engineering Long Term Transfer Goals Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
Technology & Engineering Curriculum Framework K-12 Opens up a PDF file in a new tab

Curriculum Frameworks: Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Coming Soon!

Instructional resources offer recommendations for selection of instructional materials, strategies for instruction, development of assessments, connections to other content areas, and utilization of anchor phenomena.
Examining Factors Associated with Accidents in CTE and STEM Education Labs: A National Safety Study opens in new window
utilizes findings from one of the most extensive national P-12 STEM and CTE safety research studies to date (718 teachers across 42 states) to provide practitioner friendly safety recommendations with suggested resources. The recommendations provide implications for state education departments, professional associations, school districts/boards of education, administrators, and teachers to make data informed decisions regarding safety policies and practices to enhance STEM and CTE instruction.
PBS Design Squad Engineering Design Process Resources opens in new window
Watch videos, play games, try activities, and share designs with the community. (T&E)
STEL Lesson Plans opens in new window
Provides STEL-aligned lesson plan examples for a variety of grade levels. (T&E)
Helping Students Make Sense of the World Using Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices opens in new window
Provides a wealth of real world examples to explain what’s different about practice-centered teaching and learning at all grade levels
NSTA Classroom Resources opens in new window
Offers curated classroom resources, including lesson plans, book chapters, videos, simulations, and more
Phenomena for NGSS opens in new window
A guide on how to incorporate phenomena in instruction
The Wonder of Science opens in new window
Supports the importance of carefully chosen phenomenon that can drive student inquiry in the science classroom (an observable event)
Qualities of a Good Anchor Phenomenon for a Coherent Sequence of Science Lessons opens in new window
Explains qualities of Instructional sequences based on students investigating compelling natural phenomena in science or work on meaningful design problems in engineering by engaging in the science and engineering practices
EQuIP Rubric: Using Phenomena (Video) opens in new window
Discusses phenomena in the context of evaluating instructional materials
Creating a Supportive Context for Teacher Learning opens in new window
Explores the contexts in which teachers work – classrooms, departments, schools, organizations – and look at the conditions, structures, and resources that could support science teachers’ individual and collective learning in ways that might lead to improved outcomes for students
Science Professional Learning Standards (Council of State Science Supervisors) opens in new window
Provides a meaningful guide to professional development and professional learning for science education
Bozeman NGSS Teaching opens in new window
Focuses on all the Performance Expectations, Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science and Engineering Practices, and Crosscutting Concepts
Ambitious Science Teaching opens in new window
Provides a vision of ambitious science instruction for elementary, middle school, and high school classrooms

Pennsylvania educators developed a set of vetted resources to support curriculum development.
The National Assessment for Education Progress Technology & Engineering Literacy Framework opens in new window
The National Assessment for Education Progress T&E Framework describes the assessment of technology and engineering literacy at grades 4, 8, and 12. (T&E)
Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (STEL) opens in new window
Provides an up-to-date roadmap for educators to promote technology and engineering education program development and curriculum design, Pre-K -12. (T&E)
Evidence Statements opens in new window
Provides educators with additional detail on what students should know and be able to do to meet each standard
NGSS Lesson Screener opens in new window
Assists in focusing lessons on the PA Standards
EQUIP Rubric for Science opens in new window
Review lessons/units, provide feedback, provide examples/models for teachers’ use to inform development of new resources
NextGen Time opens in new window
Allows districts and educators to analyze and select materials based on key criteria and scoring guidance
NGSS Alignment Claims: How Publishers Talk About the Next Generation Science Standards opens in new window
Provides focus and evaluation of common claims by publishers
NGSS Innovations and Instructional Materials opens in new window
Describes innovations and provides insight on how the innovations should appear in instructional materials
A Framework for K-12 Science Education opens in new window
Basis for the development of, and organization of, the PA Science, Technology & Engineering, and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Standards
Taking Stock of Science Standards Implementation: Proceedings of a Virtual Summit. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. opens in new window
Explores the landscape of state science standards implementation
Design, Selection, and Implementation of Instructional Materials for the Next Generation Science Standards: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. opens in new window
Focuses on selecting instructional materials aligned with the vision for science education to create high-quality learning experiences for students
Guide to Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. opens in new window
A guide to implementation of new science standards focusing on changing curricula, instruction, professional learning, and assessment aligned to the new standards
NSTA NGSS Hub opens in new window
Offers classroom resources, curriculum planning, and the change in standards
Taking Stock of Science Standards Implementation: A Summit -- Rural Science Standards Implementation Coffee Talk opens in new window
Focuses on implementation of standards in rural communities
Taking Stock of Science Standards Implementation: A Summit -- Implementation by the Numbers Coffee Talk opens in new window
Focuses on time devoted to science and engineering, tools and resources available, and teacher preparation
STEM Teaching Tools opens in new window
Short pieces highlighting ways of working on specific issues that come up during STEM teaching

Includes research for environmental education and the movement to connect children and nature (ELS)
North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Research Repository opens in new window
Offers research-based evidence (and an extensive bibliography) on the benefits of environmental education (ELS)
National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) Benefits of Environmental Education - (reference list at bottom of page) opens in new window
Access a collection of peer reviewed articles with a focusing on the Standards for Technological and Engineering (T&E)
STEL-Based Articles opens in new window
Provides an in-depth explanation of the development of the Technology & Engineering standards
An Overview of State Developed P-12 Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy opens in new window

Recorded training sessions include standards overview, unpacking the standards, structure of the foundation boxes, 3-D teaching & learning, science & engineering practices, cross cutting concepts, cross content connections, integration of environmental literacy and sustainability, phenomena driven instruction, and assessment.
PDE Training
- Technology & Engineering (T&E) Advisor Brandt Hutzel unpacks the T&E Foundation Boxes and explains how they support instruction and curriculum development.
- Technology & Engineering Foundation Boxes Downloads a PowerPoint file
- Technology & Engineering Foundation Boxes Recorded Webinar opens in new window
- Technology & Engineering (T&E) Advisor Brandt Hutzel unpacks the T&E Standards organization and structure. Brief vignettes illustrate the relationship of the standards to the strands, the related practices, and the contexts.
- Unpacking the Technology and Engineering Standards Downloads a PowerPoint file
- Unpacking the Technology and Engineering Standards Recorded Webinar opens in new window
- Environment & Ecology Content Advisor Tamara Peffer unpacks the Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Standards organization and structure.
- Unpacking the Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Standards Downloads a PowerPoint file
- Unpacking the Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Standards Recorded Webinar opens in new window
- Science Content Advisor David Bauman shares the process and progress currently underway in the development and implementation of the new PSSA and Biology Keystone Exam.
- STEELS PSSA and Keystone Downloads a PowerPoint file
- STEELS PSSA and Keystone opens in new window
PDE Science Advisor David Bauman unpacks the Foundation Boxes and explains how they support Science, Technology & Engineering, and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability instruction and curriculum development.
Foundation Boxes Webinar Downloads a PowerPoint file
STEELS Foundation Boxes Recorded Webinar opens in new window

Access resources for local assessment development as well as updates on state assessments.
Classroom Science Assessment Examples opens in new window
Offers 3-D classroom science assessments developed by a Wisconsin work group and groups from across the country; includes a useful template for thinking out a performance task.
Tennessee District Science Network (TDSciN), opens in new window
Offers access to high-quality scenarios developed by teacher workgroups in the Tennessee District Science Network, focusing on phenomena or problems, integration of the three dimensions to make sense of phenomena or problems, and equitable features.
Steps to Designing a Three Dimensional Assessment opens in new window
Contains a nine-step process designed to help teams develop three-dimensional assessment tasks in science that connect to students’ interests, experiences, and identities.
NGSS 3D Assessment Implementation Modules opens in new window
Provides a searchable database of high quality 3-D learning for both formative and summative assessments.
Science Task Prescreen opens in new window
Focuses on assessment tasks to determine challenges commonly found in science assessment tasks
Science Task Screener opens in new window
Focuses on classroom assessment tasks that are high quality, designed to elicit evidence of three-dimensional performances, and to provide a common set of features to demonstrate the kinds of performances expected by three-dimensional standards
A Framework to Evaluate Cognitive Complexity in Science Assessments opens in new window
Offers a new approach to capturing and communicating the complexity of summative assessment items and tasks designed for three-dimensional standards
Seeing Students Learn Science: Integrating Assessment and Instruction in the Classroom. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. opens in new window
Includes examples of innovative assessment formats, ways to embed assessments in classroom lessons, and ideas for interpreting and using assessment information
Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. opens in new window
Develops an approach to science assessment to meet the vision of science education
Design, Selection, and Implementation of Instructional Materials for the Next Generation Science Standards: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. opens in new window
Offers insights on developing instructional materials to achieve the goals of science education

The Pennsylvania Safety Guides provide a convenient reference for Science, Technology & Engineering, and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability (STEELS) educators. The guides include recommended safety practices for classroom, laboratory, and field experiences.

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