{"id":18785,"date":"2025-10-17T14:07:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T18:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/?p=18785"},"modified":"2025-10-17T14:19:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T18:19:26","slug":"pennsylvania-steels-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/news-blog\/pennsylvania-steels-standards\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pennsylvania STEELS Standards: Preparing for New Science Standards in PA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pennsylvania science teachers are at the forefront of a transformative shift in how science is taught. The newly adopted <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pa.gov\/agencies\/education\/programs-and-services\/instruction\/elementary-and-secondary-education\/curriculum\/science\/science-standards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">STEELS standards (Science, Technology &amp; Engineering, Environmental Literacy &amp; Sustainability)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> mark a major departure from the state\u2019s 2002 science frameworks. These standards are not just an update; they redefine what it means to teach and learn science in <a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/schools-districts\/pennsylvania\/elementary-school\/\">Pennsylvania classrooms<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;re feeling a mix of excitement and concern, you&#8217;re not alone. These changes will reshape instruction across grade levels, especially as we approach full implementation in the 2025\u201326 school year. Let\u2019s walk through what\u2019s changing, why it matters, and how Progress Learning is here to help.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why Pennsylvania Is Shifting to STEELS<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adopted by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pa.gov\/agencies\/stateboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pennsylvania State Board of Education<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in January 2022 and officially published in July of that year, the STEELS standards were designed to meet the evolving demands of 21st-century science education. The previous standards had been in place for over two decades\u2014long enough that they no longer reflected the realities of modern scientific practice or student needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The shift was driven by a clear recognition: memorizing facts isn&#8217;t enough. Today\u2019s students must be able to ask questions, analyze data, build models, and apply scientific knowledge to real-world problems, especially those affecting their own communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To support a smooth transition, the current standards will sunset on June 30, 2025. Schools will then be expected to fully implement STEELS by the start of the 2025\u201326 academic year. That three-year transition period provides districts with time to prepare curriculum, develop professional learning, and adopt instructional resources aligned to the new vision.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What\u2019s Changing in Pennsylvania Classrooms?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">STEELS is built around a &#8220;three-dimensional&#8221; learning model, which integrates:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The foundational concepts in Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth and Space Science that students are expected to understand.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The skills scientists and engineers use to investigate the world and design solutions\u2014like asking questions, analyzing data, and communicating findings.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Overarching ideas such as patterns, systems, and cause and effect that connect across all areas of science.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This model moves beyond siloed facts. Students don\u2019t just learn about ecosystems, they investigate them, build models, and connect their findings to broader concepts like energy transfer and sustainability.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Sets STEELS Apart: Environmental Literacy and Sustainability<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most distinctive features of STEELS is its dedicated strand on <\/span><b>Environmental Literacy and Sustainability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which spans all grade levels. This emphasis is deeply tied to Pennsylvania\u2019s rich agricultural, environmental, and industrial history, and is structured around three core ideas:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Agricultural and Environmental Systems and Resources<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 exploring how natural and human systems interact.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Environmental Literacy Skills<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 investigating issues and evaluating solutions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sustainability and Stewardship<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 considering long-term impacts, environmental justice, and civic responsibility.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This strand positions students to understand and address real-world issues, locally and globally, with a particular focus on relevance to their communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How STEELS Compares to NGSS<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Educators familiar with the <\/span>Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will find many similarities with STEELS. Both frameworks use the same three-dimensional learning model and cover aligned disciplinary core ideas. In many cases, the performance expectations are nearly identical.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, STEELS differentiates itself by explicitly elevating environmental literacy and sustainability to a full domain, rather than embedding it within existing content areas. This allows Pennsylvania educators to provide more focused and sustained instruction in environmental science, contextualized for the specific needs of their students and communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For implementation resources and curriculum support, educators can visit the official<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pdesas.org\/Page\/Viewer\/ViewPage\/58\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Pennsylvania SAS STEELS Resource Hub<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What This Means for Teachers<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implementing STEELS standards represents a major instructional shift, especially for elementary teachers, who may now be expected to teach engineering concepts, sustainability issues, or data analysis strategies that weren\u2019t previously part of their training.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may be wondering:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How will I cover all these new expectations?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do I make time for inquiry-based instruction?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How can I differentiate for students with varying science backgrounds?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where high-quality resources become essential, and where Progress Learning can help.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How Progress Learning Supports STEELS Implementation<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Progress Learning is fully aligned with Pennsylvania\u2019s STEELS standards and built to support educators in bringing three-dimensional instruction to life. Our platform is designed to streamline planning, instruction, practice, and assessment\u2014all in one place.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">STEELS-Aligned Science Content: Every item in our science platform reflects the structure and rigor of STEELS, integrating DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs in both practice and assessment. This ensures students aren\u2019t just learning facts, they\u2019re demonstrating understanding through real-world applications and hands-on thinking. Check out a sample STEELS-aligned question for 5th grade below.<\/span><\/li>\n<div class=\"uk-margin-top item-content\">\n<style>\n    #unique-box-1 {\n        border: 3px solid #6E1A61; \/* Border color (purple) *\/\n        border-radius: 15px;       \/* Rounded corners *\/\n        padding: 20px;             \/* Space inside the box *\/\n        background-color: #f9f9f9; \/* Background color *\/\n        display: inline-block;     \/* Wrap around the content *\/\n        width: auto;               \/* Automatically adjust to the content size *\/\n        box-sizing: border-box;    \/* Include border in the box dimensions *\/\n        text-align: left;          \/* Align text inside the box to the left *\/\n    }\n  <\/style>\n<div id=\"unique-box-1\">\n    <span class=\"learnosity-item\" data-reference=\"2058845-en\"><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/br><\/p>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comprehensive Support for All Subjects: Alongside STEELS-aligned science, we also support <\/span>Pennsylvania Core Standards for ELA and math, plus <a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/schools-districts\/pennsylvania\/high-school\/\">Keystone Exam preparation<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for high school. One platform means consistent coverage and simplified instructional planning across subjects.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technology-Enhanced Items (TEIs): Pennsylvania\u2019s PSSAs and Keystone Exams increasingly include technology-enhanced items that go beyond multiple-choice. Our platform prepares students for these item types with drag-and-drop tasks, model-building tools, interactive visuals, and more\u2014so they&#8217;re confident when it counts.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adaptive Intervention and Remediation: With our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/our-products\/liftoff-adaptive-intervention-2-8\/\">Liftoff adaptive intervention tool<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, students receive personalized learning paths based on diagnostic data, including NWEA MAP scores. It provides foundational skill support that helps struggling learners build the background knowledge they need in math, reading, and science.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Actionable Reporting: Progress Learning&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/solutions\/progress-monitoring-tools\/\">reporting suite<\/a> provides immediate insight into student performance on individual performance expectations, helping teachers:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monitor progress across science domains<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify learning gaps early<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adjust instruction in real time<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Looking Ahead<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The STEELS standards reflect a bold commitment to preparing students not just for assessments, but for the challenges and opportunities they\u2019ll face in the real world. With strong environmental ties and a focus on integrated learning, they offer a chance to make science more relevant, rigorous, and engaging.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you plan for full implementation in 2025\u201326, Progress Learning is ready to support your school with tools aligned to Pennsylvania\u2019s vision for science education.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Explore all of our STEELS-aligned resources by filling out the form below.<\/p>\n<script charset=\"utf-8\" type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/js.hsforms.net\/forms\/embed\/v2.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  hbspt.forms.create({\r\n    region: \"na1\",\r\n    portalId: \"23272034\",\r\n    formId: \"3bd16ddb-4120-40f2-ae04-334b789b41ff\"\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pennsylvania science teachers are at the forefront of a transformative shift in how science is taught. The newly adopted STEELS standards (Science, Technology &amp; Engineering, Environmental Literacy &amp; Sustainability) mark a major departure from the state\u2019s 2002 science frameworks. These standards are not just an update; they redefine what it means to teach and learn [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":18786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"\ud83d\udea8 Big changes coming to PA science classrooms! The new #STEELSstandards bring 3D learning & environmental literacy to the forefront. \ud83c\udf0e\ud83d\udd2c Progress Learning is ready\u2014are you? #PAEd #ScienceEd","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[314],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pennsylvania"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Blog-The-Pennsylvania-STEELS-Standards.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18785"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18791,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18785\/revisions\/18791"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}