The first public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards is available on-line — and your feedback is invited. The Next Generation Science Standards are intended to be "rich in content and practice, arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education." Comments on the first draft will be accepted on-line through June 1, 2012. "Feedback collected during the comment period will be organized and shared with the leading states and writing team members. After the feedback is considered, a feedback report will be issued that will explain how feedback was handled and why."
As with the National Research Council's 2011 A Framework for K-12 Science Education, on which they are based, the first draft of the Next Generation Science Standards are not reticent about evolution and climate change. In life sciences, Natural Selection and Evolution is one of five main topics at the high school level, and Natural Selection and Adaptations is one of five main topics at the middle school level. Similarly, in earth and space sciences, Climate Change and Human Sustainability are two of six main topics at the high school level, and Weather and Climate and Human Impacts are two of six main topics at the middle school level.