What are the National Sex Education Standards?
Developed in 2012 and updated in 2020, the goal of the National Sex Education Standards (NSES) is “to provide clear, consistent, and straightforward guidance on the essential, minimum, core content and skills needed for sex education that is age-appropriate for students in grades K-12 to be effective.”
The NSES focus on the functional knowledge and skills needed for each age group. They are arranged in grade level bands–K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-10, and 11-12–and by topic. They incorporate the following principles and values:
- trauma-informed approach
- social, racial, and reproductive justice and equity
- intersectionality
- language inclusivity
- theoretical framework
- characteristics of effective comprehensive sex education
- alignment with existing education standards
How does Puberty: The Wonder Years address the NSES?
Puberty: The Wonder Years 2021 edition used the 2020 NSES as a guide. This edition addresses as many of the NSES as feasible in the three-grade span of lessons, aligning with the standards in the grade level bands for grades 3-5 and 6-8, The following documents describe the relationship between Puberty: The Wonder Years and the NSES:
- NSES for Grades 3-5: Addressed by Puberty: The Wonder Years 2021-24 Edition
- NSES for Grades 6-8: Addressed by Puberty: The Wonder Years 2021-24 Edition
- Puberty: The Wonder Years, Grade 4, 2021-24 Edition Addresses NSES for Grades 3-5
- Puberty: The Wonder Years, Grade 5, 2021-24 Edition Addresses NSES for Grades 3-5
- Puberty: The Wonder Years, Grade 6, 2021-24 Edition Addresses NSES for Grades 6-8
- Puberty The Wonder Years, Add-On Lessons, 2021-24 Address NSES for Grades 3-8
updated 2024-4-11