Twenty-six states voluntarily partnered to provide leadership and guidance for the purpose of adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). However, a need exists to examine the NGSS versus state standards to better understand changes in curriculum and instruction to make their implementation successful for all states. The present study correlates a set of state science standards from the NGSS leadership team (Tennessee) to the NGSS for High School Biology/Life Sciences, as a model, and examines the changes from a traditional biology curriculum to a dynamic set of standards that teach the technical skills and critical thinking needed in these scientific fields. The NGSS addresses a move from dated scientific quandaries and proposes standards supported by cutting edge scientific research and literature. Partnerships between scientists and educators allow for the information exchange necessary to implement the changes in scientific research in K-12 instruction. Professional development opportunities that include direct partnerships with scientists foster the continued understanding and skills required to teach science.