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A revision team that Iowa formed last fall to revise its K -12 scientific education standards and its registered changes project – that some members of the team said contained changes on which they had not signed – has been released so that a second team can now review public comments and recommend changes depending on the entrance.
“The team is advisory to the department,” said the spokesperson for the Iowa Ministry of Education Heather Doe to The Gazette. “He does not finalize the second revised project standards proposed.”
She said that the same thing was true for the first team of 37 educators, administrators and educational experts – some of whom have spoken after the first project of new standards of scientific education has become public, signaling that it was not not the version they recommended.
“I do not remember the term” climatic trends “in the document we have seen,” said Jeff Nordine, member of the team of the examination team and educational teacher at the University of the Iowa the revision team examined it for the last time.
In reference to the erasure of the terms “climate change” and “biological evolution”, Nordine said: “There was a language in this document which referred to the age of the land of 4.6 billion years – which has been deleted. “
“I don’t know how it happened. I do not remember being informed that it was going to happen. »»
Doe told the Gazette that the ministry followed the same process it uses to examine other academic standards and that “the changes between each examination committee and the ministry’s recommendation are to be expected”. She said that the members of the examination team had been informed as much.
“Although the ministry has been clear on this process throughout each revision of standards, including revisions of standards in English -language arts and mathematics, in the future, the ministry will ensure that all members of the Committee affirm their understanding of this role, “said Doe. “Only State Board of Education has the power to adopt final standards.”
‘Do not prescribe or mandate’
The academic standards of kindergarten to the 12th year of Iowa – covering things like literacy, mathematics, social studies and sciences – describe “what students need to learn to prepare for success as they progress every year and after high school, ”according to the department.
They “define what students should be able to do at the specified levels,” said Doe.
“They do not prescribe or mandate any particular program,” she said. “Each district selects its own study program, manuals and other class documents.”
The current scientific standards of Iowa were adopted a decade ago in 2015 and – at secondary level, for example – underline that students should be able to “communicate scientific information that common ancestry and evolution biological are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence ”.
Students should also be able to “design, assess and refine a solution to reduce the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity”, according to current standards, which note among its main concepts that human activity has ” Negative impacts on biodiversity by overcrowding, overexploitation, destruction of housing, pollution, introduction of invasive species and climate change. »»
In the revised standards under study, language on biological evolution has been modified to say “biological change”, and references to climate change have been replaced by the expression “climatic trends”.
“The abolition or modification of references to a well -founded scientific consensus dilutes not only the depth of our current standards, but these changes may have real impacts on the understanding of students in critical science concepts,” said the educator Scientist Jason Martin-Hiner on January. 15 Public Forum on Changes.
The debate around the proposed scientific standards of Iowa – and questions from which the first project finalized – drew the attention of certain national education entities, in particular the National Center for Science Education, an organization for no purpose Lucrative based in California which lists its mission as guaranteeing that students “receive” receive a precise and effective evolution and the teaching of climate sciences. »»
“We do it by supporting teachers with resources and best educational practices; by monitoring and mobilizing against efforts to undermine science teaching, whether in the state or in class; And by engaging in research to understand, maintain and improve science education, ”according to his public tax declarations.
Five phases
After information on the media on changes in scientific standards of Iowa, the National Center published a story on its website under the title “Shenanigans in Iowa’s Science Standards Review”.
But the DOE rejected the idea that the references to evolution and climate change have been deleted.
“For example, by examining the first revised project proposed, you will see that in science of life, there is an entire unit on” biological change over time “which covers” how species have evolved “, a -Ali said in an email.
And, said Doe, “climatic trends, which are covered throughout the first revised project proposed, is the appropriate term to concentrate instructions on climatic data over time and is used by other government agencies.”
She also pointed out that the five -phase standards examination process is the same for other areas of study.
- Phase 1: The ministry undertakes internal preparation for the revision of standards, in particular the collection of new research.
- Second phase: the Department constitutes a revision team for the first standards following a request process, and the team meets as an advisory basis.
- Phase three: The State publicly shares the first project of revised standards proposed and calls for comments via a survey and public forums.
- Phase four: The department constitutes a second team for examining standards by a request which examines the comments of the stakeholders and recommends changes to the standards according to these comments. The team, once again, serves as an advisory capacity.
- Phase five: The ministry presents a final project of recommended standards at the State Board of Education. A first reading before the board of directors – perhaps March 20 – presents another opportunity to comment from the public. The board of directors could adopt standards during a second consideration, which could be on April 17.
Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com