ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

This morning I came across a report on science standards in the US in a
post by Jerry Coyne an evolution biologist at University of Chicago in his
Why Evolution is True blog. The excerpt below gives a sense of the report.

The posting is at:
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/u-s-school-science-standards-pronounced-dismal/

The reports are linked in his posting but a blog about them is at:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/budding-scientist/2012/02/01/u-s-state-science-standards-are-mediocre-to-awful/

and the report is at:
http://www.edexcellence.net/publications/the-state-of-state-science-standards-2012.html


   - Why is the U.S. doing so poorly? The authors single out five problems
   with state standards:


   1. *The undermining of evolution* through a variety of methods, both
   involving the legislature (as in Louisiana's "academic freedom" act that
   allows the teaching of intelligent design creationism) and more subtle
   incursions, like Colorado and West Virginia's mandate that the "strengths
   and weaknesses" of evolution be discussed, while of course other "theories"
   don't come in for such treatment.
   2. *Vague standards that give teachers little guidance.* The report
   mentions, as two examples, "A middle school teacher in New Hampshire, for
   example, will come face to face with the following: 'Identify energy as a
   property of many substances.' Pennsylvania offers the equally baffling
   'Explain the chemistry of metabolism.' Such empty statements can do little
   to inform curriculum development or instruction, and give no guidance
   to assessment developers."
   3. *The promotion of "inquiry based learning" without any guidance to
   teachers how to implement it*. The report notes, "Iowa
   schoolchildren are directed to: '*Make appropriate
   personal/lifestyle/technology choices, evaluate, observe, discuss/debate,
   recognize interactions and interdependencies at all levels,
   explain, describe environmental effects of public policy,
   choose appropriate course(s) of action.*' Such statements are devoid of
   any teachable content and leave teachers with no guidance as to how they
   can incorporate genuine scientific inquiry skills into their instruction."
    Further, many states say nothing about the history of science, which is
   essential for teaching students how science works and how to be critical.
   4. *There's not enough math.*  As the report notes, things are far too
   qualitative, perhaps catering to students' "mathophobia":  "Mathematics is
   integral to science. Yet few states make the link between math and science
   clear—and many seem to go to great lengths to avoid mathematical
   formulae and equations altogether. The result is usually a clumsy mishmash
   of poor writing that could much more easily and clearly be expressed in
   numbers."

It's no surprise, then, that among 15 year olds tested in 65 countries,
U.S. students ranked 23rd in science proficiency, while only 21% of U.S.
twelfth-graders (17 and 18 year olds) are at or above the "proficient"
standard in science.

This is a very thorough report: the most thorough I've seen from any
organization. There are an average of 3.5 pages of evaluation for *each* of
the U.S.'s 50 states. If you're a parent, or simply a citizen concerned
about the condition of American science education, look at your state's
standards and, if so moved, complain!

(There is a ) U.S. map with each state's grade. Note that although the
South is low as expected, the midwest, along with Oregon and Idaho, rank
even lower. And an F for Wisconsin? This was a surprise to me. Read the
state-by-state evaluations to see why.


Martin

<http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/u-s-school-science-standards-pronounced-dismal/screen-shot-2012-11-15-at-8-04-35-pm/>
*whyevolutionistrue<http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/author/whyevolutionistrue/>
* | November 16, 2012 at 5:23 am |
Categories:education<http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/?cat=1342>
, Science <http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/?cat=173> | URL:
http://wp.me/ppUXF-jLq


-- 
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Martin Weiss, PhD
Senior Scientist
New York Hall of Science
mweiss at nyscience.org
cell   347-460-1858
desk 718 595 9156

-- 
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
 
This message is intended solely for the addressee(s) in the first instance 
and may contain confidential information.  Please do not forward this email 
without the consent of the sender.

***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.

To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]