Dear R.,
Apologies for the
repeated message - this is the most up to date information on the
standards!
Tennessee needs your
help. The state board of education is requesting comments on a
proposed new set of state science standards.
Now is
the time to insist on the importance of evolution, climate science,
and the nature of science in Tennessee science
education.
You can review the draft science
standards and offer your comments on-line.
These comments will be part of what the state board of education
considers as it moves forward. The comment period will end
on May 13, 2016, so please act soon.
For each
standard, you will be asked to recommend to keep it, review it, or
remove it. Whichever option you take, you will have the opportunity
to explain in a comment box. If you want to recommend adding a
standard, you should explain in the comment box of the most closely
related standards.
We
suggest:
-
reviewing all the
standards, focusing especially on evolutionary biology and deep
time, and climate science, and on middle and high school,
depending on your specialty and interest;
-
making a point of
commending the standards that present these topics correctly and
forthrightly -- e.g., 4.ESS3 and ESS.ESS3 for climate change,
BIO1.LS4 and BIO2.LS4 for evolution;
-
offering
appropriate suggestions for improving standards that are unclear
or incomplete or potentially misleading -- for example, ESS2-12
suggests that ocean currents are responsible for “climate change”
(rather than changes in climate) while GEO.ESS1 asks students to
"confirm or refute" geologic evidence used to infer the age of the
earth; and
-
encouraging those
involved in the revision of the science standards to present
science as it is understood by the scientific community without
any compromises to mollify ideological opponents of
science.
It's better for you
to express your opinions in your own words, of course.
Also,
if you have a special stake in science education, be sure to mention
it. If you are a parent, for example, talk about your desire for
your children to learn about science properly; if you are a K–12
teacher, talk about your professional responsibilities to teach
about science properly; if you are a college instructor, talk about
the importance about preparing students to excel in college; and so
on.
Will you review the standards
and encourage others to do so? A generation of students in Tennessee
is counting on you to stand up for good science
education.
Sincerely,
Minda
Berbeco
Programs and Policy Director
National Center for
Science Education
1904 Franklin Street, Suite 600
Oakland, CA
94612
p. 510-601-7203 e. ber...@ncse.com
P.S.
NCSE's work is only possible because of the generous support of
people like you. Your donation of $10, $35, or even
$100 will help us continue to do the work we
do.
