DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa officials are considering whether to adopt model science standards for what’s taught in the state, but critics say doing so would intrude on local school decisions.
The Des Moines Register reports (https://dmreg.co/1ggmkjO ) Iowa was one of 26 states that helped develop the national guidelines for science classes, called Next Generation Science Standards.
The guidelines emphasize in-depth instruction and hands-on experiments. Many experts say that’s a good approach. But some teachers worry about sacrificing the breadth of lessons.
A state task force has been reviewing the standards since last summer. Most of the members of that 28-person committee voted to recommend adopting the standards in October, but some remain skeptical.
“Our No. 1 concern is that this is nationalizing education,” said Jill Jennings, a Spirit Lake parent and substitute teacher who served on the task force.
If the state adopts the Next Generation Science Standards, they would replace Iowa standards that have been in place since 2008. The state board of education will consider adopting the standards later this year.
State officials have made improving science education a priority, and the legislature approved spending $4.7 million on science, technology, engineering and math programs this school year.
Less than half of all the Iowa students who graduated in 2012 and took the ACT college entrance exam scored well enough to be ready for college-level science classes.
“We want the most robust science standards we can get for Iowa’s kids,” Brad Buck, Iowa Department of Education director, told the newspaper. “… We want them to think more like scientists.”
But the new standards have critics. They include conservative groups and some leaders of local teacher unions who worry that the standards could lead to more standardized tests.
“I kind of think of it as micromanaging the classroom,” said Leslie Beck, a Waukee mother who home-schools her children. “Standards are great as goals for teachers, as things to strive for. But when you tie standardized tests to the standards, and then you tie teacher performance to the test results of the students in their class … then you’ve got a classroom full of test prep.”
National experts say the new science standards could help make it easier for students to understand key scientific concepts by encouraging in-depth lessons.
“One of the problems we’ve had in science education is that we cover way too many topics in too shallow of depth,” said Jim Pellegrino, a professor of education and co-director of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Learning Sciences Research Institute.
“The idea is to focus on the really important, enduring ideas instead,” Pellegrino said.
Eight states have already adopted the voluntary standards: California, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, https://www.desmoinesregister.com
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