(The letter below is by Professor Richard Broughton, an OESE Board member. It was recently published in the Norman Transcript)
On May 12 the Oklahoma House Administrative Rules and Government Oversight Committee voted 10-1 to reject the proposed Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science (covered in House Joint Resolution 1099) that have been in development for the past year and a half. A rejection of proposed education standards by the legislature is unprecedented and could have serious negative consequences for our students.
The new standards (www.ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science.pdf) were crafted by over 500 teachers, scientists and education professionals over the past year and a half. They were approved by the State Board of Education in March by a unanimous vote and are strongly supported by Supt. Barresi.
The Oklahoma Science Teachers Association observed that two dominant concerns were expressed by members of the House Committee. The first was the use of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) as a resource in creation of the new standards. The NGSS (www.nextgenscience.org/) were formulated in a state-led effort by major scientific organizations and technology corporations. NGSS is not a government program and is not a federal mandate. The new Oklahoma Standards do not mandate a specific curriculum or dictate how teachers should teach. Using consultation of NGSS in formulating the Oklahoma standards as an argument for the Committee to reject the entire standards document has no rational justification.
The second concern was placement of weather and climate in early grade levels. Weather and climate science are already in the current PASS standards at the elementary school level. It appears that Committee members believe standards with any reference to climate might be used to force students to understand the science of climate change. Isn’t it ironic that a state with world class research on weather and climate would also be a leader in rejecting that same science because teachers might broach the topic in 3rd or 4th grade?
The new science standards are a vast improvement over the previous standards, will improve the education and job prospects of our students, and will help attract science/technology-related industry to Oklahoma. Opposition to the new standards is not based in science or education, but is purely a political statement. If you believe that science standards should be determined by teachers, scientists and education professionals and not be subjected to political games, please contact your legislators to voice your opinion. More information and contact information are provided by Oklahomans for Excellence in Science Education (www.oklascience.org).
Richard E Broughton
Norman