House Joint Resolution 1099 is on the House agenda to be heard tomorrow, Tuesday, May 20. The Oklahoma House Administrative Rules and Government Oversight Committee voted to reject the rules as they pertain to the proposed Oklahoma Academic Skills for Science (OASS) on May 12th and that is the recommendation that will be presented to the full House. Despite hundreds of of phone calls and emails to the contrary, the leaders of the rules committee continue to contend that OASS is based on the Common Core State Standards and that they were produced by OSDE without any input from Oklahoma citizens. You can hear for yourself their efforts to misrepresent OASS (as well as their bullying of State Science Director Tiffany Neill) on the audio of the committee’s May 12, 2014, hearing on HJR 1099 available on-line. The science standards are discussed from about 9:00 to about 52:00.
This may be the last chance to save the 18 months of work on the part of HUNDREDS of educators, scientists, engineers, and laypersons. If this rejection vote were based on logic or facts, that would be one thing. But there appears to be little logic or fact associated with these efforts to saddle Oklahoma public schools with the existing science standards that have long outlived their usefulness and are showing their age. Are public schools to be left to use PASS as the gauge for selecting new science textbooks after 10-YEARS of using the last textbooks?
Is the House Rules Committee leadership trying to send a message? If so, to whom? The State Superintendent? The Governor? Or is the object of their in-your-face message the hard-working and under-appreciated science teachers of Oklahoma? Based on media coverage the message is loud and clear to the rest of the country. We are guilty of false advertising when we declare ourselves a STEM-ready state while we have science standards that do not contain the word evolution and reject new standards because they contain the word climate in 4th grade. How can this possibly promote a positive image for Oklahoma?
Here are the facts:
The Oklahoma Academic Skills for Science (OASS), were approved without descent by the Oklahoma State Board of Education. The new standards are the result of a year-long process that involved hundreds of Oklahoma educators, professors, scientists, STEM industry professionals, parents and community leaders, all of whom were devoted to producing a new set of standards to guide Oklahoma STEM instruction in the 21st century. These volunteers utilized not only their personal expertise, but a wide range of resources, including the American Academy for the Advancement of Science’s “Science for All Americans”, The Framework for K-12 Science Education developed by the National Research Council, and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
The Oklahoma committee chose to utilize the format of the NGSS while making numerous, appropriate changes to the science content and practices so as to make them truly “Oklahoma Standards”. Hundreds of Oklahoma teachers, parents and scientists have reviewed and provided input into the design and content of the standards. Through the grassroots efforts of these volunteers have come a truly useful and definitive guide to STEM education for Oklahoma students. The Oklahoma Academic Skills for Science have the support and endorsement of the Oklahoma Science Teachers Association.
Contact your Oklahoma House member NOW. Get their contact information here.