Florida’s science standards: “clarification” exercise nears completion in preparation for July 16-17 State Board of Ed meeting

Participants in the FLDOE’s “clarification” exercise for the state’s science standards were instructed this week to make their final comments and edits as the department’s leadership prepares to present its results to the State Board of Education at their July 16-17 meeting in Fort Lauderdale.

The exercise was initiated in response to the woeful review that Florida’s standards received from the Fordham Institute, which periodically reviews state science standards.  Fordham initially awarded Florida’s standards a grade of “D”, but it was changed to “C” after complaints to Fordham by at least one member of the State Board.

The exercise used the word “clarification” because making “revisions” would have triggered a new round of public comment and perhaps another emotional debate over evolution education, similar to the one that occurred during the 2007-2008 science standards writing process.

The clarification exercise is occurring against the backdrop of the national Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) process, which has just completed its first public review and preparing for another round of public review in the fall.  By the time the NGSS are finalized in spring 2013, three years will have elapsed since the convening of the committee of scientists that wrote the “Framework” on which the NGSS are being based.  In contrast, Florida’s 2007-2008 science standards process was completed in about nine months, resulting in what Fordham said were numerous factual errors and a lack of organization.

The NGSS process has not been without controversy.  The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Fordham have taken seemingly opposite public positions on the place that “science process” standards should have in the document.  The NSTA has called for the inclusion of a separate section on the “nature of science”, while Fordham has said that there is already too much “science process” in the document and that it has crowded out “crucial content”.

The NSTA’s comments also suggested a concern that the draft standards might be too ambitious for a document intended to outline the science education of all students, and not just those bound for STEM careers.

Twenty-six states have been designated “lead partners” by Achieve, the organization leading the work on the standards.  Florida chose not to seek “lead partner” status, and it is not yet clear whether the FDOE leadership intends to advocate for adoption of the NGSS.  In fact, the “clarification” exercise casts doubt on the leadership’s interest in the NGSS.