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EdAction
Maple River Education Coalition PAC
105 Peavey Rd, St 116
Chaska, MN
55318
952-361-4931
http://www.EdAction.org
E-mail
Printer Version
December, 2004
2004 Minnesota State Science
Standards
The entire set of 2004 Minnesota
State Science Standards may be found
here. (This
is in pdf format.)
The following excerpt from the standards directs schools to teach about
the controversy surrounding the theory of evolution. This section of the
standards, Nature of Science, is not from the sections that will be tested
by the state assessments, and other parts of the science standards teach
only evolutionary theory. Therefore, the state cannot enforce these
standards.
However, Minnesota parents and school board members may use these
standards to support their efforts to have their schools teach the
controversy in evolutionary theory. It will be very difficult, for
example, for schools to prohibit teachers from teaching the controversy
when this language has been adopted by the state legislature as part of
the state science standards.
The Santorum amendment, a section of the No Child Left Behind
Congressional conference report that was agreed to by Congressional House
and Senate conference committee members, clarifies Congressional intent
that all sides of controversial subjects such as evolution be included.
The amendment states: "Where topics are taught that may generate
controversy [such as biological evolution], the curriculum should help
students to understand the full range of scientific views that exist and
why such topics may generate controversy, and how scientific discoveries
can profoundly affect society."
Also see more discussion of this debate from
our
website.
Grades 9–12
NATURE OF SCIENCE
A. Scientific World View
Standard
The student will understand the nature of scientific ways of thinking
and that scientific knowledge changes and accumulates
over time.
Benchmarks
1. The student will be able to distinguish among hypothesis, theory
and law as scientific terms and how they are used to answer a specific
question.
2. The student will be able to explain how scientific and technological
innovations as well as new evidence can challenge portions of or entire
accepted theories and models including but not limited to cell theory,
atomic theory, theory of evolution, plate tectonic theory, germ theory of
disease and big bang theory.
3. The student will recognize that in order to be valid, scientific
knowledge must meet certain criteria including that it: be consistent with
experimental, observational and inferential evidence about nature; follow
rules of logic and reporting both methods and procedures; and, be
falsifiable and open to criticism.