Texas State Board of Education will continue battle over science standards today

The first draft (PDF) of the revised standards replaced the “strengths and weaknesses” language with “The student is expected to analyze and evaluate scientific explanations using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing.” The change was hailed by the Texas Freedom Network, Texas Citizens for Science, and the 21st Century Science Coalition, as well as by the editorial boards of the Austin American-Statesman (October 6, 2008), and the Corpus Christi Call-Times (November 20, 2008). Additionally, a survey (PDF) conducted by Raymond Eve and the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund demonstrated that the vast majority of biologists at universities in Texas rejected the idea of teaching the supposed weaknesses of evolution.



Nevertheless, when the Texas board of education began to hear testimony about the new standards on November 19, 2008, it was presented not with the first draft but with a second draft (PDF), in which the “strengths and weaknesses” language was replaced with a variant: “The student is expected to analyze and evaluate strengths and limitations of scientific explanations including those based on accepted scientific data, and evidence from students’ observations, experiments, models, and logical statements.” At the meeting, defenders of the integrity of science education argued that “strengths and limitations” was no improvement over “strengths and weaknesses.” The third draft (PDF) reverts to the first draft’s “analyze and evaluate” language.



In its discussion of the nature of science, the third draft is similar but not identical to the first draft. According to the first draft, “Science uses observational evidence to make predictions of natural phenomena and to construct testable explanations. If ideas are based upon purported forces outside of nature, they cannot be tested using scientific methods.” The third draft reads, “Science, as defined by the National Academy of Sciences, is the ‘use of evidence to construct testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena, as well as the knowledge generated through this process.’ … Students should know that some questions are outside the realm of science because they deal with phenomena that are not scientifically testable.”

evaluate the evidence for the Big Bang model that reveals an expanding universe originating from an initial singularity about 14 billion years ago;

evaluate the evidence for the Big Bang model, such as red shift and cosmic microwave background radiation, which reveals an expanding universe that originated about 14 billion years ago;

evaluate the evidence concerning the Big Bang model, such as red shift and cosmic microwave background radiation, and the concept of an expanding universe that originated about 14 billion years ago;

evaluate relative dating methods using original horizontality, rock superposition, lateral continuity, cross-cutting relationships, unconformities, index fossils, and biozones that are used to develop a time scale based on fossil succession;

evaluate relative dating methods using original horizontality, rock superposition, lateral continuity, cross-cutting relationships, unconformities, index fossils, and biozones based on fossil succession that are used to develop the geologic time scale;

evaluate relative dating methods using original horizontality, rock superposition, lateral continuity, cross-cutting relationships, unconformities, index fossils, and biozones based on fossil succession to determine chronological order;

Earth in space and time. The student knows that fossils provide evidence for geological and biological evolution. Students are expected to:



(A) analyze prominent scientific hypotheses for the origin of life by abiotic chemical processes, such as the transport of organic chemicals to Earth by comets, low-energy clay mineral replication, primitive Earth replication experiments, and the significance of primitive extremophilic archaeans;

Earth in space and time. The student knows that fossils provide evidence for geological and biological evolution. Students are expected to:



(A) analyze multiple, prominent scientific hypotheses for the origin of life by abiotic chemical processes;

Earth in space and time. The student knows that fossils provide evidence for geological and biological evolution. Students are expected to:



(A) evaluate a variety of fossil types, transitional fossils, fossil lineages, and significant fossil deposits with regard to their appearance, completeness, and rate and diversity of evolution;