{"id":10623,"date":"2012-01-31T10:07:24","date_gmt":"2012-01-31T10:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scienceblogs.com\/gregladen\/2012\/01\/31\/the-state-of-state-science-sta\/"},"modified":"2012-01-31T10:07:24","modified_gmt":"2012-01-31T10:07:24","slug":"the-state-of-state-science-sta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregladen.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/31\/the-state-of-state-science-sta\/","title":{"rendered":"The State of State Science Standards"},"content":{"rendered":"

The vast majority of American public school students are not proficient in the level of science learning expected for their age group. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute has issued “The State of Science Standards 2012<\/a>” as part of an effort to assess the causes of this dismal state of affairs. Here’s a map summarizing their results:<\/p>\n

\"i-fdaa46757d49df3de372ec77d7299084-StateOfScienceStandards_Fordham_Report_2012-thumb-500x372-72303.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

State Science Standards Grades, 2012<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n

Notice that some of the battleground states for the “Evolution-Creationism Controversy” have reasonable ratings. Notice also the vast regions of D and F states. In fact, in order to convey the meaning of it all, I’ve created a new version of the map that signifies all states with D and F rankings with one color, and all states with C or better grades with a different color (The “Pass\/Fail” version of the test!):<\/p>\n


\n\"i-9fca02112812dbdb43959e121aa98380-Fordham_Pas_Fail.jpg\"<\/p>\n

The Fordham report identifies the reasons for lower than ideal grades on a state by state basis. Remember, these are criticisms of the state science standards used to guide or regulate teaching. These include:<\/p>\n