Creative, non-natural change to education in Ohio, USA, as Board of Education, by a vote of 17-0, approved on Tuesday (Oct 15) a resolution of intent to adopt the state’s new science standards. This draft includes two key changes made to the standards which substantially implemented the teach-the-controversy approach. These changes were made on Monday (Oct 14) by the Standards Committee of the State Board.
First, a new “definition” of science was added “recognize that science is a systematic method of continuing investigation, based on observation, hypothesis testing, measurement, experimentation, and theory building, which leads to more adequate explanations of natural phenomena.” This replaces the following statement in Scientific Ways of Knowing, Grade 10, indicator 3 “Recognize that scientific knowledge is limited to natural explanations for natural phenomena based on evidence from our senses or technological extensions.”
Second, a new statement was added as Life Sciences, Grade 10, Indicator 23 “Describe how scientists continue to investigate and critically analyze aspects of evolutionary theory.” This same statement was also added to Benchmark H in Life Sciences, Grade 10.
Editorial Comment: The public school fight between creation and evolution will never be decided by the evidence alone, while the definition of science includes the word “natural”. This means that even though almost all cultures in the world have a tradition about Creation and a divine Flood punishment – such a fact cannot be considered as evidence. This change of definition will open doors for consideration of more than the normal lines of “evidence”, and is expected to be bitterly opposed. (Ref. Education, Ohio, Science)