State education officials are preparing to implement new science standards in schools. The state Board of Education could adopt the standards as soon as next month.
The board hopes to avoid another battle with state lawmakers over the standards. The Legislature last year threatened to stop funding new standards for math and English known as the Common Core State Standards.
“This is the role and the authority of the state Board of Education to adopt state standards,” said Martin Ackley, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). “What we plan on doing and will do is inform the Legislature on these proposed standards.”
“We plan on sending a report to the Legislature on these proposed new standards for science in the state of Michigan,” he said.
Critics of both the Common Core and these current standards claim they take away local control of what is taught in schools.
State education officials hope the Next Generation standards will boost achievement in science. Less than 20 percent of Michigan students passed the state science exam last year.
Ed. note: This post has been updated to delete references to “Next Generation” standards. It's not clear if the standards will be presented as Michigan-specific standards that borrow heavily from NG.
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