GA schools to remove term "evolution" from curriculum <<Update2: Gov. says leave the word, but teach creationism too >>

[Fausto]

The widely accepted theories for biology are?????
FYI:
Lamarke- posited that animals acquire traits through practice (e.g., giraffes necks were long b/c they were continuously stretching to reach leaves)
Malthus - wrote about how he believed that population growth would doom mankind to a ceaseless struggle for existence. Out of that unforgiving battle, some would survive and many would not, as famine, disease, and war put a ceiling on the growth in population. Darwin read Malthus's work prior to cystalizing his theory of evolution
Wallace - a contempary of Darwin, and independently came to the concept of natural selection/evolution.
Buffon - a contempary and critic of the idea of natural selection. Tried to reconcile creationism with Darwin's evidence.

In otherwords, she wants to teach creationism in the science classroom.

Damn! I actually hadn't bothered to read the proposal. That is just un-effing-believable. :Q

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: Fausto

The widely accepted theories for biology are?????
FYI:
Lamarke- posited that animals acquire traits through practice (e.g., giraffes necks were long b/c they were continuously stretching to reach leaves)
Malthus - wrote about how he believed that population growth would doom mankind to a ceaseless struggle for existence. Out of that unforgiving battle, some would survive and many would not, as famine, disease, and war put a ceiling on the growth in population. Darwin read Malthus's work prior to cystalizing his theory of evolution
Wallace - a contempary of Darwin, and independently came to the concept of natural selection/evolution.
Buffon - a contempary and critic of the idea of natural selection. Tried to reconcile creationism with Darwin's evidence.

In otherwords, she wants to teach creationism in the science classroom.

Damn! I actually hadn't bothered to read the proposal. That is just un-effing-believable. :Q

Yeah she is probably very happy that people are pissing about the omission of the term 'evolution' because she will happily re-instate the term and get a curriculum that teaches students how to challenge scientific arguements with religious based claims. Pretty slick politics.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: yamahaXS

Originally posted by: Fausto

The widely accepted theories for biology are?????
FYI:
Lamarke- posited that animals acquire traits through practice (e.g., giraffes necks were long b/c they were continuously stretching to reach leaves)
Malthus - wrote about how he believed that population growth would doom mankind to a ceaseless struggle for existence. Out of that unforgiving battle, some would survive and many would not, as famine, disease, and war put a ceiling on the growth in population. Darwin read Malthus's work prior to cystalizing his theory of evolution
Wallace - a contempary of Darwin, and independently came to the concept of natural selection/evolution.
Buffon - a contempary and critic of the idea of natural selection. Tried to reconcile creationism with Darwin's evidence.

In otherwords, she wants to teach creationism in the science classroom.

Damn! I actually hadn't bothered to read the proposal. That is just un-effing-believable. :Q

Yeah she is probably very happy that people are pissing about the omission of the term 'evolution' because she will happily re-instate the term and get a curriculum that teaches students how to challenge scientific arguements with religious based claims. Pretty slick politics.

Perhaps, but I honestly don't think her thought stream runs quite that deeply. 😉

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: Fausto

Originally posted by: yamahaXS

Originally posted by: Fausto

The widely accepted theories for biology are?????
FYI:
Lamarke- posited that animals acquire traits through practice (e.g., giraffes necks were long b/c they were continuously stretching to reach leaves)
Malthus - wrote about how he believed that population growth would doom mankind to a ceaseless struggle for existence. Out of that unforgiving battle, some would survive and many would not, as famine, disease, and war put a ceiling on the growth in population. Darwin read Malthus's work prior to cystalizing his theory of evolution
Wallace - a contempary of Darwin, and independently came to the concept of natural selection/evolution.
Buffon - a contempary and critic of the idea of natural selection. Tried to reconcile creationism with Darwin's evidence.

In otherwords, she wants to teach creationism in the science classroom.

Damn! I actually hadn't bothered to read the proposal. That is just un-effing-believable. :Q

Yeah she is probably very happy that people are pissing about the omission of the term 'evolution' because she will happily re-instate the term and get a curriculum that teaches students how to challenge scientific arguements with religious based claims. Pretty slick politics.

Perhaps, but I honestly don't think her thought stream runs quite that deeply. 😉

don't underestimate the sophistication of the lobbiests.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: yamahaXS

Originally posted by: Fausto

Originally posted by: yamahaXS

Yeah she is probably very happy that people are pissing about the omission of the term 'evolution' because she will happily re-instate the term and get a curriculum that teaches students how to challenge scientific arguements with religious based claims. Pretty slick politics.

Perhaps, but I honestly don't think her thought stream runs quite that deeply. 😉

don't underestimate the sophistication of the lobbiests.

No kidding.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if that ended up happening. Might want to consider a little movement to attend the next school board meeting, write letters to the editor, etc.

 

[BullsOnParade]

yeah what's much worse than this pro/against evolution crap is their wanting to
teach creationism with equal footing along side evolution. Gwinett county already
has cirriculum proposals to do exactly that. Creationism is such a sham and its a
damn shame that people think that any BS theory with a foothold in the realm of
scientific inquiry (ie Behe and that math philosophe jack off whathisname.)
is a valid and well defined attack on evolutionary theory.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: conjur
Evolution 86.58% 9221
Biological changes over time 13.42% 1429



1429 people need to be laid in front of a fleet of steamrollers.

why?? because they have an opinon??

OBVIOUSLY i don't agree with Cox. You shouldn't legislate this kind of stuff.

but they are entitled to their opinion regarding WHICH word they preer to use.

 

[BullsOnParade]

Read orwell's politics and the english language mate.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

More stuff... I didn't think this thread would entertain me so....

Webpage for Organization for the teaching of SCIENCE in GA public schools

This page reports that "the Georgia DOE science chair, Steven Pruett, stated that they used the standards for science literacy developed in 1993 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science , the premier scientific organization in this country. The AAAS standards are part of Project 2061, a long-term effort of AAAS to promote literacy in science, math, and technology among the American public, and thus improve the competitiveness of our nation in research and development."


Now here are the AAAS standards from 1993

Grades 9 through 12
Knowing what evolutionary change is and how it played out over geological time, students can now turn to its mechanism. They need to shift from thinking in terms of selection of individuals with a trait to changing proportions of a trait in populations. Familiarity with artificial selection, coming from studies of pedigrees and their own experiments, can be applied to natural systems, in which selection occurs because of environmental conditions. Students' understanding of radioactivity makes it possible for them to comprehend isotopic dating techniques used to determine the actual age of fossils and hence to appreciate that sufficient time may have elapsed for successive changes to have accumulated. Knowledge of DNA contributes to the evidence for life having evolved from common ancestors and provides a plausible mechanism for the origin of new traits.

History should not be overlooked. Learning about Darwin and what led him to the concept of evolution illustrates the interacting roles of evidence and theory in scientific inquiry. Moreover, the concept of evolution provided a framework for organizing new as well as "old" biological knowledge into a coherent picture of life forms.

Finally there is the matter of public response. Opposition has come and continues to come from people whose interpretation of religious writings conflicts with the story of evolution. Schools need not avoid the issue altogether. Perhaps science courses can acknowledge the disagreement and concentrate on frankly presenting the scientific view. Even if students eventually choose not to believe the scientific story, they should be well informed about what the story is.


By the end of the 12th grade, students should know that:

-The basic idea of biological evolution is that the earth's present-day species developed from earlier, distinctly different species.

-Molecular evidence substantiates the anatomical evidence for evolution and provides additional detail about the sequence in which various lines of descent branched off from one another.

-Natural selection provides the following mechanism for evolution: Some variation in heritable characteristics exists within every species, some of these characteristics give individuals an advantage over others in surviving and reproducing, and the advantaged offspring, in turn, are more likely than others to survive and reproduce. The proportion of individuals that have advantageous characteristics will increase.

-Heritable characteristics can be observed at molecular and whole-organism levels?in structure, chemistry, or behavior. These characteristics strongly influence what capabilities an organism will have and how it will react, and therefore influence how likely it is to survive and reproduce.

-New heritable characteristics can result from new combinations of existing genes or from mutations of genes in reproductive cells. Changes in other cells of an organism cannot be passed on to the next generation.

-Natural selection leads to organisms that are well suited for survival in particular environments. Chance alone can result in the persistence of some heritable characteristics having no survival or reproductive advantage or disadvantage for the organism. When an environment changes, the survival value of some inherited characteristics may change.

-The theory of natural selection provides a scientific explanation for the history of life on earth as depicted in the fossil record and in the similarities evident within the diversity of existing organisms.

-Life on earth is thought to have begun as simple, one-celled organisms about 4 billion years ago. During the first 2 billion years, only single-cell microorganisms existed, but once cells with nuclei developed about a billion years ago, increasingly complex multicellular organisms evolved.

-Evolution builds on what already exists, so the more variety there is, the more there can be in the future. But evolution does not necessitate long-term progress in some set direction. Evolutionary changes appear to be like the growth of a bush: Some branches survive from the beginning with little or no change, many die out altogether, and others branch repeatedly, sometimes giving rise to more complex organisms.

If GA DOE did used these standards, they took a LOT of dramatic license with them. So much so that to say they USED THESE STANDARDS is misleading to the point of being dishonest.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: conjur
Evolution 86.58% 9221
Biological changes over time 13.42% 1429



1429 people need to be laid in front of a fleet of steamrollers.

why?? because they have an opinon??

OBVIOUSLY i don't agree with Cox. You shouldn't legislate this kind of stuff.

but they are entitled to their opinion regarding WHICH word they preer to use.

Because that's 1429 people who'd prefer to let others do their thinking for them. And, even then, it's not thinking. It's political correctness run amok.

What's the use of keeping them around? Cardboard cut-outs would be more practical.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: conjur
Evolution 86.58% 9221
Biological changes over time 13.42% 1429



1429 people need to be laid in front of a fleet of steamrollers.

why?? because they have an opinon??

OBVIOUSLY i don't agree with Cox. You shouldn't legislate this kind of stuff.

but they are entitled to their opinion regarding WHICH word they preer to use.

Because that's 1429 people who'd prefer to let others do their thinking for them. And, even then, it's not thinking. It's political correctness run amok.

What's the use of keeping them around? Cardboard cut-outs would be more practical.

so basically kill anyone that disagrees with you.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: conjur
Evolution 86.58% 9221
Biological changes over time 13.42% 1429



1429 people need to be laid in front of a fleet of steamrollers.

why?? because they have an opinon??

OBVIOUSLY i don't agree with Cox. You shouldn't legislate this kind of stuff.

but they are entitled to their opinion regarding WHICH word they preer to use.

Because that's 1429 people who'd prefer to let others do their thinking for them. And, even then, it's not thinking. It's political correctness run amok.

What's the use of keeping them around? Cardboard cut-outs would be more practical.

so basically kill anyone that disagrees with you.

its better than taking someone's hyperbole as literal.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: conjur
Evolution 86.58% 9221
Biological changes over time 13.42% 1429



1429 people need to be laid in front of a fleet of steamrollers.

why?? because they have an opinon??

OBVIOUSLY i don't agree with Cox. You shouldn't legislate this kind of stuff.

but they are entitled to their opinion regarding WHICH word they preer to use.

Because that's 1429 people who'd prefer to let others do their thinking for them. And, even then, it's not thinking. It's political correctness run amok.

What's the use of keeping them around? Cardboard cut-outs would be more practical.

so basically kill anyone that disagrees with you.

Pretty much...yeah.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: yamahaXS

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: conjur
Evolution 86.58% 9221
Biological changes over time 13.42% 1429



1429 people need to be laid in front of a fleet of steamrollers.

why?? because they have an opinon??

OBVIOUSLY i don't agree with Cox. You shouldn't legislate this kind of stuff.

but they are entitled to their opinion regarding WHICH word they preer to use.

Because that's 1429 people who'd prefer to let others do their thinking for them. And, even then, it's not thinking. It's political correctness run amok.

What's the use of keeping them around? Cardboard cut-outs would be more practical.

so basically kill anyone that disagrees with you.

its better than taking someone's hyperbole as literal.

and you are taking my sarcastic comment literally.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: yamahaXS

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: conjur
Evolution 86.58% 9221
Biological changes over time 13.42% 1429



1429 people need to be laid in front of a fleet of steamrollers.

why?? because they have an opinon??

OBVIOUSLY i don't agree with Cox. You shouldn't legislate this kind of stuff.

but they are entitled to their opinion regarding WHICH word they preer to use.

Because that's 1429 people who'd prefer to let others do their thinking for them. And, even then, it's not thinking. It's political correctness run amok.

What's the use of keeping them around? Cardboard cut-outs would be more practical.

so basically kill anyone that disagrees with you.

its better than taking someone's hyperbole as literal.

and you are taking my sarcastic comment literally.

i have but one comment to make...

i don't see how he was taking your comment literally. he was only commenting on the topic of your comment (conjur's obviously-not-serious comment), not commenting on the actual content of your comment. regardless of whether or not your comment was sarcastic, you were attacking a comment that obviously would not be interpreted by any reasonable person to be serious.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: gopunk

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: yamahaXS

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: Conjur

Because that's 1429 people who'd prefer to let others do their thinking for them. And, even then, it's not thinking. It's political correctness run amok.

What's the use of keeping them around? Cardboard cut-outs would be more practical.

so basically kill anyone that disagrees with you.

its better than taking someone's hyperbole as literal.

and you are taking my sarcastic comment literally.

i have but one comment to make...

i don't see how he was taking your comment literally. he was only commenting on the topic of your comment (conjur's obviously-not-serious comment), not commenting on the actual content of your comment. regardless of whether or not your comment was sarcastic, you were attacking a comment that obviously would not be interpreted by any reasonable person to be serious.

No comment.

😉

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: yamahaXS
Here is an example of the NEWLY PROPOSED CURRICULUM


the actual curriculum is HERE

I copied from there the standards for biology that relate to evolution.

SB7. Students will be familiar with the development of living organisms and their changes
over time, including inherited characteristics that lead to survival of organisms and their
successive generations.
a. Students will relate the nature of science to the progression of historical scientific models of
change over time.
b. Students will relate reproductive isolation to speciation.
c. Students will compare selective breeding to natural selection and relate the differences to
agricultural practices.

Language science students should use:
fossil record, geologic record, molecular evidence, homologous, vestigial
structures, mutation, recombination, hierarchy, theory, natural selection,
adaptation, evidence, inference, speciation, biodiversity.

Tasks:
Cells
A) Summarize through an essay or presentation matter-energy relationships in living organisms
by comparing aerobic and anaerobic respiration. (SB6a)
B) Describe or illustrate, the structure and functional relationships of cell organelles. (SB1ab)
C) Incorporate a graph into a Powerpoint presentation to illustrate how homeostasis is
maintained at the cellular level. (SB1b)
D) In a paired group setting, compare and contrast the structure and function of prokaryotic and
eukaryotic cells. (SB1c)
E) Physically demonstrate different methods of the transport of materials into and out of cells.
(SB1d)
F) Design models to demonstrate an understanding of the role of enzymes in biological systems.
(SB1e)

Heredity & Development of Life Over Time
A) Design and construct a model of the DNA molecule showing its structure and demonstrating
the process of reproducing itself. (SB2ab)
B) Contrast the contribution of mitosis and meiosis to variation in species. (SB2d)
C) Create a PowerPoint presentation describing key scientists and their discoveries that have
shaped current theories of heredity, biodiversity, and biological changes over time.
D) Demonstrate the laws of probability to predict patterns of inheritance (recessive and
dominant traits) through the use of selected organisms. (SB2e)
E) Create a presentation that explains how crossing over, changes in DNA (genetic mutations)
and random combinations of gametes contribute the development of new traits and natural
selection. (SB2g)
F) Prepare a presentation on how DNA technology can be utilized in various fields. (SB2h)
G) Create a poster, connecting suitable adaptive responses of organisms to environmental
pressures. (SB2g)

Plants & Animals
A) Classify organisms according to the three domain or six Kingdom taxonomic systems.
(SB4a)
B) Classify organisms using a dichotomous key to a minimum of the family level. (SB4a)
C) Research and explain how internal and external factors that influence the growth and
development of a selected organism. (SB4b)
D) In a class presentation, give examples of how homeostatic mechanisms allow organisms to
adjust to changes in their environment. (SB4d, SB5ef)
E) In a group presentation, compare the systems of various animals. (SB3b)
DRAFT

Also, HERE is the defense of their decision to not use the term evolution. The bolding is mine.

Superintendent Cox Addresses Concerns About Proposed Science Curriculum

Atlanta 1/28/04 - At a new conference that took place at 3:00 PM on Thursday, January 29th, Georgia?s State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox addressed the misconceptions about the draft of our state?s new Georgia Performance Standards Biology Curriculum.

The Georgia Department of Education (DOE) has received many inquiries concerning some of the terminology used in our proposed biology curriculum under the new Georgia Performance Standards.

Superintendent Cox said, ?We want to invite the public to read the actual document, which is in draft form and available for public comment and review, on our website at www.gadoe.org. During this time of public input, we are using the feedback of our teachers, students, parents, and members of the public to help us make final revisions to the proposed curriculum, which will be up for approval by the State Board of Education in May. If the public wishes that changes be made, we will do so.?

Examples of Evolutionary Concepts in the Proposed Biology Curriculum

Those who read the draft of the science curriculum will find that the concepts of Darwinism, adaptation, natural selection, mutation, and speciation are actually interwoven throughout the standards at each grade level. Students will learn of the succession through history of scientific models of change, such as those of Lamarck, Malthus, Wallace, Buffon, and Darwin.

They will become scientifically literate by learning the process of scientific inquiry and seeing the way science changes as a result of new discoveries and theories.

They will become familiar with the development of living organisms and their changes over time, including inherited characteristics that lead to survival of organisms and their successive generations.

And they will be prepared for college by having been exposed in detail to the models that the scientific community currently embraces.

Why, then, is the word itself not used in the draft of the curriculum, when the concepts are there? The unfortunate truth is that "evolution" has become a controversial buzzword that could prevent some from reading the proposed biology curriculum comprehensive document with multiple scientific models woven throughout. We don't want the public or our students to get stuck on a word when the curriculum actually includes the most widely accepted theories for biology. Ironically, people have become upset about the exclusion of the word again, without having read the document.

The widely accepted theories for biology are?????
FYI:
Lamarke- posited that animals acquire traits through practice (e.g., giraffes necks were long b/c they were continuously stretching to reach leaves)
Malthus - wrote about how he believed that population growth would doom mankind to a ceaseless struggle for existence. Out of that unforgiving battle, some would survive and many would not, as famine, disease, and war put a ceiling on the growth in population. Darwin read Malthus's work prior to cystalizing his theory of evolution
Wallace - a contempary of Darwin, and independently came to the concept of natural selection/evolution.
Buffon - a contempary and critic of the idea of natural selection. Tried to reconcile creationism with Darwin's evidence.

In otherwords, she wants to teach creationism in the science classroom.

"giraffes necks were long b/c they were continuously stretching to reach leaves"

Poor Fausto, guess you didn't get God's Memo. He just placed the Giraffe's here in an instant and Noah had them on his big boat too.

 

[Fausto]

Here's the latest idiocy from our elected officials.

Governor steps in, says that the word "evolution" should be left alone, but that kids should be exposed to a variety of theories including "intelligent design" and "creationism".

Taking a position in the controversy for the first time, Perdue said Saturday that the word "evolution" should remain in Georgia's proposed science standards and not be replaced with the phrase proposed by Cox: "biological changes over time."

Nevertheless, the governor also seemed to express support for teaching alternate theories to evolution. A spokesman on Sunday refused to elaborate on the governor's statement.

"What concerns me is that many times you'll have teachers in the classroom with impressionable students who go beyond that and teach [evolution] as a proven fact, and then go beyond that and ridicule students who would believe anything other than the theory of evolution," Perdue said. "I think we need to have academic freedom, but we need academic balance as well."

In an interview shortly after his November 2002 victory, Perdue said he had "no problem" with children being exposed to creationism, evolution and other theories, but said the decision should rest with the local school districts.

Controversy over the teaching of evolution surfaced last week after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Cox proposed eliminating the word "evolution" from the middle and high school science standards. The proposal is part of a massive revision of state curriculum.

A list of the omissions from the American Association for the Advancement for Science standards that Cox is trying to make.

SKIPPED STANDARDS

Georgia copied almost all the biology standards developed by the American Association for the Advancement for Science. These sections related to evolution were left out of the state's proposed curriculum:

Introduction that was omitted

"History should not be overlooked. Learning about Charles Darwin and what led him to the concept of evolution illustrates the interacting roles of evidence and theory in scientific inquiry. Moreover, the concept of evolution provided a framework for organizing new as well as "old" biological knowledge into a coherent picture of life forms."

Points that were omitted

> The basic idea of biological evolution is that the Earth's present-day species developed from earlier, distinctly different species.

> Molecular evidence substantiates the anatomical evidence for evolution and provides additional detail about the sequence in which various lines of descent branched off from one another.

> Natural selection provides the following mechanism for evolution: Some variation in heritable characteristics exists within every species; some of these characteristics give individuals an advantage over others in surviving and reproducing; and the advantaged offspring, in turn, are more likely than others to survive and reproduce.

> The theory of natural selection provides a scientific explanation for the history of life on Earth as depicted in the fossil record and in the similarities evident within the diversity of existing organisms.

> Life on Earth is thought to have begun as simple, one-celled organisms about 4 billion years ago. During the first 2 billion years, only single-cell microorganisms existed, but once cells with nuclei developed about a billion years ago, increasingly complex multicellular organisms evolved.

> Evolution builds on what already exists, so the more variety there is, the more there can be in the future. But evolution does not necessitate long-term progress in some set direction. Evolutionary changes appear to be like the growth of a bush: Some branches survive from the beginning with little or no change, many die out altogether, and others branch repeatedly, sometimes giving rise to more complex organisms.

 

[conjur]

As I said before, political correctness and religious fundamentalism will be the death of our country.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: conjur
As I said before, political correctness and religious fundamentalism will be the death of our country.

Please note, he said "religious fundamentalism" not "religion". 😉