Ferro: ‘The science in these new standards is sound’

Melyssa Ferro, the 2016 Idaho Teacher of the year and the chair of the committee that developed the revised school science standards that are before lawmakers this year, told the House Education Committee, “The science in these new standards is sound, and it’s the same science content that is being taught in classrooms around our state.” She said the new standards encourage students to “be active learners of science instead of just passively receiving a set of facts.” Students, she said, will be encouraged to “question their world and seek evidence” to support their conclusions. “Our proposed science standards support the STEM skills which are demanded by industry in our great state right now.” She said, “Science is not just a body of knowledge. Science is both a body of knowledge and an approach to understand that body of knowledge.”

Ferro said the proposed standards are “far superior” to the “set of memorized facts” that were in old, 2001-era standards – and to which Idaho would revert if lawmakers don’t approve new standards. And the new standards have been in place as temporary rules for three years now. “I want to reiterate that we’re not really making any change to the content that’s currently being taught in Idaho schools.”

Committee members had lots and lots of questions about the rules process and how it works. Administrative rules expert Dennis Stevenson, while explaining the process, mentioned that he’d worked with committee member Rep. Scott Syme, R- Caldwell, on a possible motion to approve the rules while removing two sections; that’s one possible option. State Superintendent Sherri Ybarra told the committee, “This is a temporary rule … that is in effect today. … The changes are what are before you today, but you are voting on the whole thing.”

“If you don’t vote today on these standards … we’re going to hit the reset button,” Ybarra said. “It’s going to confuse the daylights out of our students. … If these do not pass today, we’re going to go backwards.”

If new science standards are not approved by lawmakers this year, the state would revert to its 2001 standards.