Former teacher tells State Board draft science standards were 'tampered with,' urges review

A former K–12 science teacher urged the Iowa State Board of Education during public comment on March 21 to verify which draft of the proposed revised science standards the board will be asked to consider. The commenter said she taught science for 23 years in a rural county and has also taught preservice science methods courses.

The commenter told the board she took part in the state’s standards‑revision process and that the formal process for reviewing the 2015 science standards was not followed. “There were recommendations from professional educators,” she said, but the draft posted for public review had “clearly been tampered with.” She said passages on geology, evolution and climate change had been “significantly dumbed down.”

The commenter asked the board to confirm whether the version it would review at upcoming meetings was the educators’ recommended revision or a later version produced after a February review team met on public input. She said the public deserves to know “who made the changes,” and that “words really matter,” urging the board to make sure the version under consideration was produced by professional science educators.

Board President (on the record during public comment) thanked the speaker and moved the meeting on to the director’s report. The department later told the board that the board would receive a second proposed revised draft for a first read potentially in April and a second read potentially in May.

Why it matters: The state board will consider revised K–12 science standards in coming months. The public commenter asked the board to confirm the provenance of the draft itself and to ensure the standards retain scientifically accurate, pedagogically appropriate language before the board takes formal action.