NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee State Board of Education wants to know what you think about science education in K-12 schools.
The board launched its second survey, asking for your feedback on newly revised science academic standards. The standards set specific goals about what students are expected to know and be able to do at the end of a course or grade year.
You can review the standards HERE, then take the survey, which includes options on whether a standard should be kept, changed, removed, or moved to a different grade level, or if a new standard should be added.
The survey period closes on February 27, 2022.
The first round of public feedback closed on September 19, 2021, with more than 10,000 comments from teachers, education leaders, and parents. Teams of educators then reviewed those and came up with revisions, which are part of this second survey.
After the second survey, the Standards Recommendation Committee — a public body appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the House of Representatives, and confirmed by the General Assembly — will review the proposed revisions and public comments to decide which standards to recommend to the State Board of Education for final adoption.
Once adopted, educators will be trained, and textbooks and instructional materials will be decided to align with the revised standards.
Once that is complete, the revised science standards will begin in Tennessee classrooms in the 2024-25 school year.
"Collecting public feedback is an important first step in revising the standards," said Catherine Johnson, deputy director for academic policy with the State Board and project manager for the standards review process. "As a former Tennessee teacher, I believe this is a key time for educators, parents, and community members to make their voices heard on what our students should know and be able to do."
Find an overview of the academic standards review process on the State Board of Education website HERE.