Texas Realizes the Evolutionary Emperor doesn't have all His Clothes...

The Texas state board of education has issued a call for supplementary materials, to address issues that the current high school biology books lack. For instance, the current books do not address “scientific explanations concerning any data of sudden appearance, stasis, and sequential nature of groups in the fossil record” or “scientific explanations concerning the complexity of the cell,” which the standards now require students to “analyze and evaluate.”

In both of the standards mentioned above, there are no evolutionary explanations. While evolution-only proponents lamented the adoption of the new standards last year, pro-science and academic freedom advocates saw them as an opportunity for students to really “analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations.

“I’m super-excited about [the new standards],” said Dr. Don McLeroy, who has served on the State Board of Education since 1998. “And all we need is one student in a biology classroom to ask, ‘Could you explain how evolution explains this or that?’ [Evolution] has no explanations.”

No doubt, special interest groups will weigh in on Texas’ decision. The supplemental materials for consideration must be submitted by February 25, 2011, after which review panels will evaluate them to see if they meet the new standards. McLeroy said the public should also have access to the materials in March. The board will then choose which supplements to adopt at the April 13-15, 2011, board meeting.

(excerpts from Cite this article: Dao, C. 2011. Texas Schools Seek Science Supplements. Acts & Facts. 40 (2): 19.)

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References (selected)

1. Science TEKS Transition Analysis Resources, Grades K-12. Texas Education Agency. Posted on tea.state.tx.us, accessed December 15, 2010.

2. Dao, C. Evolutionists, Atheists Admit Defeat in Texas. ICR News. Posted on icr.org April 3, 2009, accessed December 15, 2010.