Bill Banning Adoption of Science Standards Sparks Concern

“Science and social studies standards will not be adopted,” he said after the vote. “It specifically mentions the Next Generation science and social studies standards.”

Dr. Dana Rickman, the director of policy and research at the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, says banning the standards is a mistake.

“The best and brightest in the country have come together to say, ‘These, we think, are good standards,’” Rickman says. “So, for us in Georgia not to be able to even consider adopting even a portion of those I think is really harmful to us.”

Rickman says Georgia teachers helped develop the standards, which 26 states have agreed to adopt.

Rickman says it might be more beneficial to put the science standards through the review process also, instead of barring them completely.  

The measure also comes at a time when Georgia is trying to increase student participation in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.

Tim Callahan, a spokesperson for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, says Georgia students will need to be up to par in those areas.

“They’ll be competing for jobs and so on and so forth,” Callahan says. “We don’t want to do anything to handicap our state. But, I certainly think it’s not inappropriate that Georgia has some buy-in and discussion on whatever standards are adopted.”

The bill will likely head to the House next week. If it’s approved there, it will need the governor’s signature to become law.