(FRANKFORT, KY) – Over the course of two virtual meetings, the Science Advisory Panel and Review Committee began to establish a vision that will guide their work as they revise the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Science.
During the two meetings, held April 23 and April 30, members performed initial standards research ahead of the revision work beginning in June.
Science is one of the academic standards to be reviewed and revised under a process laid out in KRS 158.6453. The law prescribes a series of committees – made up primarily of Kentucky educators – to review the standards and respond to public feedback, which ultimately will be voted on by the Kentucky Board of Education and approved by the legislature.
Academic standards represent what K-12 public school students should know and be able to do at each grade level. Under the revision process established in KRS 158.6453, one or two content areas will be reviewed each year, and every six years thereafter on a rotating basis.
The committees reviewed Kentucky’s current KAS for Science and examined terminology used in standards documents developed in other states. Additionally, members discussed what they felt needed to be implemented in the revised science standards.
Based on these conversations, the group agreed that Kentucky students should possess sufficient knowledge of the practices and core ideas of science by the end of 12th grade. This knowledge will allow students to engage in public discussions on science-related issues and be critical, educated consumers of scientific information in their everyday lives.
Members also focused on providing equitable instruction for all students within the KAS for Science.
Once the revision process begins, members stressed the importance of making the document accessible for educators, families and students.
The Science Advisory Panel and the Review Committee will meet throughout the summer of 2021, with further meetings taking place in the 2021-2022 school year.
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