This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Washington D.C.-based think tank has given Utah's science education standards a grade of B.
The standards establish what students should learn about science as they progress through school. Utah's grade of B was relatively high compared to most other states, according to the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. States across the country, on average, earned a low C, and 27 states earned Ds or lower. Only 6 earned As or A minuses.
The Institute ranked Utah among the top 25 percent of states for its science standards, which also improved from a grade of C in 2005.
"The content that is covered in the Utah standards is generally thorough and scientifically accurate," according to the report. "Unfortunately, some critical content is missing, particularly in the higher grades, and excessive repetition undermines the overall effectiveness of the standards."
For example, within high school physics, the report says Utah's standards thoroughly cover concepts such as kinematics, dynamics and energy conservation but don't at all address planetary dynamics, Kepler's laws, fluid flow or kinetic theory.
Utah schools are in the process of adopting new academic standards in math and language arts, called the Common Core, meant to better prepare students for college and careers. Science is not included in the Common Core.
Read the full report here: bit.ly/x3Hl1S.
Lisa Schencker