From the Comments: A Caution on SBOE and Science Standards

I wanted to promote this comment from my last SBOE post, because the caution is valid. He or she is making a prediction based on a phenomenon that is, unfortunately, reliable (with the science definition of "giving the same result on successive trials.") Seven of the SBOE members have a clear agenda to promote religion in classrooms, and we are just one board member vote away in March from making their dreams come true. Note from the caution below that it is probably board member Agosto who we need to be concerned about. I would take this very, very seriously. BGood is absolutely correct. The ELA standards were worked on for a very long time by experts in the field, and then got to midnight the night of the final vote, where the right wing nutters slipped changes under the doors of the board members, that were subsequently passed - without expert review, without expert testimony. Expect it. There will be last minute sabotage that will adversely affect science education in Texas. We'll be the laughing stock of the nation, even world wide. We need a big firestorm over this, lots of media attention, reporters questioning board members on camera as they leave their hotel the morning of the vote, "did you get papers slipped under your door and are you going to vote based on advice from science and education experts or on the advice of your pastor?" Here's the caution from the comments:

βG∞D said...

“My prediction is that the good sense of the eight members will hold on final vote at the March board meeting.” “My hope is that when the few who didn't really understand the danger and the assault on science of the amendments get to talk to experts, they will change their vote.” I too hope you are correct, but given my experience with the SBOE during the three-year long English Language Arts and Reading TEKS debacle, I wouldn’t place too much hope on the vote holding in March. Watch Mr. Agosto carefully. He was very supportive of real ELAR experts and the workgroup-authored version of our TEKS, until he voted against them in the final vote: 8-7. You’ve already seen McLeroy and Cargill at work with those oh-by-the-way amendments. Be assured; there are more in the works. The Malevolent 7 played all sorts of tricks during the ELAR “tweaking” of grades 6-12, then expanded to revision of 6-12, then expanded again to a full-blown rewrite of K-12 standards. And what did they finally vote for? A set of standards that Cargill and Lowe patched together THE NIGHT BEFORE the final vote and slipped under the doors of board member the following morning before the final vote. Should I mention that those TEKS were never seen by the public until that final vote? All this after spending thousands of dollars on teacher work groups AND an unprecedented, contracted, outside facilitator called StandardsWork. Don’t think for a second that they wouldn’t try similar tactics again. After all, this strategy worked with the ELAR TEKS. The only thing really working in your favor now is media coverage. If you lose that, get ready for the fireworks. As a side note, history teachers in Texas should be ready. It will be their turn to be scoffed at and ignored soon! If anyone knows that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, it should be them.