Roger K.

Dillon CEAI Kentucky Office

6403 Glenwood Road Louisville, KY 40222 www.CEAI.org Kentucky Director Roger.Dillon@CEAI.org Office 502-618-1972 Fax 502-426-0320

THE Professional Association since 1953 for Christian Educators in Public Schools

January 30, 2012 Dear School Board Member, In November of 2011, the Department of Education released new science testing standards that will greatly impact your districts students and science instruction. These guidelines fall under the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) program, a national standards movement. The NGSS are not yet approved for Kentucky, but may be finalized by April or May, 2012. They are in the discussion stage and will soon be released for public review. Since you may not be aware of how the NGSS will affect your district, my purpose is to inform you of their existence and help you stay in touch with their development. This is an important topic for every school board member in Kentucky.

While many of the standards are positive, the section on Genetics and Evolution is very controversial.
Soon these standards may become your standards, I recommend you review them and make a decision on what is best for your districts students and faculty. Please read on. Some implications of the Genetics/Evolution testing changes:

1. Instruction on the theory of evolution needs to be part of the biology curriculum, giving your
students an understanding of the theory and preparing them to critically discuss and make their own decisions regarding the theory. Today your school board, site councils and science teachers have control over the acceptable levels of instruction on evolution. With the NGSS, the testing standards will be the guiding force over your instruction teaching to the test.

2. In the NGSS, the quantity of Genetics/Evolution testing will consume 25-40% of the test.
Therefore your science teachers will be required to spend 25-40% of their instruction on Genetics/Evolution. This could require your teachers to spend one day each week on evolution instruction. This is a significant increase in the instruction on this topic. Currently there is no quantity of testing required on evolution.

3. To increase evolution instruction to the level required by the test, other biology areas currently
taught will be eliminated. As a result, students will no longer gain knowledge in the subject areas being eliminated.

4. The level of instruction in evolution under the NGSS would be intense. According to the current
proposal, students would be required to master the following content to be able to pass the test:

A.
process.

Life has an unknown origin. Life came from non-life and began the evolution

B.

From simple cells millions of years ago, all life forms began and came from a common ancestor. Humans gradually evolved from apes. C. own. Different species were created as evolution occurred. No species began on its

Preserving the Christian Heritage of Kentuckys Public Schools

5. The increase in evolution content is in direct conflict with many students and their familys
religious convictions. Families who train up their children to believe that God created the world as well as each kind of species will find their children being heavily trained in an opposing belief system. This seriously conflicts with students sincerely held religious beliefs and infringes on their First Amendment right of religious freedom.

6. The National Association of Biology Teachers web site clearly degrades any belief of a Creator by
stating: Science teachers must reject calls to account for the diversity of life or describe the mechanisms of evolution by invoking non-naturalistic or supernatural notions, whether called "creation science," "scientific creationism," "intelligent design theory," or similar designations. Your students sincerely held religious beliefs have become a supernatural notion.

7. The NGSS does not grant students the academic freedom to examine evidence both for and
against the theory of evolution and does not advocate students express intellectual diversity, discussing differing views on this theory.

Voicing your opinion on the proposed NGSS is important!

Please know that Hart County Superintendent Ricky Line voiced opposition to the standards to both Education Commissioner Terry Holliday and the Kentucky Board of Education in late November. He received a response from Commissioner Holliday but his letter had little impact.

If you do nothing, the NGSS will be implemented in your district.

Here are my suggestions for staying informed, having a voice and knowing when and how to make your opinions known:

1. Talk with your superintendent and develop common ground upon which you can work together. If
appropriate, your school board meeting may be a place to discuss these standards and involve the families in your district.

2. The Family Foundation of Kentucky (online at KentuckyFamily.org/science-standards) has

monitored evolution instruction in the past and is currently monitoring the NGSS. Visit their web site for up-to-date information and to sign up to receive emails informing you of changes as they occur (PLEASE DO THIS).

3. Let your communitys religious leaders know about the NGSS and encourage them to make their
faith communities aware of these proposed changes. Their voice can be heard along with yours. They can also sign up on the Family Foundations web site. I will be at the Christian Educators Association International booth during the KSBA Conference this weekend and would welcome talking with you further about this topic. Please feel free to contact me at any time. Blessings to you,

Roger K. Dillon Kentucky Director Preserving the Christian Heritage of Kentuckys Public Schools

Christian Educators Association International

Preserving the Christian Heritage of Kentuckys Public Schools