State science standards tend to cover evolution more extensively and better than they did nearly a decade ago, but at the same time, “creationist language” has become more common in them, concludes a review of the standards in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The findings of the review by the Oakland, Calif.-based National Center for Science Education are intended to update a similar evaluation conducted in 2000 and commissioned by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. The latest review was published last month in the journal Evolution: Education and Outreach.
The study gives five states—Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia—failing grades for their coverage of evolution. Nine states and the District of Columbia received an A.
