Biology Academic Advisory Committee (AAC) Statement

Concerning Georgia Performance Standards

 

Georgia holds a key position in the culture of the Southeastern United States and must be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with its neighboring states of North Carolina and South Carolina with respect to the education of its populace. As the appointed representatives of college and university biology professors from around the state, we strongly encourage you to insure that Georgia's standards are world class as stated in the Georgia DOE web site http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/curriculum/instruction/gps/curriculum_editorial.asp. As professional scientists and educators, we offer our services to faculty, administrators and school boards who seek assistance in teaching biology.

 

Furthermore, the members of the Biology Academic Advisory Committee thank State Superintendent of Schools, Kathy Cox and the members of the Board of Education for reinstating evolution and related concepts and benchmarks to the curriculum. Science and technology have become major driving forces in the world economy; and if Georgia is to successfully compete in the world market, we must strive to make our citizens among the best educated in the world. Recent economic analyses have indicated that the biological sciences and biotechnology will become primary driving forces in the US economy for at least the next 20 years. Therefore, it is essential that the citizens of Georgia have a thorough and complete understanding of all aspects of biology including evolutionary theory and the associated earth and physical sciences, which are fundamental to the understanding of biology.

 

We respectfully request that the Biology Academic Advisory Committee be allowed to review the final draft of the Professional Standards and benchmarks for the life sciences prior to their being publicly released, and that the Georgia Department of Education and the University System of Georgia establish a joint committee for a systematic review of the Life Science Standards.

 

In this spirit, we note the following key points as they relate to the teaching of biology:

 

  1. Biological evolution is a major unifying concept in modern biology and provides a conceptual framework that helps make biology the unified science that it is. The centrality of evolution to modern biology has been acknowledged by major scientific organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Sciences; and science teachers' organizations such as the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), and the Georgia Science Teachers Association (GSTA). As such, the Biology AAC endorses the position statements of AAAS, NAS, NSTA and GSTA on evolution.
  2. Intrusion of non-scientific, supernatural, or pseudoscience-based explanations of natural phenomena have no place in the science curriculum; this includes so-called "intelligent design" and related concepts such as "scientific creationism", "alternatives to evolution", "arguments against evolution" and "teaching the controversy". The scientific knowledge provided to K-16 students must derive from well-tested, peer-reviewed sources in the mainstream scientific literature. In order to enhance understanding of the scientific method we suggest that the Georgia Performance Standards include an explicit definition of science and related terms (e.g., theory, law).
  3. The theory of evolution is fundamental to our understanding of the major biological issues important to our society. These issues include the serious problems of microbial resistance to antibiotics, the HIV epidemic, emergent diseases such as SARS and avian flu, species endangerment, and the regulation of genetic engineering.
  4. Georgia's institutions of higher education expect that students entering state colleges and universities will have a clear and accurate understanding of the basic tenets of biological evolution so that they are prepared for college-level biology classes and beyond.

 

We also note that there are a number of factual errors and/or poorly phrased sentences in the various drafts of the Georgia Performance Standards. It is critical that these errors be rectified before the standards are used as a basis for the curriculum and/or standardized exams.

 

Adopted on 05 March 2004 by the University System of Georgia Biology Academic Advisory Committee represented by:

 

Ray Barber

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College

Granville Wrensford

Albany State University

Kenneth Relyea

Armstrong Atlantic State University

Barbara Morgan

Atlanta Metropolitan College

Emil Urban

Augusta State University

Elizabeth Mihalcik

Bainbridge College

Greg Hampikian

Clayton College & State University

Eugene Keferl

Coastal Georgia Community College

George E. Stanton

Columbus State University

John Lugthart

Dalton State College

Steve Schenk

Darton College

Jimmy Wedincamp

East Georgia College

Donna Daugherty

Floyd College

Clinton Dixon

Fort Valley State University

George Caywood Chapman

Gainesville College

Dorothy Zinsmeister

Georgia Board of Regents

William Wall

Georgia College & State University

Jung Choi

Georgia Institute of Technology

Sheryl Shanholtzer

Georgia Perimeter College

Stephen Vives

Georgia Southern University

Bob Herrington

Georgia Southwestern State University

P.C. Tai

Georgia State University

Theresa R. Stanley

Gordon College

Ron Matson

Kennesaw State University

Eric L. Sun

Macon State College

Sara Haddow

Medical College of Georgia

John Pasto

Middle Georgia College

Terry Schwaner

North Georgia College & State University

Harpal Singh

Savannah State University

Timothy Rhoads

South Georgia College

Bill Burnett

Southern Polytechnic State University

Carl Quertermus

State University of West Georgia

William E. Barstow

University of Georgia

David L. Bechler

Valdosta State University

Bernard Majdi

Waycross College