Virginia schools get top grade on science standards

The science standards for Virginia's public schools are thorough and rigorous and should serve as a model for other states, according to a report released Tuesday.

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute gave Virginia a grade of "A-" for its K-12 science standards and supplemental curriculum frameworks, which offer additional details for what students should know.

"Virginia's successful effort does not involve magic or gimmickry," the report said. "Every state could (and should) emulate these standards... at least as a model of serious thinking about science curricula."

Virginia was among five states and Washington, D.C., to earn the highest letter grade. Reviewers for the Washington-based education think tank awarded a "D" or "F" to the majority of states.

Revised in 2010, Virginia's science standards outline key concepts and skills students are expected to learn. For kindergarten to sixth grades, they're split into seven "strands," including scientific investigation, reasoning and logic, and life processes. For grades 7 to 12, the strands are presented by course, such as biology or chemistry.

Fordham described the standards as well-written, well-organized and "almost always" grade-level appropriate. The organization offered its highest praise to the life science standards, giving special mention to the handling of evolution, which is touched on as early as second grade.

High school physics standards, on the other hand, rush through some key concepts, the report said. Also, sections covering earth and space science slight "the mechanics and details of exciting phenomena," such as earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis.

The Virginia Board of Education revised the standards two years ago to give students a foundation in the STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and math - and prepare them for "21st-century careers," state Superintendent for Public Instruction Patricia Wright said in a news release.