
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, October 26, 1993                   TAG: 9310260124
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

SCIENTISTS PUSH SCHOOL STANDARDS

A group of the nation's leading scientists Monday spelled out for the first time what each student should know at certain grades, signaling what could be the most fundamental shift in science and math teaching since the Sputnik era.

If adopted, the teaching guidelines included in a 400-page document are expected to change what students learn, lead to new tests and alter teacher training. They call for less memorization and more understanding of how math and science relate to everyday life.

"This will affect millions of students," said Bill Aldridge, director of the National Science Teachers Association, about the "Benchmarks for Science Literacy." "They will have enormous impact on state tests and on what is taught."

The result of four years of work by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the science benchmarks announced Monday are one of the first concrete steps in the so-called standards movement - an effort to teach all students a central core of knowledge.

Unlike the national effort to improve science education after the Russian launch of Sputnik in 1957, the standards movement is not directed at the best students. It seeks to teach all 42 million public school students the same skills and concepts at the same grade level. President Clinton is a leading proponent of this change.

"These are the first comprehensive guidelines for what all students should know in second, fifth, eighth and 12th grades," said James Rutherford, director of the $8 million Benchmark project. For instance, by the end of eighth grade, students should know how to locate information in library reference books, compact discs and computer databases; how to compare two dishwashers on the basis of cost, features, and durability; and how to use a street map.

Even though national standards are to be voluntary, there is such broad bipartisan support for the concept that states are expected to incorporate the standards into classroom teaching.

Some opposition is likely to arise over specific guidelines, such as why a particular author or historical fact was omitted or included. But the general plan was endorsed by all 50 governors in a 1989 educational summit.

by CNB