Bill Prohibiting Adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards Introduced in Iowa

Bill Prohibiting Adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards Introduced in Iowa

On January 31, 2017, a bill  (House File 140) was introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives to block implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The NGSS, which were developed by a consortium of 26 states, in collaboration with various education groups, are widely considered to reflect the “best practice” for science education.

The Iowa State Board of Education voted to adopt the NGSS on August 6, 2015. At that time, State Representative Sandy Salmon objected to the NGSS, in part because “woven throughout the standards are controversial topics of climate change, man’s negative impact on the environment, and evolution as a scientific fact.” Representative Salmon subsequently sought to block implementation of the NGSS. In January 2017, she introduced House File 140 which would, if enacted, prohibit the Board of Education from “adop[ting], approv[ing], or requir[ing] implementation of the [N]ext [G]eneration [S]cience [S]tandards by school districts and accredited nonpublic schools.”