By JOHN RICHARD SCHROCK
In an 8-to-2 vote, the Kansas State Board of Education (KSBE) turned back the clock on high school science education requirements in a move that also could weaken mathematics. In adopting the option to substitute a fuzzily-defined computer course in place of a math or science Kansas high school graduation requirement, they continued the decline in Kansas science education requirements that have also been occurring nationwide this last decade.
Thirty years ago, a Kansas student could fulfill the high school science graduation requirement by taking home ec and shop! That came to a stop under former Commissioner Andy Tompkins and an enlightened board that recognized neither of those courses were science. Not only was the content of those courses not science, neither home ec or shop teachers were trained science teachers—and you can’t teach what you don’t know. Kansas is now in a similar position. Computer courses contain no science or math content, and computer teachers—if their credentials are ever resurrected or clarified—are not science or math trained teachers either.
Kansas science graduation requirements were further boosted by a 1997 decision, effective in 2001, by the Kansas Board of Regents to include a course in either chemistry or physics for college admissions. But that was eliminated over two years ago when the KBOR dramatically reduced qualified admissions in an effort to address falling enrollment. Now the KSBE’s decision to allow schools districts to use a computer course in place of a math or science requirement comes at a time when the extent of science illiteracy during the pandemic this last year has been obvious nationwide. Instead of requiring more science, Kansas has now joined a growing number of states that are likewise letting computer courses substitute for math and science or other academic courses of substance.
Advocates from code.org and other computer promoters presented Kansas as only one of two states (Connecticut was the other) that had not adopted this measure, although KSBE member Ann Mah from Topeka clarified that only 7 states had used the math/science substitution. KSBE member Michelle Dombrosky from the Johnson County region also pointed out how industry has a role and responsibility in providing programs that trained for what is currently needed, in contrast to the various poorly-defined computer skills that are soon out-of-date. But neither were able to sway the remaining board members.
“Computational thinking” was the snake oil being pushed as a rationale for why a computer course would substitute for a math or science course. Examples provided in the May and June meetings included various problems that were “solved” with the use of computer programs. But in every example given, the computer was a tool used by a physicist or a biologist or mathematician to solve a problem. If you did not know physics or biology or math, the tool was useless. And this proposal allows the elimination of a math or science course. The assertion that critical thinking and problem solving could be promoted without content knowledge has now fooled 49 states into this computer myth.
One advocate even praised the increased involvement of students in videogaming as another reason to move this direction. There was no recognition that we have lost approximately 15 percent of male students worldwide to videogame addiction, resulting in their much lower percentages in college.
The effect on Kansas high schools will vary because each school district determines graduation requirements beyond the state minimum. Affluent high schools may retain strong requirements, fully licensed math and science teachers, and a student body where few will desire to avoid a math or science course. However, our large number of small unconsolidated rural schools as well as the larger non-affluent high schools already have a growing number of out-of-field teachers and many students wanting to take the easiest path to graduation. With the shortage of qualified science and math teachers, it is certain that some schools will utilize a computer course to compensate for their inability to hire a qualified math or science teacher.
This in turn de-fuses the dramatic need for more qualified science and math teachers in Kansas and nationwide. Conscious decisions such as these are moving the United States toward a more severe level of science illiteracy. Home ec and shop were not science or math, and neither is a computer course.
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John Richard Schrock has trained biology teachers for more than 30 years in Kansas. He also has lectured at 27 universities in 20 trips to China. He holds the distinction of “Faculty Emeritus” at Emporia State University.