Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 1, 1995 TAG: 9507030035
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Wymer, a critic of earlier drafts of the standards, said Friday that the standards approved by the state Board of Education omit many features that had come under attack from history and social studies teachers.
``I think they are an excellent improvement over what was being considered earlier,'' Wymer said.
He was a member of an advisory task force that was formed by the state board in May to help forge a consensus in the debate over what children should learn in social studies classes - and when they should learn it.
The standards are benchmarks that determine what pupils should learn in a particular subject in each grade.
On Thursday, the social studies standards were approved, subject to minor editorial revisions, by the state board. The board endorsed standards for math, science and English last week.
The social studies standards, particularly for history, had generated the most controversy in recent months.
Wymer and other critics of the early drafts complained that they contained a conservative political slant and emphasized rote memorization at the expense of critical thinking skills. History teachers also said the standards relied too heavily on learning dates, names and places instead of broader themes. But the governor's supporters said students need to know historical facts before they can begin to think analytically.
Some critics charged that the proposals were rewritten at one point by members of Gov. George Allen's Champion Schools Commission to suit a conservative political ideology. The Allen appointees denied the accusation.
The controversy aligned the Allen administration and conservative allies against teachers, school superintendents and some parent groups.
The critics objected to a proposal for pupils in the early elementary grades to study the early civilizations in Egypt, Greece and Rome and the rise of world religions.
They said some materials were inappropriate for early elementary grades and redundant for upper elementary and high school grades.
Critics also complained that the standards referred to African slaves as ``settlers.''
Revisions by the advisory task force and the board have resolved most of the concerns.
Children in early elementary grades will still be required to learn some history of early civilizations, but less than proposed earlier. Geography will be retained as a separate discipline, and the economics curriculum will be beefed up.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction William Bosher, an Allen appointee, supports the compromise version.
``These standards are rigorous, measurable, written in plain language and are more content-specific than ever before,'' Bosher said.
He said students will get more geography and civics lessons and learn more about economics, particularly the free-enterprise system.
The board adopted a resolution approving, in principle, the amended standards. A four-member committee was appointed to review the final document, make any necessary editorial changes and issue a report this month.
``This has been a tough one,'' board President James Jones said. ``Social studies goes to our basic beliefs about society.''
Board members were pleased with the social studies plan.
``This document as a whole is a stellar effort,'' said board member Martha Pennino. ``We need to get the message out ... how much more rigorous it is, how much better prepared students will be to face the world.''
by CNB