Phoenix • The Arizona Department of Education is considering changes to school science standards, including instances when it may remove or alter references to evolution. The state’s superintendent of public instruction said the proposed changes reflect that parts of evolution are only theory.
The department has replaced some references to evolution with words like “biological diversity” or added qualifiers to the word, according to a draft of the proposed changes.
The standards focus on core science and engineering ideas that teachers then use to form curriculum for public school districts and charter schools, according to the department.