Pa. Schools Revise Science Standard

By PETER JACKSON, Associated Press Writer

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The Board of Education approved the state's first
science standards Thursday after striking language critics said could lead
to the widespread teaching of creationism in public schools.

The board voted 13-2 in favor of the standards in what is considered a
victory for supporters of teaching evolution.

``We don't want Pennsylvania to look as if we're living in the dark
ages,'' said Roger D.K. Thomas, a professor of geoscience at Franklin &
Marshall College who supported the board's decision.

The standards set the benchmark science students are expected to reach by
the end of grades four, seven, 10 and 12. They are still subject to review
by state lawmakers and others, but are expected to be implemented by the
2002-03 school year.

A draft version of the standards would have required students to ``analyze
evidence of fossil records, similarities in body structures, embryological
studies and DNA studies that support or do not support the theory of
evolution.''

The approved version recasts the sentence to say students must ``analyze
data from fossil records, similarities in anatomy and physiology,
embryological studies and DNA studies that are relevant to the theory of
evolution.''

Critics say teaching creationism in public schools violates the
constitutional separation of church and state. The state Education
Department has stressed that the standards do not bar classroom
discussions about creationism.