Science Framework, part 1 - Free Downloads (CA Dept of Education)

21tably challenge citizens to rethinktheir ideas and beliefs. For example, asnew genetically modified crops andlivestock are developed by scientists,some people have expressed concernabout food safety and the ethics ofsuch practices. On the other hand,people in developing countries have acompelling interest to use the newtechnologies to rid themselves of famineand diseases. Those types of tradeoffsare likely to become the focus ofintense public discussion and politicaldebate.The presentation of some scientificfindings or practices may be troublingto students who genuinelybelieve that those findings or practicesconflict with their religious or philosophicalbeliefs. Dealing constructivelyand respectfully with thosebeliefs while holding firm to the natureof science is one of the greatestchallenges to public school teachers.Scientifically literate students needto understand clearly the major scientifictheories and the principles behindthe scientific method. They must alsounderstand that though the scientificmethod is a powerful process for predictingnatural phenomena, it cannotbe used to answer moral and aestheticquestions. Nor can it be used to testhypotheses based on supernatural intervention.Science exclusively concernsitself with predicting the occurrenceand consequences of natural events.This concern is explicitly expressed inStandard 7.10 of grade seven of theHistory–Social Science Content Standards:“Students analyze the historicaldevelopments of the Scientific Revolutionand its lasting effect on religious,political, and cultural institutions” 10The students go on to consider thisanalysis in terms of the roots of thescientific revolution, the significance ofnew scientific theories, the influence ofnew scientific rationalism on thegrowth of democratic ideas, and thecoexistence of science with traditionalreligious beliefs.Chapter 2The Nature ofScience andTechnologyNotes1. Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve.Sacramento: California Department of Education, 2000, p. 25.2. Ibid., p. 2.3. Ibid., p. 52.4. Ibid., p. 44.5. Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. Sacramento:California Department of Education, 2000, p. 227.6. Science Content Standards, p. 52.7. A Section 504 accommodation plan is a document typically produced by school districts incompliance with the requirements of Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Theplan specifies agreed-on services and accommodations for a student who, as the result of anevaluation, is determined to have a “physical or mental impairment [that] substantially limitsone or more major life activities.” In contrast to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA), Section 504 allows a wide range of information to be contained in a plan: (1) the natureof the disability; (2) the basis for determining the disability; (3) the educational impact ofthe disability; (4) necessary accommodations; and (5) the least restrictive environment in whichthe student may be placed.