By Cathy Undem, MGWA Education Committee Chair
In 2016 MGWA published Minnesota’s Groundwater Education Gap (mgwa.org) white paper. The white paper identified the following finding:
“The limited scope of the current Minnesota academic standards and benchmarks relating to groundwater education provides for a wide variety of options to increase K-12 student education about groundwater. Essentially, there is a clean slate on which to develop expanded academic requirements.”
Revisions to the Minnesota academic standards were scheduled for 2017-2018 and this was identified as an opportunity for advancing groundwater education and promoting and communicating the white paper to the public and those involved with standards revision.
In July 2021 the teaching standards were officially updated and represent an entirely new approach to science teaching in Minnesota. Although the entirety of the science standards should be of critical importance to the MGWA membership, two standards that focus specifically on groundwater resources are of specific interest:
6E.3.2.1.2 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distribution of Earth’s mineral, energy, or groundwater resources is the result of past geological processes.
9E.4.2.1.1 Compare, integrate and evaluate sources of information in order to determine how specific factors, including human activity, impact the groundwater system of a region.
These two benchmarks are exclusive to Minnesota. They were created specifically by Minnesotans for Minnesotans. Existing within the collection of “Earth Science” standards, they are especially worth mentioning as they speak to the importance Minnesotans place on the need to educate the public on matters related to groundwater resources.
A significant issue threatening the future use of these new standards is related to the language of the Minnesota Statute that governs how science is taught in grades 9 through 12. The current implementation of science teaching as mandated in Minnesota statue is:
[Students beginning 9th grade in the 2011-2012 school year and later must successfully complete the following high school level credits for graduation…] three credits of science, including at least one credit of biology, one credit of chemistry or physics, and one elective credit of science. The combination of credits under this clause must be sufficient to satisfy (i) all of the academic standards in either chemistry or physics and (ii) all other academic standards in science. [2021 Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 120B.024 subd 1(4)]
The exclusion of Earth Science in the Statute 120B.024 is subtle but the consequences are real. The specific language of the Statute is that the benchmark addressing groundwater science, as well as all the other associated and complementary standards of Earth Science, do not have to be taught in Minnesota public high schools. Only those specifically listed for credit (biology and chemistry or physics) are those standards that must be offered by public high schools, regardless of the updated academic teaching standards.
Given the vested interest MGWA members hold in the quality of science education particularly Earth Science and groundwater, the MGWA prepared a letter to the Minnesota Commissioner of Education, the Minnesota Senate Education Finance and Policy, and the Minnesota House Education Policy Committees supporting rewriting Statute 120B.024 subd1 (4) as follows:
… three credits of science, including at least one credit of biology, one credit of chemistry or physics, and one credit of earth and space science. The combination of credits under this clause must be sufficient to satisfy (i) all of the academic standards in either chemistry or physics and (ii) all other academic standards in science.
The Education Committee presented this information and made a request of the MGWA Members to support advocating for a Statute change at the 2022 Spring Conference. A letter was be sent to the Commissioner and the State Senate and House Education committees in October 2022 on behalf of the MGWA.
The MGWA Education Committee can be contacted at education@mgwa.org
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