Passing Washington states standardized high school graduation tests has been incredibility and unnecessarily difficult. Students, and their teachers, have been asked to hit a moving target for years. The tests seem to change at a whim. And thats why the Legislature last week agreed to allow students in the class of 2017 and beyond to earn a high school diploma without meeting the statewide testing requirements in biology. If not, more than 2,000 students would not have graduated. A vote to formalize the deal agreed to by legislators will be taken this week. Under the deal made by lawmakers, other seniors who failed standardized tests in English language arts and mathematics also could get a diploma if they file an appeal to show theyre proficient in those subjects, according to The Tacoma News Tribune. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal, himself a former legislator, said the agreement was necessary because he believes the current tests are a poor measure of whether students are ready to graduate. Ultimately, more students will graduate, because they can demonstrate high-school proficiency in more diverse ways, instead of the one-size-fits-all test, Reykdal said. This seems reasonable under the circumstances. But the Legislature, once it … Continue reading →

Marc Bruxelle/Getty Images/iStockphoto Marc Bruxelle/Getty Images/iStockphoto As June comes to an end, so do many events associated with Pride Month, a month-long celebration of sexual diversity and gender variance often geared towards increasing the visibility of the LGBTQIA community, as well as combatting stigma and advocating for equal rights. But the battle to eliminate stigma and achieve these rights will certainly continue, as recent debates about which bathrooms transgender men and women should use illustrate all too well. For years here at 13.7, Barbara J. King has been writing about what she calls the spectrum of gender expression, and "the fact that gender identity isn't only or even mostly about biology and that it's most certainly not reducible to the sex one is assigned at birth." That's an especially important lesson in light of new research that identifies one of the sources of prejudice against transgender individuals: the (mostly mistaken) belief that men's and women's stereotypical characteristics do, in fact, come down to some immutable feature of one's biology. In the new study, forthcoming in the journal Sex Roles, researchers Boby Ho-Hong Ching and Jason Teng Xu presented 132 university students in Hong Kong with one of three articles to … Continue reading →

WEST LIBERTY Beginning this fall, students seeking careers in fields from pharmaceutical research to dentistry and medicine can take the next step in their educational journeys at West Liberty University. The university announced Wednesday it has received approval from the Higher Learning Commission for two new science degrees a master of arts in biology and a master of science in biology. Student applications are being accepted for the fall launch of the programs. We are pleased to offer these new masters degrees to our region and the state of West Virginia, said WLU President Stephen Greiner. Currently, no small college in the state offers the masters of biology, so we are excited to be the first and we encourage undergraduates to take a look at the opportunities that these degrees offer. The masters in science degree in biology often leads to jobs such as research technicians for the pharmaceutical industry or academic labs, environmental consulting work, or entry into doctoral programs, while the masters in arts degree in biology prepares students for professional schools such as dental or medical school, officials noted. There are a number of reasons that I believe these are important degrees for West Liberty University, said … Continue reading →

Enlarge / A young Charles Darwin, before evolution had caused any public controversy. In the US, opponents of evolution have tried to undercut instruction on the topic by suggesting schools should "teach the controversy." The national education authorities in Turkey, however, have decided that teachers should avoid any hint of controversy in the classroom. In service of that goal, the country is pulling evolution out of its high school curriculum entirely. The change will be implemented during the upcoming school year, 2017-2018. In Turkey, the curriculum for state-run schools is set by the national government. The move against education in biology came as the state education authorities were undertaking a review of the national curriculum. Reports indicate that the review largely resulted in an emphasis on religious themes and Turkish culture and history, at the expense of information on Mustafa Kemal Atatrk and his role in the founding of the modern Turkish state. But science got caught up in the process somehow. According to the head of the national board of education, Alpaslan Durmus, the problem is that Turkish students aren't given the necessary scientific background to separate the theory from the controversy that it has generated in some communities: … Continue reading →