Science Textbooks Flunk Group’s Test

The most widely used middle school science textbooks have flunked an evaluation by the nation’s largest organization of scientists.

Most of the books cover too many topics and don’t do any of them well, said the report released last week by the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science.

The analysis said the texts “include many classroom activities that are either irrelevant to learning key science ideas or don’t help students relate what they are doing to the underlying ideas.”

George Nelson, director of Project 2061, which evaluated the books, said: “It’s a credit to science teachers that their students are learning anything at all.”

The study rated how well textbooks for the middle grades can help students learn key ideas in earth science, life science and physical science.

Each text was evaluated by two independent teams of middle school teachers, curriculum specialists and professors of science education.

“This study confirms our worst fears about the materials used to educate our children in the critical middle grades,” Nelson said. “Because textbooks are the backbone of classroom instruction, we must demand improvement so that our students can acquire the knowledge and skills they will need for more advanced learning in high school, college, and the workplace.”