The State Board of Education voted 6-to-2 to withdraw its altered version of the Next Generation Science Standards, which were developed by 26 states, including West Virginia. The changes had been quietly made by a member of the West Virginia board before it adopted the standards in December.
Once the extent of the changes — including an inserted reference that global temperature rise “and fall” — became known, they were criticized by local and national science educators, as well as West Virginia parents and environmental activists.