Just what did the Kansas School Board approve?

After a bit of digging around on the Web,
i found the Science Curriculum Standards
that were approved yesterday by the Kansas State Board of Education.
They are among the
meeting
materials for that day's board meeting
(pages 263 to 383 of the 438-page document).
The standards begin with a rationale statement that has
this to say about evolution (page 265):

Regarding the scientific theory of biological evolution,
the curriculum standards call for students
to learn about the best evidence for modern evolutionary theory,
but also to learn about areas where scientists
are raising scientific criticisms of the theory.
These curriculum standards reflect the Board's objective of:
1) to help students understand the full range
of scientific views that exist on this topic,
2) to enhance critical thinking and the understanding
of the scientific method by encouraging students
to study different and opposing scientific evidence,
and 3) to ensure that science education
in our state is "secular, neutral, and non-ideological."

From the testimony and submissions we have received,
we are aware that the study and discussion
of the origin and development of life
may raise deep personal and philosophical questions
for many people on all sides of the debate.
But as interesting as these personal questions may be,
the personal questions are not covered by these curriculum standards
nor are they the basis for the Board's actions in this area.

Evolution is accepted by many scientists but questioned by some.
The Board has heard credible scientific testimony
that indeed there are significant debates
about the evidence for key aspects
of chemical and biological evolutionary theory.
All scientific theories should be approached with an open mind,
studied carefully, and critically considered.
We therefore think it is important and appropriate
for students to know about these scientific debates
and for the Science Curriculum Standards
to include information about them.
In choosing this approach to the science curriculum standards,
we are encouraged by the similar approach taken by other states,
whose new science standards incorporate scientific criticisms
into the science curriculum that describes the scientific case
for the theory of evolution.

We also emphasize that the Science Curriculum Standards
do not include Intelligent Design,
the scientific disagreement with the claim
of many evolutionary biologists
that the apparent design of living systems is an illusion.
While the testimony presented at the science hearings
included many advocates of Intelligent Design,
these standards neither mandate nor prohibit
teaching about this scientific disagreement.

Among the statements recommended by the KSBE are the following (all
part of Grades 8-12, Standard 3, Benchmark 3), shown on pages
247 to 249.
Note the addition of unsupported challenges to evolution
and particularly the language about "microevolution" and "macroevolution".
The KSBE contracted the Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory
(McREL) to review the science standard; the column on the right shows
what McREL had to say about each statement and how the KSBE responded.