TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is replacing some of the nation’s strongest science standards for public schools with weaker, multistate guidelines, according to an educational think tank that regularly reviews states’ academic standards.

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s report on the new standards drafted by 26 states and the National Research Council was released Thursday, two days after the Kansas State Board of Education voted to adopt them. Kansas helped develop the standards, and educators and officials have praised them as a major improvement, partly because they emphasize hands-on projects and integrating math, technology and engineering in lessons.