...The standards can be found here:
Review FL Science Standards
Take a look at "Big Idea 7" on page 55: "The scientific theory of the evolution of Earth..."
The evolution of Earth? Hmmm... This comes up again in Standard 7. I don't know that it's wrong, but I've never seen the term applied that way before. Otherwise, I think I'm OK with the use of the term.
Yes, that might be an unfortunate use of the term if it is confused with biological evolution. Especially since laymen are usually tricked by Creationists to conflate the Theory of Evolution with the origin of the Universe. But evolution with a small "e" just means change, so it is not really a bad choice of words. The Earth surely evolved, but not by random mutation and natural selection.
I loved the section in the third grade which is headlined with:
BIG IDEA 3: The Role of Theories, Laws, Hypotheses, and Models
[FONT=Arial,Arial]The terms that describe examples of scientific knowledge, for example; "theory," "law," "hypothesis," and "model" have very specific meanings and functions within science. [/FONT]
Yes, that's what we be talking about! This is a big deficiency in American science education, it seems. I hope they develop good material do this.