Utah / NGSS 7.1.4
Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on conceptual understanding that changes in genetic material may result in making different proteins.]

Further, Douglas Axe reported his studies in 2004 in the journal Science Direct, of the challenges of random mutations being responsible for the origins functional protein folding (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022283604007624). According to Axe's experiments “the overall prevalence of sequences performing a specific function by any domain-sized fold may be as low as 1 in 10^77.” For a comparison of that number, there are believed to be 10^80 sub atomic particles in the entire Universe. Hence, relying on random processes to beget “de novo” proteins is out of the realm of statistical possibility regardless of the billion of years that one could imagine.

Darwin said that:

If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ [or in this case protein] existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.
Origin of the Species p348

I am not saying that we should not teach evolution in our schools. What I am saying is that we should teach the evidence for and also the evidence against the theory.

Performance standards 7.2.1 & 7.2.4 should consider both pro and con evidence. The fossil record does not show the gradual branching tree that is usually shown in our science classes. When considering actual fossil data, the animal phyla or the basic body plans of life, 23 are living today (and are in the fossil record). The Cambrian is the first real "blossoming of life." In just the Cambrian environment, according to main stream science reports, there existed 23 animal phyla. Furthermore, there was not significant variation from that number at any time in the fossil record according to reports.

When the Cambrian fossils in southern China, near the town of Chengjiang, were discovered there was discussions that the number of basic body plans (the phyla) must be over 100. This uncomfortable number was whittled down by expanding the definition of some phyla and regrouping to avoid an even more embarrassing comparison than what we have today. Even with the regrouping etc. the numbers show that the fossil record does not support the gradual branching pattern of Darwin’s Tree of Life.

Furthermore, even vertebrate fish were found in the Cambrian environment.

7.2.2
This is essentially Haeckel's "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny," argument that has been discredited for many years. It does not belong in our curriculum. For just one example, Erich Blechschmidt commented in his 1977 book The Beginnings of Human Life.

"The so-called basic law of biogenetics [Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny] is wrong. No buts or ifs can mitigate this fact. It is not even a tiny bit correct or correct in a different form, making it valid in a certain percentage. It is totally wrong." Click for Link

7.2.4
Further shows the dogmatic presentation of Darwinian evolution, as the students are instructed to only look for evidence to support the theory, that is they look "to infer evolutionary relationships." What about the evidence that speaks contrary to the theory?

BUILT BY CORRELATION, L. Don Leet (Harvard) & Sheldon Judson (Princeton), "Because we cannot find sedimentary rocks representing all of earth time neatly in one convenient area, we must piece together the rock sequence from locality to locality. This process of tying one rock sequence in one place to another in some other place is known as correlation, from the Latin for 'together' plus 'relate.'"
Physical Geology, p.181.

Putman & Bassett, "A rock that had an early form of an organism was clearly older than rocks containing later forms. Furthermore, all rocks that had the early form, no matter how far apart those rocks were geographically, would have to be the same age … fossil successions made it possible to say that the Cambrian rocks are older than the Ordovician rocks. In this way our geologic time table came into being....Without the theory of evolution and the interdisciplinary science of paleontology, it could not exist."
Geology, p.544.

Our Students should also know this about the "Geologic Column" which also shows the circularity of reasoning in its origin.

These appear to be directed more as more of social questions than science questions or even engineering questions. Use our students science time for science not social engineering.

These standards are also delving into these social issues these are not appropriate science topics – certainly not for eighth grade.