Mount Si High School Mount Si High School Science ProgramScience Program

Overview• Staffing/classroom technology

• Curriculum adoption process

• Course offerings– Required courses– Elective courses

• Course sequence and prerequisites

• WASL preparation

• College preparation

• Present/future challenges

Science Department Staff• Gene Clegg – Chemistry/Physics/Humanities Physics

• Ryan Hill – Biology/Environmental Science/Earth Science

• Andrew Rapin – AP Biology/Biology

• Jana Mabry – Biology/Honors Earth Science

• Ken Hagler – Chemistry/Earth Science

• Kevin Knowles – Astronomy/Meteorology/Earth Science

• David – Earth Science

Science Curriculum Adoption

• In the 2005/2006 academic year (with the support of Snoqualmie Valley School District) we were able to expand our course offerings, update our existing course curricula and purchase much needed materials and equipment to support our lab-based courses.

Required Science Courses

Two science credits are required for high school graduation including:

• Earth Science (1 year)

– Freshman year

• Life Science (Biology or Environmental Science) (1 year)

– Sophomore year

Honors Earth Science

• Placement based on middle school WASL scores and first and second trimester grade in science.

Elective Science Courses

Science Elective Course Offerings*Science Elective Course Offerings*• Advanced Placement Biology

• Advanced Placement Chemistry

• Astronomy

• Chemistry

• Geology

• Humanities (conceptual) Physics

• Meteorology

• Physics• * a description of these courses is provided in the course catalog (hard

copy or PDF form on the MSHS website)

Course sequence and prerequisitesLower-level achieving student• Earth Science Environmental ScienceElective options most likely taken: • Environmental Horticulture I and II• Landscape/Turf Management I and II• Emergency PreparednessTypical achieving student• Earth Science Biology Chemistry • or Earth Science Environmental Science Biology ChemistryElective options most likely taken: • Anatomy and Physiology –• Astronomy• Environmental Horticulture• Geology• Humanities Physics• Meteorology Higher-level student• Honors Earth Science Biology Chemistry Elective options most likely taken:• AP Biology• AP Chemistry• Physics

Required Science Core CoursesScience Core Lab-based? Algebra-based? Pre requisites?

Earth Science

(2 semesters)No No Honors- placement based on

WASL and 8th grade science grade

Biology

(2 semesters)

(or)

Yes No >70% average in Earth Science.

Environmental Science

(2 semesters)Yes No >60% average in Earth

Science

Science Electives Lab-based?

Algebra-based?

Pre requisites?

AP Biology

(2 semesters)Yes Yes Completed Biology with an 80% average or

instructors permission.

AP Chemistry

(2 semesters)Yes Yes Completed Chemistry with an 80% average

or instructors permission or teachers permission

Astronomy

(1 semester)Yes Algebra/Integrated I and passing Earth

Science or teachers permission

Chemistry

(2 semesters)Yes Yes Algebra credit and concurrently taking or

having taken another higher math class / 70% or better in Biology or teachers permission

Geology

(2 semesters)Yes Yes 70% or better in Earth Science and Biology,

Algebra or permission of instructor or teachers permission

Humanities Physics

(2 semesters)Yes B or better in humanities courses or teachers

permission

Meteorology

(1 semester)Yes Algebra/Integrated I and passing Earth

Science or teachers permission

Physics

(2 semesters)yes Yes 1 credit of Advanced Algebra, concurrently

taking/having taken Math Analysis and 1 credit of Chemistry or 1 credit of Earth Science or teacher permission.

WASL preparation• As of now, students graduating in 2013 will be required to

demonstrate competency in science as measured by the WASL (The Washington Assessment of Student Learning).

• Since 2004 the state has been piloting the science WASL section. In preparation for this endeavor freshmen (assessed in the spring) and sophomores (assessed in the fall) will be administered a WASL related assessment. The emphasis of this assessment will be on three main areas

1. Experimental design2. Energy transfer and transformation, and3. Writing a conclusion based on the results of a scientific experiment.

• We continue to aligned our earth and life science courses to Washington State’s Grade Level Expectations (GLE’s). These GLE’s articulate the state’s expectations and learning standards for science.

Current minimum admission requirements for freshmen at Washington public four-year colleges and universities:

two credits of science, including one year of laboratory science.

* As set by The Higher Education Coordinating Board (http://www.hecb.wa.gov/Research/issues/admissions.asp)

College prerequisite for high school science*

Proposed minimum admission requirements for freshmen at Washington public four-year colleges and universities (starting in the summer of 2008)

Two credits of laboratory science, of which one year would require the student to understand and use algebra.

* As set by The Higher Education Coordinating Board (http://www.hecb.wa.gov/Research/issues/admissions.asp)

College prerequisite for high school science*