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What is the purpose of science education?

To prepare future citizens and future scientists.

What do we need to do that?

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:California_State_Capitol_Building.jpg

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All Standards for All Students

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All Standards for All Students

Students need all the pieces of the puzzle to understand and address the world’s problems.

Image: Can Stock Photo, http://www.canstockphoto.com/illustration/puzzle-world-map.html; https://www.ohio.edu/lancaster/newsroom/manage/images/Social-Justice-Week-Slide_1.jpg

All students should have equal access to the tools of science and engineering.

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middle school

college & career

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Physics in the Universe

Chemistry of the Earth System

Living Earth

Chemistry

Biology

Physics

Earth & Space Science

Order of courses is NOT prescribed

More integration of science disciplines

Every Science, Every Year 3 Year Model	ESS Integration 3 Course Model	Discipline Specific 4 Course Model

Districts/Individual Schools Choose

How do you fit all the standards into the high school curriculum?

or

any model they develop on their own.

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middle school

college & career

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Physics in the Universe

Chemistry of the Earth System

Living Earth

Chemistry

Biology

Physics

Earth & Space Science

Order of courses is NOT prescribed

More integration of science disciplines

Every Science, Every Year 3 Year Model	ESS Integration 3 Course Model	Discipline Specific 4 Course Model

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middle school

college & career

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

More integration of science disciplines

Every Science, Every Year 3 Year Model

Address simplest phenomena in Year 1.

Build to more sophisticated phenomena in later years.

Address phenomena from a fully interdisciplinary perspective.

Cool idea, but with phenomena should be locally relevant. How can we produce an example course that would be interesting statewide?

Relegated to an appendix in CA NGSS Framework.

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More integration of science disciplines

Discipline Specific4 Course Model

Closest to the status quo, but exposes more students to more sciences.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Chemistry

Biology

Physics

Earth & Space Science

Order of courses is NOT prescribed

http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/CourseReports/CourseResults.aspx?Filter=A&TheYear=2014-15&cTopic=Course&cChoice=CrseEnroll&cLevel=State&cdscode=00000000000000&Subject=Y&AP=Y&IB=Y&CTE=N&lNotAll=True

Physics

Chemistry

Biology

Earth/Environ.

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More integration of science disciplines

ESS Integration3 Course Model

ESS phenomena motivate the study of other disciplines.

Note the titles... Courses are integrated ESS & Bio, ESS & Physics, and ESS & Chem. They should not be treated as Bio, Chem, and Physics with ESS sprinkled in.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Physics in the Universe

Chemistry of the Earth System

Living Earth

Order of courses is NOT prescribed

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Does Sequence Matter?

Six possible permutations in 3 Course Model can be driven by different philosophies.

Bottom Line: All disciplines can be taught with different degrees of rigor in a developmental sequence.

Physics First

Earth Science Capstone

Biology is the Gateway

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	ESS Integration3 Course Model	Discipline Specific4 Course Model
Pros
Cons

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http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/CourseReports/CourseResults.aspx?Filter=A&TheYear=2014-15&cTopic=Course&cChoice=CrseEnroll&cLevel=State&cdscode=00000000000000&Subject=Y&AP=Y&IB=Y&CTE=N&lNotAll=True

https://research.collegeboard.org/programs/ap/data/participation/ap-2015

Physics

Chemistry

Biology

Earth/Environmental

Total HS Enrollment: 1,949,755

Total HS Science: 1,664,724

Total AP Exams: 68,719 (3.5%)

Average: 3.4 years of science / student

California 2014-15 Science Enrollment Facts