Mount Si High School Science Program

1. Mount Si High School Science Program

2. Overview • Staffing/classroom technology • Curriculum adoption process • Course offerings • Required courses • Elective courses • Course sequence and prerequisites • WASL preparation • College preparation • Present/future challenges

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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

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

7. Elective Science Courses

8. 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)

9. Course sequence and prerequisites Lower-level achieving student • Earth Science  Environmental Science Elective options most likely taken: • Environmental Horticulture I and II • Landscape/Turf Management I and II • Emergency Preparedness Typical achieving student • Earth Science  Biology  Chemistry • or Earth Science  Environmental Science  Biology  Chemistry Elective 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

10. Required Science Core Courses

12. 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 • Experimental design • Energy transfer and transformation, and • 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.

13. Current minimum admission requirements for freshmen at Washington public four-year colleges and universities:two credits of science, including one year of laboratory science. College prerequisite for high school science* * As set by The Higher Education Coordinating Board (http://www.hecb.wa.gov/Research/issues/admissions.asp)

14. 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. College prerequisite for high school science* * As set by The Higher Education Coordinating Board (http://www.hecb.wa.gov/Research/issues/admissions.asp)