<p>I have two questions for CC parents regarding high school science tracks.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>If your S/D’s school offers biology (regular, honors, or AP) to 9th graders, what is the remainder of the high school science track in order to have 4 years of high school science? I think a typical progression is bio, chem, then physics. What are your kids doing senior year for science if they start Bio in 9th grade?</p></li>
<li><p>Does anyone’s high school offer any kind of formal program to allow kids to do some kind of independent study semester or year with an outside science mentor? What are the logistics of this, and do you consider it a successful program?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Bio–> Physical Science–> Chem–> Physics for average students</p>
<p>Bio–> Chem–> Physics–> AP science, elective science, or no science for capable & honors students</p>
<p>–i.e. once regular or honors Bio is complete, teachers recommend either Physical Science, or Chem or honors Chem.</p>
<p>My late bloomer was not recommended for going straight to Chem. Her route was
Bio–> Physical Science–> honors Chem–> honors Physics; no APs. Plus she took another bio class; this school has a handful of science electives, like Ecology and Advanced Bio.</p>
<p>Our IB school is rather limited in its offerings but the progression is bio1–> chem1–>physics1, and then a senior year choice of bio2, chem2, or physics2. Due to NCLB testing, all city kids are required to take physics junior year.</p>
<p>The usual track for such kids is biology, chemistry, physics, and then an AP science, a science elective (such as environmental science or anatomy and physiology), or no science at all in 12th grade. (Seniors who know that their interests lie in other fields might prefer to take an additional course in their field of interest rather than taking science.)</p>
<p>Taking AP biology in ninth grade is very unusual. Usually, students in AP biology have already completed a year of biology and a year of chemistry. In fact, in many schools those courses are prerequisites for AP biology. </p>
<p>I know that more and more high schools are now offering AP courses as alternatives to standard courses, rather than as a more intensive second-year course in a subject. For example, in the school system my kids come from, this is done for government, world history, and both English courses. But doing it for biology makes me nervous. I wonder whether those 9th graders in AP biology are adequately prepared for the course.</p>
<p>My son is doing a science track. He took honors bio in freshman year. Next year he is taking honors chemistry and honors anatomy and physiology. Plan is that Junior year he takes either AP Bio or AP Chm or AP Physics (might save for senior year). He will also take honors marine science 1 junior year. Senior year he will take honors astronomy or honors marine science 2, AP physics or AP Bio/chem (dep on what he took junior year. That is 7 science classes in high school.</p>
<p>In Maryland, the state requires three years of science for HS graduation. One must be Biology, one must be a physical science, one you can pick for yourself. Here is a link to the science program at one of our local schools: <a href=“http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/wjhs/studserve/coursebook/scicourses.pdf[/url]”>http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/wjhs/studserve/coursebook/scicourses.pdf</a>
“APEX” refers to a special honors program that requires formal application. Those students take a very heavy AP load but don’t start AP science until 10th grade. Montgomery County Public Schools has a district wide policy of open enrollment in Honors and AP courses. If the student meets any specific pre-requisites or co-requisites they are free to choose an Honors or AP section instead of the on-level section. Teachers are heavily encouraged to move Honors and AP-ready students into the next higher level course.</p>
<p>The most wildly popular science course at Happykid’s school is Forensic Science. There is no Honors section yet for that course, but two of Happykid’s pals dropped AP Physics last fall in order to take it with her (11th grade). Happykid is done with science now (Matter and Energy, Honors Bio, Forensic Science).</p>
<p>Because of our proximity to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, many students do internships in labs either during the summer or during the school year. I’ve known several students who have arranged various kinds of internships in labs and in administrative areas. Here is a link to information about one particular internship program [For</a> Students > Student Teacher Internship Program (STIP) - Introducing students & teachers to biomedical research.](<a href=“http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/intern/stp/students.html]For”>http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/intern/stp/students.html)</p>
<p>D took Honors Bio in 9th grade, Honors Chem (no AP offered) - 10th, AP Bio - 11th, Honors Physics (no AP) - 12th (required Calc). Even with 2 Bio’s, Bio has been the most challenging in college.</p>
<p>In our school advanced students generally do this:
8th: Regent Bio
9th: Honors Chem
10th: AP Physics B
11th: AP Science (choice of Physics C, Chemistry, Bio, Environ. Sci.) or a Forensics course that is dual enrollment (Like at happymom’s school this is very popular, muliple sections and now has a non-honors version as well)
12th: Same as 11th.</p>
<p>Regular college bound kids do the same delayed one year. Some students - especially who are less strong in math will do Earth Science in 9th grade and may not do physics at all.</p>
<p>Finally there are a couple more science electives - an Engineering physics course and a Astrophysics course. It used to be quite successful at churning out Intel semifinalist or finalists at the rate of one or two a year, but has been less successful lately. Personally given my older son’s experience, I’m not at all surprised. He dropped out as the teacher was so unhelpful.</p>
<p>There’s also a science research course - meets at lunch and is taken concurrently with all of the above.</p>
<p>Bio–> Chem–> Physics –> then your choice of the second level of each of these. My son is doing Anatomy&Physiology instead as a science elective.</p>
<p>I took Integrated -> AP Bio -> AP Chem -> AP Physics B.</p>
<p>My school now offers Biology to 9th graders, so I think the normal one for the top students is the same except with Bio in 9th. A lot of people also take AP Enviro in 12th, because the counselors suggest that, but the science department isn’t very happy about it.</p>
<p>Our HS now has Honors Foundations of Science=>AP Chem=>AP Bio=>AP Physics as the “top” science track. Chem and Bio might be switched–not sure. There is also a Science Research option chosen by the gung ho that can be pursued in 10/11/12, and of course Honors and CP options instead of AP (except in Physics, where there is only AP). There might be some kind of environmental science also, but I don’t think it’s AP.</p>
<p>older daughter took physics 9th grade- bio 10th grade, chem 11th grade, genetics, 12th grade.
( majored in bio in college)
Younger daughter took bio 9th grade- 10th grade marine bio ( genetics also an option- her school doesn’t like the AP bio course so they don’t offer it), 11th grade chem, 12th grade physics ( ap chem was also an option, but prefered the physics teacher.</p>
<p>There is also a slower paced track- but I volunteered with Ecology type classes and I was very impressed- this is an inner city public</p>
<p>I’m not Consolation, but I can tell you a little about our Science Research option.</p>
<p>Summer before 9th grade they have to read ten articles from the New York Times Science Section. Scientific American or Popular Science Magazine can be used as alternatives. Freshman year my son had to read ten a week and summarize them. By spring he was supposed to find an area of interest, begin reading articles in non-popular science type magazines and make a final presentation on the subject of interest. Sophomores and juniors have to read 5 full research articles from PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). Choose any discipline you want, the articles must have been published after 2004. Most also try to find labs they can work in. Junior and senior year they enter science fairs and apply for the Intel scholarship.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, Intparent, I really don’t know much about it. I know that some kids have pursued research in the class over several years, and have entered and won prizes in the high-level science competitions (Siemens?) as a result, where others have entered the state and regional fairs. I have the impression that it is very individualized, since the subject matter for kids I’ve heard about has included bio and astronomy.</p>
<p>Forgot to mention that D’s HS school always placed 100% into 4 year colleges. There are no college bound designation, they all go there, no CC either.</p>
<p>Forgot to mention that D’s HS school always placed 100% into 4 year colleges. There are no college bound designation, they all go there, no CC either.</p>
<p>Interesting
My older daughter who attended a top college prep in Seattle saw her 1/4 th of her class take a gap year.
They either went into the miltary- teaching abroad- an internship- Americorps or travel. ( she did Americorps)
Virtually all eventually entered 4-yr colleges within 5 years ( except for those who became non-com officers in Iraq and started a non profit foundation), but since kids are so all over the map- I dont think it is desirable for all to enter college right out of high school.</p>
<p>Also I don’t think that CCs are a bad option, IMO, better to take a class of 20 for entry level English or math, taught by a prof with a PHd from Ohio state, than a class of 300, from a grad student with a BA from U of M.
Probably depends on the year and the class though- they all vary
;)</p>
<p>MiamiDAP, our school used to say the same about 4 year schools, but in the last two years a few kids have gone the CC route – I know one family well, and it was a purely economic decision, they couldn’t swing tuition at even the state school… </p>
<p>But that is an aside from the original topic. Mathmom, so the Science Research option doesn’t necessarily have a lab component? I am just looking for suggestions to jump start our small liberal arts independent school’s science offerings - - in my opinion it is the weakest of our high school departments. We have good teachers, I just think they are stuck a little bit in a rut of having done things the same way for a long time…</p>
<p>Middle school science seems like just marching in place, waiting for the hard sciences in high school. D2 loved science in lower school, but seems to have run out of steam in middle school. She has some qualities that would make her a great scientist, and at one point she thought she wanted to work in science, and it would be great to see that spark ignited again. I think the right high school program could do it. She might do a summer program somewhere, but I’d like to see some new ideas and energy injected into her school experience if possible. Don’t want to change schools, her school is fabulous in almost every other respect.</p>