High School Science Trends

Inquiry Overview

A non-profit dedicated to science and mathematics teaching and learning was interested in understanding the landscape of high school science, specifically as it pertains to required courses, science testing, and curricula trends - overall and for ecosystem and earth systems science.

Key Questions

• How many years do districts require high school students to take science?


• What is the sequence of required courses?


• Which courses are required?


• Are states/districts establishing year four capstone courses and, if yes, in what subjects?


• What sorts of science testing is going on and at what grades (including new NCLB science testing requirements)?


• Beyond requirements, what science electives are popular? Are they full-year or half-year courses?


• How do publishers define ecosystem science and earth systems science?


• What type of textbooks are they developing for high school science?


• What are the popular curricula trends in high school science?


• Are publishers developing textbooks in the areas of ecosystem science and earth systems science?

Methodology

For this custom inquiry, Eduventures conducted a total of 15 phone interviews - 11 with high school science department heads and district administrators, two with publishers, and two with state representatives.