A revised plan for improving science education in Portage
This page describes an alternate plan that I believe meets most of the needs of those in favor of the semester courses AND those in favor of keeping year-long courses. Please read on.
The District plan already calls for two "flavors" of the semester courses to be taught in parallel each year: one regular and one honors. Since the most serious concerns about the new curriculum appear to be coming from those who will probably be taking the IB-HL courses in 11th and 12th grades, and a technical course of study in college, why not change the semester honors courses back to full-year honors courses in Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. That will give these students the balance and depth they will need to succeed in college. If the district is really convinced its semester classes will increase MEAP scores and help them meet the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) legislation, it can pilot the semester courses for non-honors students.
Honors students who take four years of science will benefit by taking at least one year of each of the three core sciences, with an IB-HL 2-year concentration in one of them. These students generally pass the MEAP test anyway, are not at risk of being left behind, and are capable of mastering Earth Science milestones that should be taught in 8th grade.
This compromise will allow the academically talented student better prepare themselves for college. And it gives the District what it wants to meet LNCB legislation concerns. A MS-Word file shows a draft of this idea. To see this proposal, click here. If your computer won't open this file, please email the webmaster for an alternate format.
To comment on this comment, click here.
COMMENT: This looks like a good idea except we need good science (translation: comprehensive full-year classes) not only for the gifted science student, but for the "B" students and even the student at risk for failure. Why should only the honors student be able to take advantage of the full-year courses? All high school students should have this option. If Portage must put in semester classes, make it an option for students who only plan to take 2 years of high school science, but even those students would be better off in the full-year classes, and should be able to choose.
COMMENT#2: This is not a good compromise, because full-year science classes are important for ALL students, not just honors students. See the article about "Teaching to All students" (click here).
COMMENT#3: Where's the data supporting a switch to semester science classes for all students? This may be a good idea for kids who ONLY plan to take two years of science, but no one else should have to take this. Keep the full-year classes. Chemistry in 9th grade and Biology in 10th grade and Physics in 11th grade.