Honors Earth Science and University of California "d" Level Laboratory Courses

From Wendy Van Nordon at NESTA (National Earth Science Teachers Association):

"Are you interested in teaching an Honors Earth Science class? Would you like to help a local high school teacher to do so? At the website honorsearthscience.com you can find the curriculum of an Honors Earth Science course that was accepted by the University of California as an honors, “d” level laboratory course. It is designed to be a capstone course for 11^th and 12^th grade college bound high school students. It can easily be adapted to be a dual level course by collaboration with a local college. At the website you will also find a link to an Honors Geology course that is also a dual-credit course, and a podcast explaining the benefits of a dual-credit course. You are encouraged to add your name and the name of your school if you are interested in adopting one of these courses or partnering with a high school teacher who would like to adopt one of the two honors courses. For more information, contact Wendy Van Norden ."

High School Honors Earth Science and the University of California

Notice to California High School teachers and staff

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that a high school course, entitled Honors Earth Science, has been approved by the UC Academic Senate Board on Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS), and also by the UC Office of the President. The course was designed principally by Wendy Van Norden with help from the rest of us. It is listed on https://doorways.ucop.edu/list/, under the listings for Harvard Westlake School, North Hollywood, CA. The course outline appears on the website of Harvard Westlake School, at http://www.hwscience.com/Geology/Honors/ESS%20course%20outline.doc. There is also an Honors Geology curriculum available at Harvard-Westlake that also has "d" certification at http://www.hwscience.com/Geology/Honors/index.html.

The Honors Earth Science course is intended for high school juniors and seniors. It has received an “honors” designation by the UC, so it confers and extra point to a student’s GPA. The course has the same level of rigor as most AP science courses, and it is possible to work with a local university to turn it into a dual credit course. Honors Earth Science has prerequisites of algebra, biology, and chemistry. In principle, any high school that adopts this course should receive UC's "d" Laboratory Science credit for it. Widespread adoption of this course in CA high schools should significantly increase the awareness of Earth Science by CA high school graduates, UC's entering students, and the public at large.

This course does not conflict with existing 9^th grade Earth science classes. It is intended as a third-year science class for college-bound students. BOARS has made clear that 9^th grade Earth science classes will not receive "d" certification.

There are, of course, several advantages for students to take a third science course in high school, for several reasons:

• UC's "d" laboratory science requirements states "two and preferably three years" of high laboratory science are required"; Three years are better than two; nearly all (more than 90%) entering first-year UC students have 3 or even 4 years of science in high school
• In this increasingly technically oriented world, students will benefit from as much science as they can get;'
• Earth science underlies any understanding of the landscape, agricultural patterns , the location and character of towns cities, and resource and economic issues, and earth hazards. Especially in California, all people need a background in Earth science in order to become informed citizens because of California's Earth hazards, including earthquakes, landslides, floods, and tsunamis.
• In this increasingly crowded world, resource and hazard issues are at the forefront of many events and conditions on Earth, e.g. the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the Thailand and Pakistan floods, the East African droughts, the climate crisis. A knowledge of Earth science is essential for every citizen, including those that attend UC!

We hope that this new development will encourage high schools throughout California to offer this course, and thus better prepare their students to function as informed citizens in the 21^st century.

We encourage you to look at this course outline carefully, and we encourage you to consider adopting the course in your own school. Widespread adoption of this course would go far towards the spread of Earth Science courses eligible for "d" Laboratory Science credit at UC throughout California. It would benefit all present and future Californians.

Cordially,

Wendy Van Norden, Harvard-Westlake School, North Hollywood, CA

Ray Ingersoll, Earth and Space Sciences, UCLA,

Bruce Luyendyk, Geological Sciences, UCSB,

Tom Traeger, La Canada High School, La Canada High School

Eldridge Moores, Geology, UCD

From the Far Western Section of NESTA (National Association of Earth Science Teachers)

From Wendy Van Norden, NESTA Far West Regional Director:

I have some news and some questions for California NESTA members

Question: The 2012 American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) national convention will held in Long Beach. They are trying to a meaningful session for K-12 teachers. The theme for this convention is “Creative Ideas + New Technology = The Future. Do you have any suggestions?

News: Many of you signed a petition to the Academic Council of the University of California, asking them to include Earth Science as a “d” laboratory course. The petition was rejected. However, they are open to discussion about the topic, and I have organized a task force to put together recommendations for Earth Science curricula that should be considered.

Question: I am teaching a dual credit course with UCLA (my high school students receive credit on a UCLA transcript). My course is for Juniors and Seniors and it receives “d” lab credit

Do you know of any similar courses in California?

Do you know of anyone teaching an honors level Geology or Earth Science course in CA?

Do you know of Geology/Earth Science courses that do receive “d” lab credit?

Wendy Van Norden
Harvard-Westlake School
3700 Coldwater Canyon
No. Hollywood, CA 91604
818 487-6665
wvannorden@hw.com

Secondary Level Earth Science Classes and the University of California

From Wendy Van Norden, co-founder of CalESTA, California Earth Science Teachers Association (http://cestanet.org/)

California Earth Science educators:

Below you will find a petition to the Academic Council of the University of California. At this time, the "d" requirements for a lab science specifies only biology, chemistry and physics. If you are in favor of petitioning the UC Academic council to include Earth, Environmental, and Space Sciences as a choice for a "d" lab science, please "sign" the following petition by sending the following to Wendy Van Norden at wvannorden@hw.com.

I support the petition from the California Association of Earth Science Teachers to the Academic Council to include Earth, Environmental and Space Sciences as a choice for the "d" lab requirement for admission to the UC system.

Name:

email:

affiliation:

Please forward this petition to any interested educators. Thank you.

TO THE ACADEMIC COUNCIL, BOARS, AND UCEP

FROM THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF EARTH SCIENCE TEACHERS

We, the undersigned request that the UC High School “d” requirements for laboratory science be amended to include “Earth, Environmental, and Space Sciences” as a choice for admission to the UC system:

I. Currently the UC High School area “d” requirement states that students shall take “two and preferably three courses from the following sciences: biology, chemistry, and physics.”

II. We, the undersigned, request that the “area d” requirements for laboratory science be amended to include “Earth, environmental, and space sciences” as an additional choice for admissions to the UC system. Earth, environmental, and space sciences broadly defined include content in astronomy, ecology, geology, meteorology, oceanography, Earth systems science, environmental science, planetary science, and other topics within the integrative study of all or parts of the Earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere; of the solar system, and of the cosmos. The text of the UC Area-d requirement is proposed to then read:

“two and preferably three courses from the following sciences: biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth, environmental, and space sciences.”

III. To be considered for certification in the “d” subject area courses (in Earth, environmental, and space sciences) must meet the same requirements as biology, chemistry and physics, which is described in http://ucop.edu/a-gGuide/ag/content/Guidetoa-gReqs_2008.pdf

• specify, at a minimum, elementary algebra as a prerequisite or co-requisite;

• take an approach consistent with the scientific method in relation to observing, forming hypotheses, testing hypotheses through experimentation and/or further observation, and forming objective conclusions; and

• include hands-on scientific activities that are directly related to and support the other classwork, and that involve inquiry, observation, analysis, and write-up. These hands-on activities should account for at least 20% of class time, and should be itemized and described in the course description.

IV. We make this request in consideration of the following points

a. We California educators want to teach rigorous Earth , Environmental, and Space Science content to college-bound students. However, because the UC system does not accept Earth Science as a “d” laboratory course, administrators are actively discouraging us from doing so. The removal of Earth science courses from the “d” laboratory status has encouraged schools to drop Earth science courses, or to drop the laboratory component of Earth science courses. Even if we are able to teach a rigorous Earth Science course, college-bound students are discouraged from enrolling. The addition of Earth, Environmental, and Space Science in the “d” requirements can reverse this process.

b. Earth, Environmental, and Space Science classes can be taught as rigorous, problem-solving curricula that can easily fit into the “d” requirement. There are many courses already available. The Earth sciences have benefited enormously from the explosion of online data that are available for analysis in demanding problem-solving exercises, and providing students with important 21st century skills.

c. Earth, environmental and space sciences are included in several national standards recommended by several prestigious agencies (e.g., National Academy of Science/National Research Council, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Council of Scientific Society Presidents, the College Board), and those of California. UC’s science admission requirements are not in compliance with either the national or the California state secondary school standards.

d. Topics in the Earth, environmental, and space sciences comprise 30% of the questions on the 12th grade National Assessment of Educational Progress test (Nation’s Report Card). The National Academy of Sciences, the National Research Council, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Council of Scientific Society Presidents all recommend that Earth and space science classes be included a part of standard high school curricula.

e. It would be difficult to find a state more in need of Earth science literacy than California. The topics of earthquakes, landslides, water supply, water quality, climate change, flood control, resource use (and depletion), air/water pollution, and plate tectonics, are extremely relevant to California residents. Unfortunately, these topics are rarely found in the curricula of biology, chemistry or physics.

f. The Earth, environmental and space sciences are intrinsically interesting, and are likely to entice more students into the sciences


Wendy Van Norden

Harvard-Westlake School

3700 Coldwater Canyon

No. Hollywood, CA 91604

818 487-6665

wvannorden@hw.com