STEM: Science instruction evolves due to exam

The teaching of science in public schools has evolved into a different animal now that the Biology I Keystone exam is a graduation requirement in Pennsylvania.

School districts statewide are introducing biology earlier in the high school curriculum so the subject can be covered over a two-year time frame prior to the exam being taken, said professor Christine Royce, chairwoman of the teacher education department at Shippensburg University.

In the past, high school freshmen took a general science, a physical science or an Earth/space science course, Royce said. Now because of the high-stakes test, districts are cutting these types of courses that provide a foundation for chemistry and physics classes taken later.

By taking biology early in high school, students who fail to score proficient or above proficient on the exam still have time to take the required full year of remediation before taking the Biology I test again, said Samantha Moyer, science program chairwoman for grades 6-12 for the Carlisle Area School District.

Schools want to avoid the situation in which a student would have to take a six-hour-long project-based assessment for every test module on which they scored basic or below basic, Moyer said. She added that while an upside of the exam has been an increased emphasis on analysis and problem solving skills critical to success in a number of career fields, the downside has been the need for those who lack proficiency to undergo remediation with the possibility of project-based assessment.

To help with remediation, Carlisle school district plans to add standards in the biology course that would give students more practice and a greater opportunity for individualized instruction, Moyer said. The plan is to pull biology teachers from study halls and hall monitor duties to teach the standards course.

Narrowing the view

Royce is not in favor of the approach districts are taking in response to the Biology I graduation requirement. She said this greater emphasis on biology and content specific to the Keystone exam has potential to narrow the view students have of science by reducing the time available for them to take electives to apply what they have learned.

Allowing students to engage in science rather than memorize science is more beneficial, Royce said, adding that knowing that science is being tested is at least reassuring in that it is being taught. The combination of rising costs and mandatory testing, however, is forcing school districts in Pennsylvania to make difficult choices on where to prioritize resources.

There is only so much time in the day, Royce said. What is starting to happen is the arts, social studies and languages are drawing the short end of the stick.

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STEM: Science instruction evolves due to exam