Science

I. Nature of Science
II. Scientific Application of Mathematics
III. Scientific Application of Communication
IV. Science, Technology and Society
V. Cross-Disciplinary Themes
VI. Biology
VII. Chemistry
VIII. Physics
IX. Earth and Space Sciences
X. Environmental Science

About the Science Standards

The field of science is typically divided into disciplines such as biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, and Earth science. Although each discipline focuses on different features of the natural world, all areas of science share a common set of principles and procedures for collecting, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information.

Science is distinguished from other fields of study by the way students learn skills for appropriately applying a variety of apparatuses, equipment, techniques, and procedures for collecting, interpreting, and using data.

The standards are focused on ensuring that students are ready to explore and appreciate the richness and complexity of the natural world, to grapple with new ideas and divergent interpretations, and to master the powerful techniques of collecting, organizing, and analyzing information that scientists use in their investigations. The standards go beyond the three “traditional” high school science courses of biology, chemistry, and physics.

Although the standards are quite extensive and specific in their identification of important prerequisite knowledge, they emphasize in equal measure the importance of the key cognitive skills necessary to succeed in the kinds of tasks that students will almost certainly encounter in entry-level college science courses.