Tougher science requirements pushed

At least 97 Nebraska school districts would have to rewrite their graduation requirements to include an extra year of science instruction if the Nebraska Board of Education approves the new minimum requirements it discussed Wednesday.

Some districts might have to hire more science teachers to meet the standard, possibly causing a financial strain.

Beginning with the graduating class of 2015, high school students would have to take a minimum of four years of English, along with three years each of math, science and social studies.

The proposed changes reflect Gov. Dave Heineman’s push to increase academic rigor in the state’s schools. They also indicate recognition that the state’s current requirements are “behind the times,” Nebraska Education Commissioner Roger Breed said Wednesday.

The changes would bring Nebraska’s requirements in line with Iowa and several other Midwestern states, but one member of the board asked whether the state should adopt even tougher requirements.

The state’s current graduation requirements, in place since the 1980s, require that students take 200 credit hours, the equivalent of five courses a semester. Of those, 80 percent must come from the core curriculum. The core includes English, math, science and social studies, as well as a variety of other curricular areas typically offered at high schoolsBreed said.

Under the proposal the board discussed, students would have to take 40 credits of English and 30 each of math, science and social studies for a total of 130, or 65 percent of the 200 required credit hours.

The state would, for the first time, specify course content within those academic areas. In math, for example, the 30 credit hours would have to include algebraic, geometric, probability and data analysis concepts. Science coursework would have to include physical science, biology, chemistry, physics and scientific inquiry with corresponding lab work.

Board member Joe Higgins expressed concern that even under the proposed changes, a student could complete all required courses except English before a senior year and skate the rest of the way to graduation.

Teachers, he said, frequently report that students do so under the current requirements.

He proposed raising the required credit hours to 240, the equivalent of requiring one additional course per semester, which he said would help prevent seniors from registering for lightweight class schedules. By raising the minimum hours, the state could require a fourth year of math and still give students an opportunity for electives such as fine arts, languages and physical education, he said.

Breed said that while the 200-credit minimum is “archaic” — a state survey found that a majority of Nebraska students attend schools where they must earn between 220 and 250 credits — changing the credit minimum would require legislative action.

Many, but not all, of the state’s districts already meet or exceed the proposal for updated minimums. Those that don’t would have to adopt them.

Breed said the standards would help foster consistency among districts and ensure that districts align their graduation requirements with state academic standards.

“We’re going to be asking Nebraska kids to step up to high standards, and those standards are going to be as high as anywhere in the United States,” he said.

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota and Oklahoma all require four years of English plus three years each of math, science and social studies.

Last year, Iowa adopted the Iowa Core Curriculum, what officials there consider essential concepts and skills in math, science, social studies and “21st century learning skills.” All Iowa students must learn those skills by the time they graduate. Iowa high schools must develop implementation plans next year; K-8 schools must do so in 2012.

The impact of Nebraska’s proposed changes would vary from district to district.

Of 216 districts surveyed by the state, about 85 percent already required four years of English. Eighty-six percent reported requiring three years or more of math.

In science, however, the survey indicated that just over half the districts now meet the proposal for three years. Forty-four percent of districts require only two years.

The Omaha Public Schools already meets the proposed minimums for English, math and science. The district exceeds the proposal in social studies.

The Millard school board this week beefed up its graduation requirements in anticipation of state changes.

Starting with this year’s freshman class, Millard students will have to take an extra semester each of math and science, as well as a semester class in financial literacy. The district now requires 30 credit hours each in math and science, up from 25.

For students, that means taking three years of math and science each, rather than 2½ years. Millard officials say, however, that most of their students already take more than the proposed minimums.

Overall, Millard students will now need to earn 230 credit hours to graduate, up from 225.

If the Nebraska Board of Education supports the proposed changes, public comment would be taken and the governor then would have to sign off on them. Public comment is expected to be taken yet this year, with a decision after that.

Contact the writer:

444-1077, joe.dejka@owh.com