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Ball-Chatham Board OKs Physical Science Class

Posted on: Friday, 7 May 2004, 06:00 CDT

CHATHAM - The Ball-Chatham Board of Education voted 5-1 Monday to approve a new physical science class at Glenwood High that science teachers believe will result in more students taking more science classes during their high school careers and improving their science scores on standardized tests.

The school board last month refused to approve the textbook for the course and asked for more data on why the proposed course should be offered. Some board members cited concerns that the freshman- level course was not rigorous enough and said it would keep students from taking enough higher-track science classes in later years. They added that Glenwood has strong standardized test scores in science.

"If it's not broken, why change?" said board member Sam Xanders, who voted against the measure Monday.

First-year science classes at Glenwood include honors and regular- track biology as well as earth science. Plans call for incoming freshmen next year to have the option to take the new physical science class, an honors biology class, or a regular-track sophomore- level biology course.

The school board last fall approved the new science course, but board members said recently they didn't realize the majority of freshmen could be taking the new class instead of regular track biology.

Most of Glenwood High School's science faculty attended Monday's meeting and passed out a departmental letter to the school board and audience expressing concern that the board could, in essence, rescind last fall's action and do away with a course that was created after about two years of study and research.

"There are gaps which are never filled by the present curriculum ... The new physical science course was designed to fill those gaps and to thus prepare students for the more rigorous courses they could take in their sophomore, junior and senior years. The school board would be better served by listening to the teachers who actually teach the students and know what their actual knowledge base is, rather than base decisions on national articles which do not bear in mind the reality of this district," the teachers wrote, in part.

While many freshmen have taken regular-track biology over the years, they often have not performed as well as teachers would hope. Having physical science as freshmen will better prepare them for biology in tenth grade, Glenwood High science chairwoman Rita Singer said.

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