Three Reasons AL Needs a New Science Course of Study by Sarah Lowman

Thanks to Sarah Lowman, PAEMST Winner, for outlining these 3 important reasons we need to adopt Alabama's Science Course of Study:

1. Alabama’s students need science standards that prepare them for the dynamic nature of scientific content. New discoveries are constantly being made. Instead of memorizing scientific facts, students should become scientifically literate by developing skills to read complex text, investigate, design, model, analyze, and support their findings from evidence. The science course of study, adopted in 2005, lacks rigor, is out of date, and can cause misconceptions due to errors in phrasing. Example: 2005 Biology COS Standard 8 associates Downs-Syndrome with inherited diseases when in fact most of the time, this disorder is caused by an error in meiosis, the process that makes gametes. Most cases of Downs are not inherited.

2. Alabama’s economy needs Alabama’s students to be educated in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). The science standards, adopted in 2005, make no provision for technology and engineering in all science courses. The proposed science standards promote proficiency in STEM by embedding STEM in all science disciplines. This is crucial because current trends show that the demand for STEM jobs far exceeds the supply of qualified personnel. STEM affects all citizens even if they do not consider themselves to be scientific. Whether our graduates attend medical school, become machine operators, farmers, or culinary specialists, proficiency in the science and engineering practices supported by the proposed Science Course of Study Draft will increase their ability to become contributing members of a scientific and technologically rich society.

3. Alabama’s students need to be immersed in STEM education in all grades, k-12. Children are born investigators and need hands on, experienced based STEM education that causes them to question, discover, design, and innovate. Louis Braille, as a 12 year old, engineered a solution to his disability that allowed him to read. His discovery opened up a whole new world for the blind forever. Science engages learners of all ages and adds excitement to learning. Real world experiences used as a basis for applying math and using language to articulate scientific discovery give meaning to learning. The proposed standards are vertically aligned in grades k-12 so that there is a progression of instructional sequences and inquiry across scientific content that promote a depth of learning that students need in order to be scientifically literate as well as college and career ready upon graduation.

Alabama's new Science Course of Study will open doors to a scientifically literate Alabama that will result in a better state, nation, and world.

Written by Sarah Lowman