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Tuesday, January 23, 2007 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff

On top of the three R's, add biology and chemistry to what New Jersey's high school students will soon need to know to graduate.

In a move to raise the bar for science education throughout the state, high school tests for specific sciences, starting with biology, will be introduced in the spring of 2008, state officials said. These tests come on the heels of a general science test to be given for the first time to 11th graders next month as part of the High School Proficiency Assessment.

The new requirements represent the state's latest bid to improve math and science education in high school, part of a national push spurred by study after study showing American students lagging behind their international peers in those subjects.

"This helps us move to a more rigorous curriculum for students, and focus on the disciplines of science and not just a general science curriculum," said Jay Doolan, the acting assistant education commissioner. "The tests will be much more in-depth, with more breadth of content, and certainly should raise the rigor."

Though applauded by many, the announcement this month from Education Commissioner Lucille Davy also raised a lot of questions among educators. Testing on specific sciences is a big departure from the state's current one-time high school exam given in the junior year.

For one, it is likely to force every school to require students to take certain science courses. The state already requires at least three years of high school science, but a state survey of local requirements in 2005 found just two-thirds of high schools required biology, only a third demanded chemistry, and just one in seven high schools required physics.

And while a vast majority of college-bound students take a biology class, for example, that's not all kids in all schools, and some educators question whether it is even appropriate for the state to make specific subjects universal.

"This is a lot of testing, and with this we're really talking about a state curriculum," said Daniel Fishbein, superintendent of Glen Ridge schools. "To me, the community should have a say in what they feel is important."

This spring's introduction of science to the HSPA -- which high school students must pass to graduate -- had been in the works for several years and has been field tested for the last three years. The state already has a science section in its fourth- and eighth-grade tests, and under the federal No Child Left Behind act, science must be tested at least once in high school.

In recent years, more states, including Maryland, Kentucky and Virginia, have pushed to improve science education by mandating exams on specific sciences. New York uses such tests for its Regents diploma.

In New Jersey, similar end-of-course exams also could be mandated in the math disciplines, starting with algebra. A test for Algebra II is expected to be piloted in several districts in 2008, education officials said.

Doolan conceded such tests are "new territory for us," and said the exams would be phased in over time.

"We're obviously going to have to provide more information (to schools) on what the content will be," he said, adding any changes in standards will need the approval of the state Board of Education.

It's unclear how big a challenge it will be for students and teachers. The current science tests in the lower grades are the least rigorous of the statewide assessments, with about 80 percent passing in both fourth and eighth grades.

But biology and chemistry are hardly staples. At Hackettstown High School, for instance, the classes are expected for the college-bound students, but not all take them. In an 11th-grade chemistry class yesterday, junior Cara Whitehead said she is very interested in the sciences as she looks to college and maybe a career in dentistry.

"I definitely think science is important; there are things you'll need to know in life to get by," said Cara, 16. "But I don't know if it should be required for every kid. I do think you should take the class, but not necessarily have to pass a (state) test on it."

Reaction to the new tests has been mixed among science educators. The 11th-grade test to be taken next month already has been criticized because it focuses mostly on earth and life sciences, with less emphasis on chemistry and physics.

"Instead of preparing our kids for college, we were going backwards, and just teaching them earth science over and over," said Robert Goodman, the science chair at Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro and last year's state Teacher of the Year.

There are higher hopes for the specific science tests to be introduced next year, with some saying they could bring a consistency to how courses are taught.

"Biology is a good place to start," said Letizia Pantoliano, the director of curriculum in Clifton schools. "It's a subject held in high esteem, and most students should take it. ... Something like this will help get high schools all on the same page."

The state's past introduction of new tests has not always been smooth, and local educators warned the true verdict will come as the exams are developed and the pencil hits the paper.

"I have never met a teacher who wouldn't prefer a end-of-year subject test," said Goodman. "And I think any of them would welcome a state test they think is good. The problem is they have yet to see one they like."

Science test becomes N.J. graduation requirement

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