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1. Certification Requirements

A. Grades 9-12

1. Total number of 9-12 teachers with main assignment in science:  N/A
2. Total number of science teachers in grades 9-12 with an Earth science assignment:   N/A
3. Percentage of 9-12 science teachers with an Earth science certification:  N/A.
4. Specific licensure requirements for secondary teachers: State knowledge/ability standards.

B. Grades 6-8

1. Total number of teachers in grades 7-8 with a main assignment in science: N/A.
2. Total number of grades 7-8 science teachers in all assignments:
3. Percentage of middle grade science teachers certified in science: N/A
4. Specific licensure requirements for middle school teachers: State knowledge/ability standards.

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2. Course Requirements

A. Grades 9-12

1. Number of science credits required for high school graduation: 4.
2. Required science courses: 1 credit of biology and 1 credit of a physical science
3. Is an Earth science course included in the recommended high school science curriculum? Yes.
4. Is Earth science part of another course required for high school graduation? No.
5. If Earth science is taken, does it count towards graduation requirements?  Yes.
6. Is an Environmental science course included in the recommended high school science curriculum? Yes
7. Is Environmental science part of another course required for high school graduation? No
8.  If Environmental science is taken, does it count towards graduation requirements?   Yes. 

B. Grades 6-8

1. Is Earth Science part of the middle school science curriculum (grades 6-8)?  Yes.
2. Is it taught as a full year curriculum or an integrated curriculum?  Full Year 
3. At what grade level(s) is Earth science taught? 6th-8th.

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3. K-12 Enrollment

A. Student Enrollment

Grades	K-12	K-5	6-8	9-12
Students	1,496,387	435,209	346,133	435,209

 
B. Percent of Grade 9 students enrolled in selected courses

Course	Earth science	Chemistry	Biology	Physics
Percent	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available

C. Enrollment trends in Grade 9 Earth science

Year	Percent	Students
1996-97	2%	1,284
1997-98	3%	1,911
1999-00	9%	5,504
2003-04	Not Available	Not Available

D. Students in grades 7-8 enrolled in selected science courses

	1999-2000	2003-2004
Course	Students (Percentage)	Students (Percentage)
Earth Science	2,303 (2%)	Not Available (Not Available)
General Science	Not Available (Not Available)	Not Available (Not Available)
Physical Science	1,152 (1%)	Not Available (Not Available)
Life Science	Not Available (Not Available)	Not Available (Not Available)
Integrated or Coordinated Science	94,439 (82%)	Not Available (Not Available)

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4. Science Standards

• Standards Publication: Alabama Courses of Study: Science
• Year in which science standards were adopted: 2005
• Are state standards determined at the district level? Not Available
• When will the state standards be revised?  Not Available.

The National Science Education Standards outline the concepts and principles that students should understand about Earth and space science. At the middle school level, the standards are divided into three areas: Structure of the Earth System, Earth’s History, and Earth in the Solar System. At the high school level, the standards are divided into four areas: Energy in the Earth System, Geochemical Cycles, Origin and Evolution of the Earth System, and Origin and Evolution of the Universe. For the AGI Report, the Earth science standards for each state were reviewed to determine whether they incorporate the concepts and principles outlined in the National Science Education Standards.

A. Do the state standards for grades 9-12 contain principles and concepts related to:

Energy in the Earth system? Yes	Origin and evolution of the Earth system? Yes
Geochemical cycles? Yes	Origin and evolution of the universe? Yes

B. Do the state standards for grades 9-12 include environmental science concepts?
Yes.  Emphasis within standards for matter, energy and organization in living systems, biological evolution, interdependence of organisms.

C. Do the state standards for grades 5-8 contain principles and concepts related to:

Structure of the Earth system? Yes	Earth in the Solar System? Yes
Earth’s history? Yes

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5. Testing and Assessment

A. State Science Tests

Test	Grade Levels Tested:	Earth Science Component on the Test?
Yes: Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE)	10 and 11	No
Yes: Stanford 10 and the companion Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, Eighth Edition (OLSAT 8)	3, 4, 5 ,6, 7, 8,	life science, physical science, earth/space sciences, and the nature of science in Grades 5 and 7.

B. State High School Exit Exam

1. Name of Exam: Alabama High School Graduation Exam
2. Type of Test: Standards based
3. Does the exam have a science component? Yes.
4. At what grade do students first take the exam? 10
5. Is passing the exam a requirement for a diploma? Yes.
6. Does the exam have an Earth science component? No

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6. Textbook Adoptions

• Does the state select or recommend textbooks? Selects and Recommends. 
• Earth science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the high school level: Glencoe Physical Science, Student Edition; Glencoe Earth Science: Geology, the Environment and the Universe, Student Edition; Earth Science Student Edition- publisher: Globe-Fearon; Holt Science Spectrum; Modern Earth Science- publisher: HRW; Earth Science Student Edition W/ CD-ROM, HS binding-publisher: Prentice Hall; Earth Science Student Edition W/ CD-ROM, HS binding-publisher: Prentice Hall; Physical Geology Exploring the Earth with Earth Systems Today CD-ROM,  4/E -publisher:  Wadsworth
• Environmental science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the high school level: Holt Environmental Science; Environmental Science Student Edition- publisher Prentice Hall; Environmental Science  Student Edition-publisher: prentice Hall; Glencoe Exploring Environmental Problems Laboratory Manual, Student Edition; Environmental Science Student Edition, HS binding- publisher: Prentice Hall Environmental Science: Working with the Earth, 8/E-publisher:  Wadsworth
• Earth science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the middle school level:  Holt Life Science; Holt Earth Science; Holt Physical Science; Holt (F) Inside the Restless Earth; Holt   (G) Holt Earth's Changing Surface; Holt   (H) Water on Earth; Holt (I) Weather and Climate; Inside the Earth Student Edition-Publisher: Prentice Hall; Earth's Changing Surface  Student Edition-Publisher: Prentice Hall; Earth's Waters-Publisher: Prentice Hall; Science Explorer Earth Science-Publisher: Prentice Hall

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State Contact Person

Ginger Montgomery	State Science Specialist
State Science Specialist Alabama State Department of Education PO Box 302101 Montgomery, AL 36130-2101	gmontgomery@alsde.edu 334-242-8176

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