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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: major required in subject area taught.

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: N/A
3. Percentage of middle grade science teachers certified in science: N/A
4. Specific licensure requirements for middle school teachers: Major required in subject area taught.

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2. Course Requirements

A. Grades 9-12

1. Number of science credits required for high school graduation: 3.
2. Required science courses: 1 unit of Biology
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? State requirement lists the general sciences of Earth, Life, and Physical science; it is a Local School System decision as to the sciences offered under those topics.
7. Is Environmental science part of another course required for high school graduation? Could be part of another Life, Biology, and/or Earth.
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?  Local School system decision. 
3. At what grade level(s) is Earth science taught? Local School system decision.

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3. K-12 Enrollment

A. Student Enrollment

Grades	K-12	K-5	6-8	9-12
Students	817,043	362,424	187,230	267,389

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	Not Available	Not Available
1997-98	Not Available	Not Available
1999-00	Not Available	Not Available
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	Not Available (Not Available)	Not Available (Not Available)
General Science	Not Available (Not Available)	Not Available (Not Available)
Physical Science	Not Available (Not Available)	Not Available (Not Available)
Life Science	Not Available (Not Available)	Not Available (Not Available)
Integrated or Coordinated Science	Not Available (Not Available)	Not Available (Not Available)

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4. K-12 Indicators

	State	National
Average Freshman Graduation Rate	79.9%	73.2%
College Enrollment Rate	66.3%	68.6%
AP Participation Rate	37.2%	25%

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5. Science Standards

• Standards Publication: Maryland Content Standards
• Year in which science standards were adopted: 2008
• Are state standards determined at the district level? No
• When will the state standards be revised?  No definite date, usually a 5 year cycle

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.  Concepts related to the interdependence of living organisms and biological issues embedded in biology learning goals.

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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6. Testing and Assessment

A. State Science Tests

Test	Grade Levels Tested:	Earth Science Component on the Test?
Science MSA	5 and 8	Yes
Biology HSA	End of course

B. State High School Exit Exam

1. Name of Exam: Maryland High School Assessments
2. Type of Test: Selected Response and brief constructed response
3. Does the exam have a science component? Yes, biology
4. At what grade do students first take the exam? varies
5. Is passing the exam a requirement for a diploma? Yes
6. Does the exam have an Earth science component? No, the science HAS is a biology assessment.

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7. Textbook Adoptions

• Does the state select or recommend textbooks? No. 
• Earth science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the high school level: N/A
• Environmental science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the high school level:  N/A
• Earth science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the middle school level:  N/A

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8. Undergraduate Education

Students Graduating with an Associates Degree

Physical Sciences	Geosciences	Life Sciences	Natural and Physical Sciences	Science and Engineering Technologies
N/A	N/A	925	N/A	914

Students Graduating with a Bachelor's Degree

Physical Sciences	Geosciences	Life Sciences	Natural and Physical Sciences	Science and Engineering Technologies
348	51	3,609	4,008	392

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9. Graduate Education

Students Graduating with a Master's Degree

Physical Sciences	Geosciences	Life Sciences	Natural and Physical Sciences	Science and Engineering Technologies
154	18	1774	1946	100

Students Graduating with a Doctorate Degree

Physical Sciences	Geosciences	Life Sciences	Natural and Physical Sciences	Science and Engineering Technologies
84	6	415	505	2

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10. State Contact Person

Mary M. Thurlow	Coordinator of Science
Maryland Department of Education 200 West Baltimore Street Baltimore, MD  21201	mthurlow@msde.state.md.us 410-767-0329

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