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1. Certification Requirements

A. Grades 9-12

1. Total number of 9-12 teachers with main assignment in science: 1,370
2. Total number of science teachers in grades 9-12 with an Earth science assignment: 132
3. Percentage of 9-12 science teachers with an Earth science certification: 91%
4. Specific licensure requirements for secondary teachers: major or equivalent in the subject area; major/minor required.

B. Grades 6-8

1. Total number of teachers in grades 7-8 with a main assignment in science: 666
2. Total number of grades 7-8 science teachers in all assignments: 1,210
3. Percentage of middle grade science teachers certified in science: 59%
4. Specific licensure requirements for middle school teachers: major or equivalent in the subject area; major/minor required.

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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-Biology I
3. Is an Earth science course included in the recommended high school science curriculum? Not specifically, but a school may choose to offer the course for science credit.
4. Is Earth science part of another course required for high school graduation? Yes, Earth science can be part of a Physical science course.
5. If Earth science is taken, does it count towards graduation requirements?  Yes, if it is a lab science course and is at or above the rigor of Biology I.
6. Is an Environmental science course included in the recommended high school science curriculum? Not specifically, but a school may choose to offer the course for science credit.
7. Is Environmental science part of another course required for high school graduation? No, however concepts are imbedded in Biology courses .
8.  If Environmental science is taken, does it count towards graduation requirements?  Yes, if it is a lab science course and is at or above the rigor of Biology I. 

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?  Integrated. 
3. At what grade level(s) is Earth science taught? 6th-8th.

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3. K-12 Enrollment

A. Student Enrollment: 2004-2005 School Year

Grades	K-12	K-5	6-8	9-12
Students	597,673	276,605	141,267	175,199

B. Percent of Grade 9 students enrolled in selected courses

Course	Earth science	Chemistry	Biology	Physics
Percent	13%	40%	93%	9%

 C. Enrollment trends in Grade 9 Earth science

Year	Percent	Students
1996-97	4%	2,068
1997-98	4%	2,042
1999-00	7%	3,519
2003-04	13%	Not Available

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

	1999-2000	2003-2004
Course	Students (Percentage)	Students (Percentage)
Earth Science	13,123 (14%)	Not Available (10%)
General Science	5,624 (6%)	Not Available (11%)
Physical Science	1,875 (2%)	Not Available (3%)
Life Science	Not Available (Not Available)	Not Available (Not Available)
Integrated or Coordinated Science	61,866 (66%)	Not Available (66%)

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4. Science Standards

• Standards Publication: Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS)
• Year in which science standards were adopted: 2003
• Are state standards determined at the district level? No
• When will the state standards be revised?  2010-2011

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?
No. 

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?
Oklahoma Core Curriculum Test	5	Yes
Oklahoma Core Curriculum test	8	Yes
Biology I End-of-Instruction	At end of Biology I course	Yes, Environmental science

B. State High School Exit Exam

1. Name of Exam: Not exactly an exit exam. Students must pass 4 of 7 End-of-Instruction Tests in order to graduate and Biology I Assessment is one of the seven.
2. Type of Test: End-of-Instruction Biology I
3. Does the exam have a science component? Yes.
4. At what grade do students first take the exam? Whenever they complete the Biology I course.
5. Is passing the exam a requirement for a diploma? Students must pass 4 of 7 End-of-Instruction Tests in order to graduate and Biology I Assessment is one of the seven.
6. Does the exam have an Earth science component? No – it is a Biology I assessment. There are some environmental questions on this assessment.

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6. Textbook Adoptions

• Does the state select or recommend textbooks? Yes. 
• Earth science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the high school level: There is a list of approved resource titles available at the Oklahoma Textbook Committee web site, see School District Information tab.
• Environmental science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the high school level: There is a list of approved resource titles available at the Oklahoma Textbook Committee web site, see School District Information tab.
• Earth science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the middle school level:  There is a list of approved resource titles available at the Oklahoma Textbook Committee web site, see School District Information tab.

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State Contact Person

Jana Rowland	Director, Science Education
Oklahoma State Department of Education 2500 North Lincoln Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4599	jana_rowland@sde.state.ok.us 405-522-3524

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