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1. Certification Requirements

A. Grades 9-12

1. Total number of 9-12 teachers with main assignment in science: 2,365
2. Total number of science teachers in grades 9-12 with an Earth science assignment: 120
3. Percentage of 9-12 science teachers with an Earth science certification: 79%
4. Specific licensure requirements for secondary teachers: State licensure standards in major.

B. Grades 6-8

1. Total number of teachers in grades 7-8 with a main assignment in science: 1,384
2. Total number of grades 7-8 science teachers in all assignments: 1,392
3. Percentage of middle grade science teachers certified in science:86%
4. Specific licensure requirements for middle school teachers: State licensure standards in major.  

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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: Biology, Chemistry or Physics and an additional laboratory science course
3. Is an Earth science course included in the recommended high school science curriculum? No.
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? No
7. Is Environmental science part of another course required for high school graduation? Yes.
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?  Both.  Mainly integrated.
3. At what grade level(s) is Earth science taught? 6th and 7th.

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3. K-12 Enrollment

A. Student Enrollment

Grades	K-12	K-5	6-8	9-12
Students	932,959	428,602	219,643	270,211

B. Percent of Grade 9 students enrolled in selected courses

Course	Earth science	Chemistry	Biology	Physics
Percent	5%	62%	95%	11%

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	7%	5,229
2003-04	5%	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	121,186 (90%)	Not Available (97%)
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	70.6%	73.2%
College Enrollment Rate	64.2%	68.6%
AP Participation Rate	16.5%	25%

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5. Science Standards

• Standards Publication: Curriculum Standards for Subjects/Content With State Tests
• Year in which science standards were adopted: 2008
• Are state standards determined at the district level? Districts adopt the state standards.
• When will the state standards be revised?  No schedule for revision.

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 includes ecological Principles, Human Population Dynamics, Natural Resources, Energy, Human Interaction with the Environment, Personal and Civic responsibility.

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?
3-8 Achievement Test	3-8	Yes

B. State High School Exit Exam

1. Name of Exam: Gateway Examinations
2. Type of Test: Standards based
3. Does the exam have a science component? Yes. Biology
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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7. Textbook Adoptions

• Does the state select or recommend textbooks? Select. State creates recommended list and then districts choose books.
• Earth science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the high school level: Earth Science; Concepts and Challenges in Earth Science; Glencoe Earth Science: Geology; It's About Time: EarthComm; Holt: Modern Earth Science; McDougal: Earth Science; Prentice Hall: Earth Science Tarbuck.
• Environmental science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the high school level: Glencoe:  Environmental Science: A Study of Interrelationships, 2002; Prentice Hall Environmental Science; Thom: Living in the Environment: Principles
• Earth science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the middle school level:  Delta: MSCI; Glencoe Science; Glencoe Science Flexible 15 book series; Holt Science and Technology; It's About Time: Investigating Earth Systems; Prentice Hall Science Explorer; Prentice Hall Science Explorer Series.

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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
1	N/A	1,382	N/A	1,297

Students Graduating with a Bachelor's Degree

Physical Sciences	Geosciences	Life Sciences	Natural and Physical Sciences	Science and Engineering Technologies
346	55	3,581	3,982	395

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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
66	23	1,028	1,117	88

Students Graduating with a Doctorate Degree

Physical Sciences	Geosciences	Life Sciences	Natural and Physical Sciences	Science and Engineering Technologies
66	8	337	411	N/A

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10. State Contact Person

Linda Jordan	K-12 Science Coordator
Tennessee Department of Education 5th Floor A J Tower 710 James Robertson Pky Nashville, TN 37243-0379	Linda.K.Jordan@state.tn.us 615-532-6285

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