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1.Certification Requirements

A. Grades 9-12

1. Total number of 9-12 teachers with main assignment in science: 488
2. Total number of science teachers in grades 9-12 with an Earth science assignment: 167
3. Percentage of 9-12 science teachers with an Earth science certification: 62%
4. Specific licensure requirements for secondary teachers: Major/minor required; requires a specific min number of units in the subject area taught.

B. Grades 6-8

1. Total number of teachers in grades 7-8 with a main assignment in science: 548
2. Total number of grades 7-8 science teachers in all assignments: 651
3. Percentage of middle grade science teachers certified in science: 78%
4. Specific licensure requirements for middle school teachers: Major/minor required; requires a specific min number of units in the subject area taught.

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2. Course Requirements

A. Grades 9-12

1. Number of science credits required for high school graduation: 2 Currently 2; however 3 beginning 2011
2. Required science courses: Must be chosen from two of the four science areas: Earth systems science, biology, chemistry, or physics.
3. Is an Earth science course included in the recommended high school science curriculum? Yes, recommended at grade 9.
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 At the AP level (AP Environmental science).
7. Is Environmental science part of another course required for high school graduation? Yes, it is part of the Earth systems core curriculum.
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?  Integrated. 
3. At what grade level(s) is Earth science taught? 7th-8th.

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3. K-12 Enrollment

A. Student Enrollment

Grades	K-12	K-5	6-8	9-12
Students	551,748	272,937	122,951	155,860

B. Percent of Grade 9 students enrolled in selected courses

Course	Earth science	Chemistry	Biology	Physics
Percent	95%	59%	95%	28%

C. Enrollment trends in Grade 9 Earth science

Year	Percent	Students
1996-97	34%	13,172
1997-98	30%	11,176
1999-00	38%	13,665
2003-04	95%	Not Available

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

	1999-2000	2003-2004
Course	Students (Percentage)	Students (Percentage)
Earth Science	2,090 (3%)	Not Available (Not Available)
General Science	Not Available (Not Available)	Not Available (Not Available)
Physical Science	1,393 (2%)	Not Available (Not Available)
Life Science	4,180 (6%)	Not Available (Not Available)
Integrated or Coordinated Science	60,607 (87%)	Not Available (63%)

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4. K-12 Indicators

	State	National
Average Freshman Graduation Rate	78.6%	73.2%
College Enrollment Rate	47.2%	68.6%
AP Participation Rate	27.6%	25%

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5. Science Standards

• Standards Publication: Utah K-12 Core Curriculum
• Year in which science standards were adopted: Secondary Science, which includes Earth Systems, Biology, Chemistry and Physics were adopted 2003; Elementary 3-6 were adopted 2002.
• Are state standards determined at the district level? No
• When will the state standards be revised? Beginning fall 2009

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.

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?
Utah Core Criterion-Referenced Tests (CRTs)	4, 5, 6, 7, 8	Yes
CRT: Earth Science	9	Yes
CRT: Biology	10-12	No
CRT: Chemistry	10-12	No
CRT: Physics	10-12	No

B. State High School Exit Exam

1. Name of Exam: Utah Basic Skills Competency Test
2. Type of Test: Criterion Referenced Test (CRT)
3. Does the exam have a science component? No
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? The state has a instructional materials review process. The purpose of this process is to provide for the schools of the state the best available instructional materials and to eliminate inferior or undesirable material.
• Earth science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the high school level: Varies by school, list of recommended textbooks are found on the Recommneded Instructions Materials System website
• Environmental science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the high school level: Varies by school, list of recommended textbooks are found on the Recommneded Instructions Materials System website
• Earth science textbook(s)/program(s) used in the state at the middle school level: Varies by school, list of recommended textbooks are found on the Recommneded Instructions Materials System website

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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
36	1	909	N/A	640

Students Graduating with a Bachelor's Degree

Physical Sciences	Geosciences	Life Sciences	Natural and Physical Sciences	Science and Engineering Technologies
201	66	2,502	2,769	405

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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
44	37	389	470	92

Students Graduating with a Doctorate Degree

Physical Sciences	Geosciences	Life Sciences	Natural and Physical Sciences	Science and Engineering Technologies
51	9	167	227	4

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10. State Contact Person

Velma Itamura	Educational Science Specialist
Utah Office of Education 250 East 500 South PO Box 144200-4200 Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4200	velma.itamura@schools.utah.gov 801-538-7803

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