Historically, the science department has had all high school students complete the same track. In years past, all incoming freshmen have registered for 9th Grade Biology. Once they complete this course, rising sophomores have signed up for Chemistry or Chemistry +. In the final year of tracked science, rising juniors have registered for Physics, Physics +, or Advanced Physics, and then rising seniors for electives of their choosing.

The new plan is for rising 9th Grade students to be tracked into either Biology or Advanced Biology, rising 10th Grade students into Chemistry or Advanced Chemistry, and rising 11th Grade students into Physics or Advanced Physics (a class containing the current Physics + curriculum, with a few additions).

At least one Advanced Topics class will be offered senior year for each of these sciences. The class currently entitled Advanced Physics, renamed Advanced Topics in Physics, and will be offered as a senior year course. Students who desire to take Physics with calculus (Advanced Physics) may opt to take science electives junior year, and take this class their senior year, instead.

Next year, there will be significant changes in the math department, as well as the addition of Director of Studies Sven Carlsson.

“I know that a lot of people in Advanced Physics right now are really struggling, and the grades are dramatically curved,” sophomore Jenna Mansueto said. “So the grades we get are not at all an accurate representation of how we are doing. There are definitely a lot of problems with the current class, so if it were kept, I definitely think it needs to be worked on. I don’t know if this is the solution I would have picked, but maybe it can make a difference.”

Two years ago, the current sophomores took a science comprehension test at the end of their 8th Grade year. Those who scored above a 89% on the test were eligible to start Upper School science with Chemistry +. This group of students would then take Advanced Biology as juniors. This system put them a year ahead of the rest of their classmates but still ensured they end up taking all required classes.

“I know there were some concerns about us taking physics because we may not have sufficient math skills,” Mansueto, who is currently in Advanced Physics, said.  “But overall I think it’s been fine.”  

Other sophomores in Advanced Physics disagree. “I think that people who took Biology are for sure more organized,” sophomore Zuri Mabrey-Wakefield said. “They took a lot of Cornell notes in that class, which I think definitely helped in the long run.” Cornell notes are an organized form of notetaking used in biology.  

Although students currently on the advanced track will continue on, no 9th Grade students will have the opportunity to enter Chemistry + in the coming school year. Some of the current 8th Graders, who will be the first class in two years not to have this opportunity, are disappointed.

“I know at least 12 people that would most definitely want to take this course,” eighth grader Cal Hargis said. “A lot of people in our grade are really oriented toward science, and were looking forward to this opportunity. I think it will for sure affect those of us who want to go into science professionally.”

The math department is also adjusting its program, by having 9th grade students start Upper School math with Algebra 2, instead of Geometry, as in past years. Because of these changes and the fact that trigonometry is necessary for physics, the current pilot program is faulted, as students will not have learned trigonometry by sophomore year, according to Upper School science teacher and department Co-Chair Elizabeth Druger.

However, as an alternative to the current pilot program, science will begin tracking in 9th Grade. Therefore, students who may have considered this track will have the opportunity to be adequately challenged, while being able to take the same science topic as the rest of their grade, according to sophomore Audrey Shadle.

These changes to the tracking program were spurred by a request from the administration for departments to look at their current curricula. “All of the changes were made with the students in mind,” Druger said. “We wanted to find a way to improve the student experience, and make sure to offer all students challenge and choice. In the end, this is really not a massive change to our current curriculum.”

One of the reasons the switch doesn’t create huge changes to the current curriculum is the fact that a lot of the class names are just being changed, not the curriculums. “We did this in an effort to equate our classes with those in the math department, as well as those outside of Parker,” Druger said. “Currently, an Advanced Physics class here is not the same level as Advanced Geometry, or an Advanced Physics class at another school.”

Some students, specifically those currently enrolled in Chemistry + and Advanced Physics, are unhappy about the changes. “To me, it’s very frustrating,” freshman Matthew Turk said.  “I wish that there wasn’t always so much change in the math and science department. It makes it really hard to anticipate what I’ll be learning in the future. Hardworking students should have this opportunity to skip a class if they can do it!”

Charlie Moog, a sophomore in Physics, sees a beneficial future for the changes. “I would suggest that we keep the three levels of physics,” Moog said. “My recommendation would be that there’s a non-negotiable placement where students who were not recommended for the course cannot move up. In my mind, that’s the solution. But I do think that the addition of Advanced Topics in Physics is a great idea. It gives students particularly interested in the subject a chance to delve deeper, and that way students can take physics with calculus.”

At the end of the 2015-16 school year, the science department spent a full day discussing these changes. “We had a professional development day,” 7th Grade science teacher and department co-chair Kara Schupp said. “Meaning that we had subs teaching all of our classes for a day, and we met in the building across the street. We spent the whole day and several meetings afterwards deciding — as a department, and then with the collaboration of administration — what would be best for the students.”

Some students who were initially displeased about the change are beginning to warm up to them. “This idea might actually be better than what we have now,” sophomore Audrey Shadle said. “It’s a good idea to have everyone in your grade taking the same science topic. I think it’ll just make everything less complicated and still give people a good opportunity to get a challenge out of science.”