Advanced Placement (AP) Geology Courses
We can help our high school students get a head start in geology by establishing
an AP Geology course. GSA and over 20 of its associated societies, including AGI,
NAGT, and NESTA, have been working together to initiate the development of an
Advanced Placement Geology Course and Test. The College Board recently posted
a survey to see how many teachers are interested in an AP Geology Course and Exam.
(Michael J. Smith, Director of Education at AGI, provided us with this survey
information.)
| Original Proposal |
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A proposal to science educators
for Advanced Placement Geology Geology is a science that is both fascinating and relevant to the lives of our students. Unfortunately,
it is rarely offered at the high school level. The existence of an Advanced Placement Geology exam would encourage high schools to include geology in their curricula.
Advanced Placement courses are magnets that draw the best students around the country. Top science students enroll in AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics
classes. Colleges recognize the rigor of an AP course, and will give preferential treatment to students enrolling in AP classes. Even if a rigorous geology course
is offered in high school, the top students often avoid it because it does not carry the prestigious AP name. As a result, few college-bound students are exposed
to the science of geology, and few will consider it in college. This affects both the quality and the quantity of students enrolling in college geology courses.
Even more disturbing is the fact that our high schools are producing very few citizens who have an appreciation or an understanding of basic earth sciences
processes. At this time, there is no Advanced Placement exam for geology. The College Board is considering candidates for future AP courses, and geology is
under consideration. We need to demonstrate to the College Board that there is enough support for the course from high school teachers, from colleges, and from
professional organizations. If you would like to teach an AP Geology course, or you know someone who would, please contact me by email or any other means convenient.
If you or your institution would like to support this proposal, contact me as well. You may also join a listserve that Steve Kluge and I have created that will
keep you informed about the progress of AP Geology at AP Geology Info.
Thank-you.
Wendy Van Norden
Harvard-Westlake School
3700 Coldwater Canyon
No. Hollywood, CA, 91604 |
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