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<p>Too likely to identify her/me, but defintely not STEM or Business.</p>
<p>"It took until the first kid graduated that I realized how ridiculous that line that the GCs gave us was. I kept not seeing the “distinguished” box checked on my first kid’s transcript. When I finally asked, the GC said the ony time “Distinguished” is placed on the transcript is after graduation…as in, after they’ve finished the application process. Plus, for Texas state school admissions, it’s based on class rank. Plus, do you think a great school is not going to admit a kid with all the math and science APs possible and a near perfect SAT if he hasn’t taken that third year of Spanish? It’s just something the GCs tell us all - basically starting in 6th or 7th grade - to make everyone as lockstep as possible.</p>
<p>Not that I have any strong opinions on the subject… "</p>
<p>LOLROF! You’re obviously not any more opinionated on this subject than I am on many others. 
Once a kid was registered for all the required classes at our school, a note appeared on the bottom of the transcript “Distinguished track” D2 had it by beginning of her senior year, D3 had it on her mid-year transcript - but her track was OBVIOUSLY distinguished prior to that. Plus, her college app required her to note all planned courses to graduation.</p>
<p>Briefly, the point of science classes is to learn how to reason abstractly. Abstract reasoning is helpful in humanities or life in general. Sometimes in humanities, people can do well by using a lot of jargon, parroting arguments, or by having a large vocabulary. This is not to say humanities doesn’t allow one to practice reasoning skills, but it doesn’t always absolutely require it (depending on the instructor.) In science, it is required.</p>
<p>Missypie, I do agree with you in principle though. D2 had 4 years credit in mathematics because of having taken Algebra in 8th grade. The HS was pushing her to complete another year of math, which for her would have been Calculus.</p>
<p>SHE DIDN’T NEED CALCULUS FOR HER COLLEGE CAREER OR HER LIFE!!!</p>
<p>I pushed the point, “Will she still graduate distinguished if she doesn’t take calculus?”</p>
<p>They finally admitted she would. I didn’t make her take math her senior year. She took “Math for Society” her first semester in college. DONE WITH MATH.</p>
<p>The question, though, is not, “Should science be required?” It’s, “How much science should be required.” Sounds like Missypie’s kid hasn’t been shirking on the science.</p>
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<p>WOULD that someone would have clued in my myriad science teachers!</p>
<p>It would also help if I knew what science classes will already be taken by senior year, and what science classes are possibilities for the 4th year.</p>
<p>For example, taking physics will exercise (or at least emphasize) different thinking than other science disciplines. So if that is the class that is remaining, there are good reasons to argue for taking it.</p>
<p>More generally, one argument for taking 4 years of science is so that people don’t find the blowoff classes and just take those. If you take a class all four years, you are at more likely to have to take at least one class that forces you to think.</p>
<p>I was going to say the same thing as missypie about abstract reasoning :). I don’t think any of my HS science teachers really made us reason abstractly. At the HS level, it is entirely possible for science to consist almost entirely of memorization with no abstract reasoning–whether or not you reason abstractly depends on the teacher just as much as it does in other subjects.</p>
<p>My kids’ HS makes them take the 4 years of each core subject. Also, they have to take 4 core classes every single year. Doesn’t matter if they enter HS with credits already (and many do) or accelerate in summer school. I think there’s something to be said for that. Even for a kid who has a clear area of interest/strength, I think high school is a time for getting a broad based education in all subjects and exploring all of them as much as you can.</p>
<p>Why do you have to make the case for it?</p>
<p>It’s required for graduation. She has to do it. You don’t need to convince her.</p>
<p>Now, if there was something you wanted her to take, but it was not required for graduation, then you would have to turn on all your persuasive powers. </p>
<p>But this isn’t that situation.</p>
<p>She has taken earth science, biology, chemistry and physics and there is concern about Missy’s daughter being scientifically illiterate? Seems to me that she has her bases covered quite nicely. Probably most kids in NYC don’t go that far. It seems a shame that a young woman who has such a strong base in science couldn’t explore something of genuine interest.</p>
<p>Marian, I think missy just wanted people to help her feel good about a requirement that seems a little unnecessary in her daughter’s case.</p>
<p>Back in the olden days of the early seventies, college prep curriculum meant 4 years of English, 4 years of math, 4 years of science, 4 years of language and 4 years of ‘history’ plus some “art” or “band” or choir etc. I still think that’s a pretty good yardstick. Lots of fluffy classes these days that are fun, if the kids can pile them on top of the 4 year rule of thumb. These days kids often start the math and language prior to high school but if you follow the progression the kids get the foundation. The language I think can slide abit as the world is global and the language of business is English but after that I can’t disagree with the 4 math/4 science/4 English/4 history.</p>
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<p>I think each school year should include 5 serious subjects, but I don’t see why it’s necessary to have a strict four-years-of-everything rule. One of my kids took three social studies courses simultaneously one year. The other one took three computer science courses simultaneously. The sky didn’t fall in on either of them.</p>
<p>I think if a person takes math through calculus or science through physics, that can be considered enough depending on what else is taken and when. My one daughter’s val was able to count regents classes taken in eighth grade and as a result was able to arrange to take four years of three languages, she did have physics and calculus, as well as history and English, but she didn’t do four years of math and science in the high school. She is looking at grad schools in linguistics.</p>
<p>missypie, S2 really liked AP Environmental. It used a lot of the bio he already had, plus meteorology, geography, psychology, chem, some basic statistics, etc. It was a very multidisciplinary class (and not that difficult).</p>
<p>If it had been offered when I was in HS, I would have taken it (and in fact, I took the equivalent in college as my science sequence).</p>
<p>4 years is too much for a requirement. 3 years is fine.</p>
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<p>It’s interesting and it’s easy (by AP standards). What’s not to like?</p>
<p>It’s interesting and easy is right. Seriously it’s a really good option. Highly recommended</p>
<p>Not I. If they get that Holy Trinity of Sciences, that’s it, as far as I am concerned. Replace that science with something of interest senior year is the way I look at it. None of the schools that I 've been associated with have ever required 4 years of science for graduation. 4 years of math, 4 years of English and around here 3 years of foreign language, 3 years of social studies/science, 3 year of scienc are what are required in a college prep curriculum. I look at that space in the schedule for a student to do that extra that interests him/her the most in depth or to reach out in breadth. There is so little breathing room with those requirements for college bound kids as iit is.</p>
<p>Instead of “four years of …”, for some subjects it would make more sense to consider the courses taken or the level achieved. For example:</p>
<p>Math: precalculus/trigonometry minimum; calculus desirable if available to the student who intends a major with calculus in college; statistics desirable if available to a student who intends a non-calculus major in college</p>
<p>Science: all three of biology, chemistry, and physics; additional or more advanced science may be desirable depending on the offerings and the student’s intended major in college</p>
<p>Foreign language: consider highest level completed instead of years taken</p>