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Content Panel Report: Biology
Pages 273-338

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From page 273...
... 273 Content Panel Report:
From page 275...
... ; the IBO; and previous NRC reports, including Fulfilling the Promise: Biology Education in the Nation's Schools (NRC, 19903; National Science Education Standards (referred to below as NSES; NRC, 1996a) and its recent addendum Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (INSES; NRC, 2000b)
From page 276...
... Chapter 2 of this report defines what constitutes advanced high school biology, briefly describes the AP and IB programs, and lists some characteristics the panel would recommend for an ideal advanced biology course at the secondary level. Chapters 3 through 5 present the panel's responses to each of the questions under its charge (see Appendix A)
From page 277...
... The first question in the panel's charge was, "To what degree do the AP and IB programs incorporate current knowledge about cognition and learning in mathematics and science in their curricula, instructions, and assessments? " We deal separately with the three aspects of this question in Chapters 3 and 4.
From page 278...
... Advanced study in biology should be demanding, not in the sense of covering all or even any particular areas of biology, but rather in requiring students to read and comprehend a college-level text and science articles at the level of, for example, Scientific American; solve problems; carry out meaningful experiments; collect, analyze, and interpret real data; write coherently about their conclusions; relate these conclusions to real-life situations and their other academic coursework; and take some responsibility for their own learning. Students should not just acquire biological knowledge, but rather exper~ence the process of biological science, including generation of hypotheses from observations, design of experiments, encounters with unexpected results, collaborative learning and laboratory work with other students and teachers, and presentation of their analyses and conclusions for critical review by their peers.
From page 279...
... The exam tests knowledge of topics taught in a small sample of college introductory biology courses (see Chapter 3) , and the AP courses are designed and taught to maximize student performance on the exam; therefore, relatively few college introductory courses drive the content and pedagogy of AP courses.
From page 280...
... , in particular its recommendation that research leaders in the scientific disciplines and in pedagogy be engaged to ensure that current reforms and best practices are reflected in AP courses (see Chapter 31. We are well aware that some highly qualified teachers are able to transcend the current prescribed AP and IB curricula, teach state-of-the-art biology, meet many of the content and pedagogical standards set forth in the National Science Education Standards (NSES)
From page 281...
... courses and to a somewhat lesser extent International Baccalaureate (IB) courses generally rely on the traditional transmission-reception mode of instruction, rather than a constructivist model in which students develop their own conceptual framework through inquirybased, problem-centered active learning, as recommended by the National Science Education Standards (NSE$)
From page 282...
... The recent report of the AP Commission (Commission on the Future of the Advanced Placement Program, 2001) recommends that the College Board change this approach to course development substantially as mentioned above, replacing the current survey-based curriculum with course outlines based on input from leaders in the biological disciplines, as well as pedagogy, "to ensure that current reforms and best practices are reflected in AP" (p.
From page 283...
... In the IB course outline, almost all the material on evolution is in the optional curricular materials. Given that evolution provides the conceptual 283
From page 284...
... TABLE 3-1 Distribution of Class Time in Major Biological Subject Areas in IB and AP Courses % of IBa Subject Area % of Apb 22 Molecules and cells 25 31 Heredity and evolution 25 35 Structure of plants and animals, ecology 50 12 Optional topics 0 SOURCES: aBased on information from International Baccalaureate Organisation ([IBO]
From page 286...
... 286 CONTENT PANEL REPORT Q ~n ~ Q _ _ C ~ Q ao ~ c~ ~e ~ — O ~ ~0 E C~ Q J C~ C~ J ~: O 4- ~ _ C~ ~ ~.m ~ ~ =, c ~ n' O —Q Q O ._ ~ Q C' _ ~ ~ ~n — 0 )
From page 287...
... The panel is pleased to note that a nonscientific survey of students taking the AP exams indicated that about 78 percent had had a full 2 years of biology, implying that they had taken a comprehensive biology course before taking the AP course. As noted in Chapter 2, the panel believes this figure should fin an ETS questionnaire administered with the 1999 AP Biology exam, 61,952/79,212 students reported that they had taken biology for 2 years or more in grades 9-12, including their current courses.
From page 288...
... . The panel finds the need for decreased breadth more compelling than the arguments against separation put forward previously by the College Board (AP Biology Teacher's Guide, 1995, p.
From page 289...
... This is the paradox that makes curriculum design difficult, particularly for biology courses. We would resolve it by urging that currently 289
From page 290...
... The IB list TABLE 3-3 Comparison of Stated Themes from AP and IB Biology Courses and the NSES AP I B NSESa Science as a process Understanding scientific inquiry Evolution Evolution Biological evolution Energy transfer Matter, energy, and organization in living systems Relationship of structure to function Structure and function Continuity and change Molecular basis of heredity Regulation Equilibrium within systemsb The cell Interdependence in nature Universality vs. diversity Interdependence of organisms Behavior of organisms Science, technology, and society Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges SOURCE: Adapted from IBO (1996)
From page 291...
... Their instructors and instructional materials, therefore, need to emphasize the themes and big ideas and distinguish them from related topical knowledge. The AP biology course description is introduced with a helpful definition of themes, concepts, and topics and how they are related in building a conceptual structure (ETS, 1999, pp.
From page 292...
... LABORATORY WORK AND VARIETY OF IEARNING EXPERIENCES Meaningful learning in biology must involve inquiry-based laboratory experiences that require students not simply to carry out a technique or learn a laboratory skill but also to pose questions, formulate hypotheses, design experiments to test those hypotheses, collaborate to make experiments work, analyze data, draw conclusions, and present their analyses and conclusions to their peers (NRC, 1996a)
From page 293...
... · Although the AP biology course outline specifies that all 12 laboratories should be carried out, there is no check on whether the laboratories are completed. Questions dealing with laboratory material comprise only a small proportion of the exam.
From page 294...
... The AP program should include a certification mechanism to ensure that teachers of AP biology are qualified and that schools have the resources to support planned laboratory investigations. Because meaningful laboratory teaching is almost impossible in a single class period, schools wishing to offer AP biology should be strongly urged to schedule at least one uninterrupted 2hour period per week for laboratory work.
From page 295...
... INTERDISCIPLINARY EMPHASIS .` There is little evidence of interdisciplinary emphasis in the AP course outline. In contrast, the entire IB program, including its biology course, rests on the importance of interdisciplinary connections in learning.
From page 296...
... The AP exam should include more free-response questions and evaluation of laboratory work, and both should test more concept knowledge. With regard to application of knowledge to other courses and situations, the AP exam is limited by a lack of interdisciplinary emphasis, while the IB assessments include such applications.
From page 297...
... However, the panel's primary recommendation is that assessment in the AP program should be extended to include formative evaluations of laboratory notebooks, presentations to peers, and other activities during the course in addition to the final high-stakes summative examination. Finally, as pointed out above, there is a great need in the AP program for assessment not only of students but also of teachers and schools that offer AP biology courses to ensure minimum standards of quality.
From page 298...
... and to a lesser extent the International Baccalaureate (IB) biology courses are taught inconsistently with current knowledge in several ways, some touched on earlier and more discussed below.
From page 299...
... 181. It continues with a variety of recommendations that are updated in Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (INSES; NRC, 2000b)
From page 300...
... The panel reiterates that no teacher should be assigned or certified as above to teach an AP biology course without having had the opportunity to participate in at least a 1-week summer workshop focused primarily on laboratory activities. TEACHER DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT More inservice teacher preparation and support are needed, and more attention should be paid to pedagogy in manuals and workshops, particu
From page 301...
... The AP workshops currently offered by the College Board are l-day or half-day meetings that focus primarily on recent developments in the AP examination and how to prepare students for the exam. Both programs need · More instruction in and discussion of inquiry-based learning and pedagogy in general in the materials prepared for teachers, following the guidelines of the NSES and INSES (see the preceding section)
From page 302...
... · Performance on AP and IB exams should no longer be used by colleges to allow automatic placement out of specific introductory courses, so that curricula of college introductory courses will no longer drive the content of the AP and IB courses and exams. The rationale for this recommendation is developed further in Chapter 6.
From page 303...
... COORDINATION BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOLS AND CO] T F1GES University-sponsored outreach programs can be a major resource for high school advanced biology programs and should be encouraged.
From page 304...
... There are a number of other ways in which universities can support advanced biology teachers or their schools. Examples are as follows: · In schools where qualified teachers or resources are not available, teaching of AP courses by local university faculty using university facilities.
From page 305...
... Finally, as emphasized elsewhere in this report, there is a need for systemic reform of biology teaching, not just at the secondary level but throughout the education system, to conform to recent knowledge about how people learn and to the NSES. Many college introductory courses suffer from the same shortcomings as those identified in this report for high school advanced study courses, such as too much emphasis on comprehensive coverage and rote memorization of facts and too little active, inquiry-based, or problem-based learning.
From page 306...
... First, collegelevel introductory courses contribute to problems with AP courses in particular because the content of those courses has been driving the AP biology curriculum. Second, inadequacies of many primary as well as secondary school courses may stem directly from the mode of instruction experienced by teachers as college students.
From page 307...
... Some top-ranked colleges do not accept either AP or IB credit or both. For a variety of reasons discussed above, some AP and IB biology courses are not of high enough quality to be appropriate for college credit.
From page 308...
... that most AP and IB biology courses are highly similar, (2) that most college and university introductory courses are highly similar, and (3)
From page 309...
... The results of this study indicated that, at a limited sample of colleges and universities, AP students with test scores of 3, 4, or 5 who bypassed their introductory college biology course performed as well (or better) in advanced college biology courses as students who had taken the introductory course.
From page 310...
... The IB program, with more emphasis on indepth study and inquiry-based laboratory work, appears to do a better job in this regard. Motivation in the AP course is primarily extrinsic, resulting from the desire to excel and the pressure of the high-stakes examination, while motivation in the IB course appears more likely to be intrinsic, resulting from intellectual involvement with the material.
From page 311...
... The College Board should certify schools and teachers that wish to present Advanced Placement (AP) biology courses and should provide suitable training opportunities for prospective AP biology teachers.
From page 312...
... 3. Colleges and universities should be strongly discouraged from using performance on either the AP or IB examination as the sole basis for automatic placement out of required introductory college courses for biology majors and distribution requirements for nonmajors.
From page 313...
... Benefits of Implementing This Recommendation .~ Several undesirable aspects of the AP and IB programs discussed in this report tend to be maintained by a complex set of historical precedents; vested interests; and interdependencies among schools, school boards, state governments, teachers, parents, students, universities, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the College Board, and the IBO.
From page 314...
... · Since the AP program does not certify teachers or schools, an AP course may be taught by an inexperienced instructor without either a degree or sufficient disciplinary knowledge in biology, and with inadequate facilities and resources for laboratory work. Advanced placement or even college credit based on such courses is not appropriate.
From page 315...
... Therefore, the panel strongly urges that: · The College Board and the IBO discourage the use of examination scores alone for granting of automatic advanced placement out of required introductory college biology courses for science majors. · The College Board and the IBO make clear that their assessments are designed to measure not eligibility for exemption from a specific biology course, but rather ability to succeed at college-level coursework and laboratory work in biology.
From page 316...
... 7. The College Board should seriously consider offering two different AP biology courses, one emphasizing molecular, cellular, and developmental (MCD)
From page 317...
... The need for reform is systemic. Like the AP and IB programs, colleges and universities should revise or improve introductory biology courses as necessary to bring them into line with the recommendations made in this report for high school advanced study courses.
From page 318...
... with active learning of science content have great potential to improve the process of education in biology as well as other sciences. The panel believes that with the above resources to back up the current efforts of reformers, it should be possible to bring about systemic changes in the way biology is taught at all levels and, in the process, to improve the effectiveness of AP and IB biology courses in the ways recommended herein.
From page 319...
... New York: The College Board. Educational Testing Service.
From page 320...
... . Inquiry and the national science education standards: A guide for teaching and learning.
From page 321...
... Below is a list of questions that the content panels will use to examine the curriculum, laboratory experiences, and student assessments for their specific subject areas. The content panels will use these questions to issue a report to the committee about the effectiveness of the AP and IB programs for educating able high school students in their respective disciplines.
From page 322...
... ? To what degree are the AP and IB curricula and related laboratory experiences organized around these identified key concepts?
From page 323...
... IV. EMPEIASES The NRC's National Science Education Standards and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Standards 2000 propose that the emphases of science and mathematics education should change in particular ways (see supplemental materials)
From page 324...
... Dr. Bloodgood also has taken a specific interest in precollege education, as indicated by his service as a Charlottesville City School Board member and a member of the Science Education Task Force, a group of University of Virginia faculty that evaluated the science education programs in the Charlottesville Public Schools.
From page 325...
... For example, she is a leader in the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) and the Science Teachers Association of New York State and has participated in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute undergraduate grant directors meetings and in the National Research Council (NRC)
From page 326...
... He has taught high school biology and other sciences in an urban setting for 10 years, college biology/botany for 10 years, and research-university, graduate-level, science education courses (mainly biology education courses) for 13 years.
From page 327...
... program has a detailed course outline and prescription for the depth of teaching. While the Advanced PLacment (AP)
From page 328...
... (Again, nothing is included about the most important class- receptors for cell signalingexcept in the oblique reference to hormone binding sites.) · AP requires that students be able to detail how the structural organization of membranes provides for transport and recognition and the mechanisms by which substances cross membranes.
From page 329...
... BIOLOGY ,lK ~ Distilled water Dialysis-tubing bag with 3% starch and 3% glucose 114. From the initial conditions and results described, which of the following is a logical conclusion?
From page 330...
... B Identify where most active transport occurs and identify one specific location where active transport occurs in plants.
From page 331...
... The analysis consists of four questions: #1 is a cell count; #2 is a comparison; #3 leads students through a calculation of the transformation efficiency; and #4 is open ended and asks students to discuss factors influencing transformation efficiency. Lab 6b is called "Restriction Enzyme Cleavage of DNA and Electrophoresis." Students are told to conduct
From page 332...
... The IB program requires that 25 percent of the teaching hours "be spent following an internally assessed scheme of practical/investigative work, related to all aspects of the program including the options." The subject and design of the labs are at the teacher's discretion. These are used to create a portfolio and must be written using a specified format.
From page 333...
... IB teachers are required to submit a description ("practical scheme of work") of laboratory work done in their class to an external examiner.
From page 334...
... nih . gov/Entrez Instructional Materials in Science Education: h t t p : / / w w w .
From page 335...
... nih. gov National Sciences Teachers Association: http://www.nsta.org National Science Education Standards: h t t p : / / w w w .
From page 336...
... 86-871: · A consensus needs to be reached as to what the AP biology course should be. The present policy of modeling the AP course after a composite view of college courses is missing opportunities for generating a unique high-school experience, providing a more realistic introduction to experimentation, and providing better college preparation.
From page 337...
... The College Board should be asked to study fully its own record of success, follow up on the college placement of students, and assess compliance of high schools with its recommendations for prerequisites. · Whatever their form, AP or other advanced biology courses should not be taken instead of chemistry, physics, or mathematics.
From page 338...
... Colleges and high schools should both recognize the value of a second course in experimental science taken at the end of high school. Such a course need not be sponsored by the College Board or be designated "advanced placement."


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