Science and Engineering

School Wide Learning Expectation
A CRLS student applies a variety of technologies to build and convey understanding.

Science courses are designed to produce an organized sequence of experiences to help students to develop the ability:

  • to distinguish between scientific evidence and personal opinion by inquiry and questioning;
  • to recognize the role of observation and experimentation;
  • to understand scientific theories;
  • to gather information through laboratory, field trips and library work;
  • to understand, in some depth, the unifying themes of life and physical sciences.

Physics is the first course in a coherent order of science courses, taught conceptually and using the math of 8th and 9th grades; chemistry is the second course, building on the knowledge of atomic structure to study the structures and properties of matter, and chemical reactions. Modern molecular-based biology is the third course in this hierarchy of science courses. In this sequence, physics concepts and topics underlie chemistry, and physics and chemistry support modern biology.

CRLS requires successful completion of three specific science courses for graduation: S101 Physics First, S201/S202 Chemistry, and S301/S302 Biology. If a student fails physics, chemistry or biology, he/she must repeat the course until successfully completed. A student may enroll in a required science course and an upper level science course at the same time with permission of instructors. S400 level courses are advanced science courses that assume students have solid foundations in physics, chemistry and biology. The course expectations reflect this advanced content.

Beginning with the class of 2010, all Massachusetts students must pass a Science MCAS exam in order to graduate from high school.

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