Science and technology are part of our everyday lives. We need a population which is literate in science and can help fulfill our many future needs. It is the goal of the Notre Dame Science Department to teach literacy in science and equip young women with the tools they will need to be successful in the careers of their choice. In preparing our students for the 21st century, we focus on a great many subject areas in our science classes.
The Notre Dame Science Department is actively developing biotechnology programs to be integrated throughout the three-year science requirement. It is our goal that freshmen will learn the basics in Integrated Science and move on to higher-level lab experiences in Biology and AP Biology. Aspects of biotechnology will also be integrated into Chemistry. Biotechnology is a rapidly developing field with applications in all areas of science. We feel it is imperative to provide learning opportunities that will support career development and enable students to make sound personal choices in the future.
Students begin their studies of science in our Conceptual Physics course. This course is a UC/CSU Lab approved Physical Science course. Conceptual Physics offers the natural progression from 8th grade Physical Science and is aligned with the majority of 9th graders math skills and cognitive development. Advanced Incoming freshman are offered placement in Biology or Honors Biology, which is our second year course. This placement is determined through a combination of high school placement test scores, the science placement test, interest level in science, and teacher recommendation. Students who do extremely well in the general class may join the honors program the following year. A student originally placed in the honors program may at some point choose to go into a general class to make room in her schedule for an honors or AP course in a different subject.
The Notre Dame graduation requirement is three years of science. Many students choose a fourth year or take more than one science course in a year because specific courses may be required or recommended by colleges depending on the student’s focus.
Most of the science courses have a companion honors course. Placement within the honors course is done by the Science Department. A minimum grade in science and math is required to continue in the program.
The purpose of the program is to provide students with a greater challenge, cover concepts in greater depth, and move at a pace that extends the curriculum. To be successful, the students should be able to understand material on the first presentation, learn new concepts on their own, and extrapolate information to solve diverse problems.
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Download 2011-2012 Course Catalog
* This course is a UC/CSU elective
All students have a three-year Science requirement