Question about physical science in 8th grade - California

[Lugrita]

My rising 9th grader just completed Apologia Physical Science, and will begin Apologia Biology in 9th grade. We are in CA, and a good friend just told me that she's heard that physical science taken in 8th grade will not count toward high school graduation requirements, even if we are using a high school text. This is what she was told by a friend of ours who is working through a public charter school. But I don't know how true that is...the charter that our friend is using is notorious for giving out totally-untrue information (even if they don't do so on purpose) so I'm taking it with a grain of salt. Looking online, I'm seeing a lot of public schools in CA that do physical science in 8th grade. So does physical science completed in 8th grade count toward the high school requirement? We're homeschooling independently - can physical science that was completed in 8th grade go in my son's high school transcript, and if so, how do I go about doing that (he's my first high schooler and I'm really green).

 

We are still planning on 3 more years of science, but I don't want to make my son repeat what he's already done.

 

The graduation/UC/CSU requirements are exactly the same today as they were 25 years ago when I started 9th grade - I took Algebra 1 in 8th grade, and then did the honors physical science/honors bio/honors chem/AP bio sequence for high school. My Algebra 1 credit transferred seamlessly from my private jr. high to my public high school, but I have no clue what happens with science credits. Those of you in who follow the Apologia sequence and live in CA - how does that work on your kids' transcripts?

[LunaLee]

I don't believe physical science taken in 8th grade counts as high school credit because it's part of the typical scope and sequence of middle school science. Generally, it's 6th-Earth, 7th-Life, 8th Physical. I'm not sure when it became popular to doPhysical Science in 9th grade (it wasn't the case when I was in school) and count it towards high school credit, but I've seen that or Earth science taken again in 9th and counting it as a physical science more frequently. If he's already done Physical science in 8th grade I'm not sure why you would want to add it to his high school transcript. If you are looking at the UC/CSU requirements, they generally recommend something like 9th-Biology, 10th-Chem,11th Physics, and probably some kind of AP for 121th.

 

We home school through a charter in CA and I work with several others, so my information is based on dealing with them. Maybe somebody else who homeschools independently here will chime in.

[Lugrita]

Thank you. It seems that chemistry and/or physics should count toward the physical science requirement for graduation in CA, and he will take one or both of those. He doesn't need regular physical science to fulfill UC/CSU requirements and I'm not worried about those (he will meet and exceed those requirements easily), but my question is regarding the CA guidelines state that students need physical science in order to graduate from high school in this state. Since he took that in 8th grade, I am hoping that chemistry or physics will count toward that requirement, or that they will take the physical science that he just completed (since I could have used that as a 9th grade text, and I chose to use it in 8th grade instead). It's late and I'm tired, so I'm not sure if I'm making much sense. :p

 

I'm not sure when they started doing physical science in 9th grade, but I know that it started over 25 years ago...it was a well-established path by the time I started 9th grade. When I was in high school, the honors kids took physical science in 9th, and the non-honors kids did general science in 9th grade (which fulfilled the physical science requirement).

[LunaLee]

Chemistry and or Physics meet that physical science requirement. My rising 9th grader is not taking Physical science in high school at all. He is taking Chem at minimum and maybe Physics, but he doesn't need Physical science to graduate, just a physical science which the Chem satisfies.

 

Sorry, if I'm confusing you. :001_rolleyes:

[dereksurfs]

Interesting question. I'm looking at this too, but more in relation to Biology if taken in middle school. For Physical Science I definitely agree that Physics or Chemistry is the way to go for high school. That's what I took way back in the stone ages in CA.

[8filltheheart]

my question is regarding the CA guidelines state that students need physical science in order to graduate from high school in this state. Since he took that in 8th grade, I am hoping that chemistry or physics will count toward that requirement, or that they will take the physical science that he just completed (since I could have used that as a 9th grade text, and I chose to use it in 8th grade instead).

 

Don't confuse **a** physical science requirement (meaning a non-biological science like chemistry or physics) with requiring an actual course entitled physical science. No uni or state that I am aware of requires the latter while almost all require the former. The latter is definitely a lower level course, introductory level, to the former.

[dangermom]

8FilltheHeart is correct. "Physical Science" is a sort of survey course, with a bit of physics, a bit of chemistry, and a bit of astronomy in one year. It's an introduction and not advanced enough to qualify as *a* physical science course that counts for entrance into a UC.

[Erin]

Just echoing the last two: I believe the general "Physical Science" class that many kids take in 9th won't count for college requirements, anyway. They usually require, at minimum, Biology w/lab and a physical science (meaning Chem or Physics).

[Crimson Wife]

Some high schools do offer a general physical science course that counts towards graduation but not the UC/CSU requirements. My kids' zoned high school requires 1 year of biology and 1 year of a physical science to graduate. A student needs chemistry or physics or physical science to graduate, but only the first two meet the UC/CSU requirements.

[Lugrita]

Thank you all for the replies. I've thought nothing of it, because I've had the UC requirements memorized since I myself was fulfilling them, and I've known without a doubt that my son's science plan would include chemistry...plain ol' introductory physical science was a non-issue. But the info that our friend received from this particular charter school was that the introductory physical science class *was* an issue...and I had a tough time believing that because it doesn't make sense, and because this particular charter system is notorious for bungling things and giving out false information. I thought it would be best to double-check with people who are more knowledgeable (which is why I came here). :)

 

Some high schools do offer a general physical science course that counts towards graduation but not the UC/CSU requirements. My kids' zoned high school requires 1 year of biology and 1 year of a physical science to graduate. A student needs chemistry or physics or physical science to graduate, but only the first two meet the UC/CSU requirements.

 

 

Yes, that is exactly what is stated in the CA graduation requirements, but I think that the IST for my friend's charter school is misinformed and is taking things too literally, and not realizing that chemistry and/or physics will fulfill that physical science graduation requirement. If you look at the graduation requirements for the state of CA, it words it as "physical sciences", which should be easy to interpret, but I'm positive that is where things are getting bungled at my friend's charter school...the IST or the powers that be can't figure out that other physical sciences fulfill that requirement. O.o