Separate credit for science labs?

[Aloha2U]

When you give a full year credit for a science course, do you include the science lab in that credit (e.g., Biology with Lab – 1 credit) or assign a separate half-year credit to the lab (e.g., Biology – 1 credit, Biology Lab – 0.5 credit)?

Edited September 13, 2018 by NCAmusings

[Arcadia]

Full year credit for science course including labs. For Biology, Chemistry and Physics, labs are expected whether virtual and/or hands on.

What is debatable is whether AP Physics C Mechanics is a full credit or half credit. I choose to give a half credit for my oldest as he did that in a semester versus a year.

[Aloha2U]

Backing up to Physical Science, our local high school offers the option of a Physical Science course or Honors Physical Science course. The latter includes a lab and earns an additional 0.5 credit (college prep). Same with Biology—regular or honors (which is college prep, earning an additional 0.5 credit). However, their Honors Chemistry allots the additional 0.5 credit only if enrolled as a dual enrollment. Just interesting.

Edited September 13, 2018 by NCAmusings

[regentrude]

The credit includes the lab. I did not need to pad my kids' transcripts and would be wary of appearing to do so

[JenneinCA]

I gave a separate lab credit for Biology because the community college had separate classes for biology and biology lab.  I wanted to make sure it was obvious that both were taken.

[Arcadia]

3 hours ago, NCAmusings said:

Backing up to Physical Science, our local high school offers the option of a Physical Science course or Honors Physical Science course. The latter includes a lab and earns an additional 0.5 credit (college prep). 

 

My DS12 took a Honors Chemistry class at a private school in summer. For that school, it is one high school credit for Honors Chemistry with labs. Their course description does says labs are included. They do supply a transcript.

If your local high school offers Honors Physical Science as a 1.5 credit course and your child is taking or has taken the course, I would just copy the credits awarded exactly into your child’s transcript since that would match the school’s transcript for your child. 

For example, below is a course description from a local community college for physics (couldn’t find physical science in their catalog) which shows labs is already included.

“PHYS 2A :: GENERAL PHYSICS      

5 Units

Lectures, demonstrations, and problems in mechanics; properties of matter.

Prerequisite: MATH 48C or higher placement on the placement test.

Repeatability: Not Repeatable.

4 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. (84 hours total per quarter.)”

This physics course from the same community college doesn’t have lab listed even though it is also 5 units.

“INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS

5 Units

Lectures, demonstrations, and problems in mechanics, electricity and magnetism.

Prerequisite: Satisfactory score on the mathematics placement test or MATH 48C.

Repeatability: Not Repeatable.

5 hours lecture. (60 hours total per quarter.)”

[MerryAtHope]

I gave one credit and specified that the class was "with lab" on the transcript.

[Kassia]

10 hours ago, JenneinCA said:

I gave a separate lab credit for Biology because the community college had separate classes for biology and biology lab.  I wanted to make sure it was obvious that both were taken.

 

Our CC has sciences with labs listed as two courses, but the lab isn't worth any credits - only the lecture.  

 

8 hours ago, MerryAtHope said:

I gave one credit and specified that the class was "with lab" on the transcript.

 

This is what I do.  Our ps only puts the course even if the lab is a separate class (for ex:  "AP Physics" or "Physics H" but no lab is listed).  

[Lori D.]

Agreeing with Arcadia and Regentrude. Labs are included in the 1 credit of high school science, and the only time you might consider awarding an additional 0.5 credit is if taking an intensive 5 unit college Science course. (Or if the course was taken with a school that awards 1.5 credits, then list it as the school does, as Arcadia mentioned.)

[ETA: side note: That is odd about the high school adding a 0.5 *credit* for Honors; I've not heard of that before. What I do hear of frequently is *weighting* an Honors course *grade* by 0.5 *point* -- so on the transcript, if the student earned an A (4.0 grade points), for Honors, the student earns a 4.5 for the grade points. Or if earning a B (3.0 grade points) for regular class, it is 3.5 in grade points for the Honors.]

To make sure it is understood that labs were included in the credit just write the words "with labs" after the course heading on the transcript and leave it off of those credits that had no labs. Or include "lab science" in a notation, if taken as dual enrollment. Example:

SCIENCE
course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . credit . . . grade
Physical Science, with labs . . . 1.00 . . . . . x
Earth Science . . . . . . . . . . . . .  0.50 . . . . . x
Astronomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.50 . . . . . x
Biology, with labs . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 . . . . . x
CHEM130: Intro to Chem* . . . . 1.00 . . . . . x
PHYS141*: Intro to Physics* . . .1.00 . . . . . x
TOTAL Science credits/GPA . . . . . 5.00 . . . . x.xxx
* = lab science course taken as dual enrollment at XYZ Community College

 

Edited September 14, 2018 by Lori D.

[alewife]

I also list the class as physics with lab, for example.  However, at the AP level, I omit "with lab" on the transcript since in order to receive AP designation, a lab must be included in the course.  I also only award 1 credit for the course.