Meteorology and oceanography topics in the New York State science curriculum

New York State public schools provide one of the most comprehensive Earth Science education offerings in the world. The proposed poster describes inclusion of weather and ocean-related topics in the curricula offered to millions of NYS students in grades K – 4, 5 – 8, and 9 – 12.

A rigorous “Regents Exam” in Earth Science has been offered to NYS high school students since the 1950s, and to accelerated 8th graders since the 1980s. More than 150,000 take these exams each year. Courses developed locally to prepare students for the test utilize the Physical Setting/Earth Science Core Curriculum. Similar Resource Guides with Core Curricula inform course development at the elementary (grades K – 4) and intermediate (grades 5 – 8) levels, and also lead to state-developed assessments mandated for all public school pupils. These are available at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/pub/pubsci.html .

The New York City Department of Education operates the largest public school system in the United States, and has undertaken extensive improvements in its science education offerings. Within the past year, the Department has developed “Scope and Sequence” documents to guide curriculum at the high school (http://www.r9training.com/r9train/Docs/science/Scope%20and%20Sequence%20High%20School.pdf) and middle school (http://www.earth2class.org/standards/NYC%206%20-%208%20s%20&%20s.php) levels. Weather and ocean topics form important portions of these. Similar improvements are underway for New York City elementary school students.

One of the most extensive list-server networks to support geoscience educators has developed at the State University of New York at Oneonta (http://external.oneonta.edu/mentor/Default.htm). During the academic year, more than 1,000 teachers in NYS and elsewhere exchange information, suggestions, and comments that provide an effective communication system for classroom educators.

Weather and ocean concepts have also been disseminated through the Earth2Class Workshops for Teachers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (http://www.earth2class.org). E2C sponsored two summer conferences for teachers, leading to creation of a comprehensive set of curriculum unit guides that provide much about weather and ocean education (http://earth2class.org/curr_units/index.php). The web site provides many other resources for students and teachers interested in learning more about meteorology and oceanography.

American Meteorological Society Education Resource Agents provide teacher training to enhance student achievement through DataStreme Atmosphere, DataStreme Ocean, and Water in the Earth Systems (DataStreme WES). In addition, AMS-trained teachers provide many workshops to peers at local, statewide, and national conferences. Often, these programs include interaction with the NWS Offices serving New York State.

Further support for students and teachers is provided through the New York State Marine Education Association, which will host the National Marine Education Association conference shortly after this meeting. Informal education is available through the American Museum of Natural History, Wildlife Conservation Society's Coney Island Aquarium, and many other institutions across the state.

The New York State programs can provide examples for other states and countries seeking to enhance meteorology and oceanography education programs.