Students in high school continue to develop their understanding of the four core ideas in the physical sciences. These ideas include the most fundamental concepts from chemistry and physics but are intended to leave room for expanded study in upper-level high school courses. The high school performance expectations in Physical Science build on the middle school ideas and skills and allow high school students to explain more in-depth phenomena central not only to the physical sciences but to life and earth and space sciences as well. These performance expectations blend the core ideas with scientific and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts to support students in developing useable knowledge to explain ideas across the science disciplines. In the physical science performance expectations at the high school level, there is a focus on several scientific practices. These include developing and using models, planning and conducting investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematical and computational thinking, and constructing explanations; and using these practices to demonstrate an understanding of the core ideas. Students are also expected to demonstrate an understanding of several engineering practices, including design and evaluation.
CHEMISTRY & PHYSICS DEPARTMENT – GRADES 9 TO 12
