(1) The science program ensures that successful candidates follow the subject major and/or minor program of study or the broadfield major program of study. Subject major and/or minor teaching endorsement programs are limited to biology, earth science, chemistry, and physics. The broadfield major includes a concentration in one of the endorsable disciplines, coupled with balanced study in three other endorsable science disciplines. Science disciplines selected adhere to a scope and sequence which ensures a thorough grounding in the basic concepts, skills, and dispositions associated with Montana and national K-12 content standards.

(2) The science endorsement requires that successful candidates:

(a) demonstrate a thorough understanding of inquiry-based learning across the sciences. This preparation includes:

(i) both breadth and depth of knowledge in science, including recent significant changes in the field, as reflected by national standards;

(ii) competency in basic mathematics, statistics, and current and emerging technological applications to science teaching;

(iii) preparation and experience in environmental science, including Montana American Indian traditional relationships to the environment; and

(iv) methods to engage in inquiry in a variety of ways;

(b) demonstrate knowledge and skills in the methods of guided and facilitated learning in order to interpret and communicate science research to others;

(c) apply instructional strategies which model learning environments with extended time, appropriate space, and resources with equipment and technology found in the contemporary secondary classroom;

(d) demonstrate understanding and experience of how to develop and maintain the highest levels of safety in classrooms, stockrooms, laboratories, and other areas related to instruction in science;

(e) demonstrate knowledge of formative and summative assessment techniques which model a variety of authentic and equitable assessment strategies that ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and personal development of the learner in all aspects of science;

(f) apply and evaluate models of interdisciplinary approaches to provide experiences in understanding science;

(g) articulate a well-defined rationale for instructional goals, materials, and actions in relation to state and national education standards and student achievement.

(3) The candidate for an endorsement in earth science has the following knowledge and skills, including:

(a) conceptual understanding in the unifying concepts and processes of systems order and organization, evidence models and explanation, change, constancy, measurement, evolution and equilibrium, form and function;

(b) exploration and inquiry learning as tools in investigating all aspects of the natural environment, and knows how to apply and teach these methods when instructing students;

(c) systematic and quantitative study of the fundamental topics in earth science interrelated and illustrated with descriptive and historical perspectives, as well as the applications of earth science in society;

(d) conceptual understanding of astronomy, geology, paleontology, meteorology, and oceanography, and their relations with each other;

(e) conceptual understanding of biology, chemistry, or physics, emphasizing the interrelationships among the sciences and their relations to earth science;

(f) conceptual understanding of mathematics, including a working knowledge of trigonometry and statistics;

(g) conceptual understanding of ethical and human implications of such contemporary issues as the impact of technologies on earth systems;

(h) designing, developing, and evaluating field, demonstration, and laboratory instructional activities, and in using special skills and techniques with equipment, technologies, and facilities which support and enhance curricula and instruction in earth science and especially techniques and strategies for using the local environment as a teaching/learning laboratory; and

(i) facilitating classroom discourse through questioning, reflecting on, and critically analyzing ideas, leading students toward a deeper understanding of the inquiry process itself and especially using questions to define problems and potential solutions.

(4) The candidate for an endorsement in biology demonstrates the following knowledge and skills, including:

(a) understanding of the unifying concepts of biological systems: cellular organization, order, sensitivity, growth/development/reproduction, energy utilization, evolutionary adaptation, and homeostasis;

(b) exploration and inquiry learning as tools in investigating all aspects of the natural environment and knows experimental design and how to apply and teach these methods;

(c) conceptual understanding of living organisms, ethical laboratory and field studies promoting scientific inquiry, applications of biology in social and historical perspectives;

(d) course work in the diversity of life including zoology, botany, and microbiology, encompassing the subdisciplines and noting the interrelationships of physiology, genetics, ecology, and evolution;

(e) conceptual understanding of mathematics including a working knowledge of probability and statistics;

(f) conceptual understanding of two out of three areas of physics, chemistry, or earth science emphasizing the interrelationships among the sciences;

(g) conceptual understanding of the relationships between biology and molecular genetics and the impacts of biotechnology upon humans and their environment including ethical and legal implications;

(h) designing, developing, and evaluating field, demonstration, and laboratory instructional activities, and in using special skills and techniques with equipment, facilities, and specimens which support and enhance curricula and instruction in biology; and

(i) facilitating classroom discourse through questioning, reflecting on, and critically analyzing ideas, leading students toward a deeper understanding of the inquiry process itself, and especially using questions to define problems and potential solutions.

(5) The candidate for an endorsement in chemistry demonstrates the following knowledge and skills, including:

(a) conceptual understanding in the unifying concepts and processes of systems order and organization, evidence models and explanation, change constancy, measurement, evolution and equilibrium, form and function;

(b) exploration and inquiry as tools in investigating all aspects of the natural environment and knows how to apply and teach these methods when instructing students;

(c) systemic and quantitative study of the fundamental topics of chemistry, interrelated and illustrated with descriptive and historical perspectives, as well as the applications of chemistry in society;

(d) conceptual understanding of organic, inorganic, analytical, physical, and biochemistry, and their relationships with each other;

(e) conceptual understanding of physics, biology, or earth science emphasizing the interrelationships among the sciences;

(f) conceptual understanding of mathematics including a working knowledge of calculus;

(g) conceptual understanding of the interaction of chemistry and technology in contemporary health, ethical, legal, and human issues (e.g., the effects of synthetic molecules and food additives on life systems and the disposal of toxic chemical wastes);

(h) designing, developing, and evaluating field, demonstration, and laboratory instructional activities, and in using special skills and techniques with equipment, technologies, facilities, and chemicals which support and enhance curricula and instruction in chemistry; and

(i) facilitating classroom discourse through questioning, reflecting on, and critically analyzing ideas, leading students toward a deeper understanding of the inquiry process itself and especially using questions to define problems and potential solutions.

(6) The candidate for an endorsement in physics demonstrates the following knowledge and skills, including:

(a) conceptual understanding in the unifying concepts and processes of systems order and organization, evidence models and explanation, change constancy, measurement, evolution and equilibrium, form and function;

(b) exploration and inquiry learning as tools in investigating all aspects of the natural environment, and knows how to apply and teach these methods when instructing students;

(c) systematic and quantitative study of the fundamental topics in physics, interrelated and illustrated with descriptive and historical perspectives, as well as the applications of physics in society;

(d) conceptual understanding of classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, heat and thermodynamics, waves, optics, atomic and nuclear physics, radiation and radioactivity, relativity, quantum mechanics, and other fields of modern physics, and their relationships with each other;

(e) conceptual understanding of biology, chemistry, or earth science emphasizing interrelationships among the sciences;

(f) conceptual understanding of mathematics, including an introduction to calculus;

(g) conceptual understanding of interaction of physics and technology in contemporary health, ethical, legal, and human issues (e.g., power plant silting and waste disposal, long-range energy policies, and the effects of radiation on living systems);

(h) designing, developing, and evaluating field, demonstration, and laboratory instructional activities, and in using special skills and techniques with equipment, technologies, and facilities which support and enhance curricula and instruction in physics; and

(i) facilitating classroom discourse through questions, reflecting on, and critically analyzing ideas leading students toward a deeper understanding of the inquiry process itself, especially using questions to define problems and potential solutions.

(7) The candidate for an endorsement in broadfield science demonstrates the following knowledge and skills, including:

(a) conceptual understanding in the unifying concepts and processes of systems order and organization, evidence models and explanation, change constancy, measurement, evolution and equilibrium, form and function;

(b) exploration and inquiry learning as tools in investigating all aspects of the natural environment and knows how to apply and teach these methods when instructing students;

(c) systematic and quantitative study of the fundamental topics in biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science including descriptive and historical perspectives, as well as the applications of these sciences in society;

(d) study and experiences emphasizing interrelationships among all the sciences, as well as between the sciences and other areas of study such as mathematics;

(e) conceptual understanding of mathematics, including a working knowledge of calculus and statistics;

(f) conceptual understanding of the relationships among science, technologies, and the study of environmental education;

(g) designing, developing, and evaluating field, demonstration, and laboratory instructional activities, and in using special skills and techniques with equipment, technologies, facilities, and specimens which support and enhance curricula and instruction in all sciences including laboratory and field studies that promote investigation and inquiry, and the use of experimental methods;

(h) conceptual understanding of earth sciences including course work in astronomy, geology, paleontology, meteorology and oceanography, and their relationships with each other;

(i) conceptual understanding of biology including course work in zoology, botany, physiology, genetics, ecology, microbiology, cell biology/biochemistry, and evolution, and their relationships with each other. This preparation must include study and experiences emphasizing living organisms;

(j) conceptual understanding of chemistry including course work in organic, inorganic, analytical, physical and biochemistry and their relationships with each other;

(k) conceptual understanding of physics including course work in classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, heat and thermodynamics, waves, optics, atomic and nuclear physics, radiation and radioactivity, relativity, quantum mechanics, and other fields of modern physics and their relationships with each other; and

(l) facilitating classroom discourse through questioning, reflecting on, and critically analyzing ideas, leading students toward a deeper understanding of the inquiry process itself, and especially, using questions to define problems and potential solutions.