Standard 17: Safety Procedurescool/ASTROLINKS/SFSU_SSMPP_BIOL… · Web viewSingle Subject Matter Preparation Program in Biology San Francisco State University College of Science

Single Subject Matter Preparation Program in Biology

San Francisco State UniversityCollege of Science and Engineering

April 28, 2010

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Table of Contents

Introduction Page 3

Preconditions Page 4

Standard 1 Page 8

Standard 2 Page 23

Standard 3 Page 31

Standard 4 Page 38

Standard 5 Page 42

Standard 6 Page 48

Standard 7 Page 53

Standard 8 Page 58

Standard 9 Page 62

Standard 10 Page 67

Standard 11 Page 71

Standard 12 Page 76

Standard 13 Page 81

Standard 14 Page 87

Standard 15 Page 103



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Introduction

San Francisco State University (SFSU)'s College of Science and Engineering (COSE) proposes a single subject matter preparation program (SSMPP) in biological/life sciences that addresses the standards established by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC). By design, the coursework for the SSMPP in biology comprises a significant subset of the requirements for extant Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in this discipline at SFSU. Most of the courses required for teacher candidates are also part of the curricula for students who intend to pursue undergraduate and advanced degrees and careers in life science other than teaching. This proposal represents a thorough revision, with respect to biology, of the combined program document SFSU submitted in 2005 covering all four of its science SSMP programs. SFSU program proposals in other sciences are now being submitted separately.

SFSU is dedicated to creating and maintaining an environment for learning that promotes respect for and appreciation of scholarship and human diversity in the cultural mosaic of the city of San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay area. The members of its faculty are committed teachers first, but they are also active scholars and many are involved in partnerships with the community, including the K-12 education community. SFSU is widely known for its high-quality science instruction and the success of its science students and graduates. This environment will contribute to preparing fully qualified science teachers through the SSMPPs.

The University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the College of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). (There are no formal accreditation organizations for the other three science departments contributing to our subject matter program.)

We believe that this proposal meets the standards of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) for subject matter preparation programs in biology. To ensure that the program measures up to the promises made in this proposal and continues to meet CCTC’s standards in the future, COSE has now initiated the Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME) that will administer each SSMPP science program in cooperation with the contributing departments and promote science and mathematics education research and faculty and curriculum development collaborations among SFSU faculty, community college instructors, and the K-12 education community.

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Preconditions for the Approval of Subject Matter Programs in Science To be approved by the Commission, a Subject Matter Program in Science must comply with the following preconditions. (1) Each Program of Subject Matter Preparation for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in Science shall include (a) a minimum of 24 semester units (or 36 quarter units) of core coursework in science subjects and related subjects that are commonly taught in departmentalized classes in California public schools, and (b) a minimum of 18 semester units (or 27 quarter units) of coursework that provides extended study of the subject, and (c) 3 semester units (or 5 quarter units) in the subject. These requirements are elaborated in Preconditions 2 and 3. (2) The core of the program (Breadth of Study) shall include coursework in (or directly related to) biological sciences, chemistry, geosciences and physics as commonly taught in departmentalized science classes in California public schools. (3) Extended studies in the program (Depth of Study) shall include at least one concentration of the four science areas. Each concentration shall comprise at least 18 semester units or 27 quarter units. In addition the program shall include at least 3 semester units (5 quarter units) of additional extended study, either designated as breadth or depth studies at the discretion of the institution.

In addition to describing how a program meets each standard of program quality in this handbook, the program document by an institution shall include the course titles, unit designations, catalog descriptions and syllabi of all courses in the program that are used to meet the standards. Program documents must include a matrix chart that identifies which courses meet which standards. Institutions may determine whether the standards and required elements are addressed through one or more courses for each commonly taught subject or courses offering integrated study of these subjects. Institutions may also define the program in terms of required or elective coursework. However, elective options must be equivalent in meeting the standards. Coursework offered by any appropriate department(s) of a regionally accredited institution may satisfy the preconditions and standards in this handbook. Programs may use general education courses in meeting the standards.

(1) Each Program of Subject Matter Preparation for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in Science shall include (a) a minimum of 24 semester units (or 36 quarter units) of core coursework in science subjects and related subjects that are

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commonly taught in departmentalized classes in California public schools, and (b) a minimum of 18 semester units (or 27 quarter units) of coursework that provides extended study of the subject, and (c) 3 semester units (or 5 quarter units) in the subject. These requirements are elaborated in Preconditions 2 and 3.

Each SFSU SSMPP program, including the Biology SSMPP, requires 35 semester units of core (breadth) coursework in science commonly taught in California public schools, which exceeds the minimum requirement of 24 units. (See Standard 14 in this document.)

The program in biology (like those in chemistry, geosciences, and physics) offers options for extended study. The unit requirements for each concentration differ, but they range from 18 to 32 units of coursework in the concentration beyond the core (breadth) coursework plus 4 to 22 units of prerequisites or other direct requirements in other, supporting mathematics and science disciplines outside of the concentration discipline. Combined, the unit requirements for extended study beyond the core (breadth) requirements range from 29 to 44 units. Considered either way, each concentration meets or exceeds the minimum requirement of 18 semester units of extended study beyond the core (breadth) requirements.

The required courses and unit totals for the biology SSMPP are as follows:

Single Subject Matter Program of Study in Biological SciencesCourse Course Title Depth

Semester Units

Breadth Semester

UnitsBIOL 230 Introductory Biology I

[lecture (3) and lab (2)]5

BIOL 240 Introductory Biology II[lecture (3) and lab (2)]

5

BIOL 355 Genetics 3BIOL 337 Evolution 3BIOL 652 SFSU Science Partners in K-12

Schools4

BIOL 525, 612 or 630

Physiology course(plant, human, or animal)

3

BIOL 350, 401, 435, 450, 524, or CHEM 349

Cell Biology course 3

BIOL 351, 402, 436, 526, 613, or 631

Cell Biology or Physiology Lab 2

BIOL 482, 529, or 585

Ecology (general, plant, or marine) [lecture (2 or 3), field and/or lab (2 or 1)]

4

5

CHEM 1151 General Chemistry I[lecture (3) and lab (2)]

5

CHEM 215/216 General Chemistry II, Gen Chem II Lab 3, 2CHEM 130 Organic Chemistry 3PHYS 111/1121 General Physics I, General Physics I Lab 3, 1PHYS 121/1221 General Physics II, Gen Physics II Lab 3, 1SCI 510 Search for Solutions 3MATH 226 or MATH 124

Calculus I orElementary Statistics

4 or 3

Total Biology Units:____32

Total Prerequisite and Other Units:______27 or 28

Total SSMPP in Biological Sciences Units:

______59 or 60

Footnotes: 1. CHEM 115 and PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 also satisfy core (breadth) program

requirements.

SFSU Bulletin Descriptions for all courses in the Biology SSMPP appear in the Course List, Appendix PL. Syllabi for all courses appear in the Course Syllabi, Appendix PS.

Combining the core (breadth) and extended (depth) programs, the total unit requirements for the biology program and each SFSU single subject science program range from 64 to 79 units, depending on the concentration selected. These totals exceed the minimum requirement of 42 units of combined core (breadth) units and extended (depth) units (24 + 18, respectively), plus 3 units of either, for a total minimum of 45 units. The SSMPP in biology, as well as each of the other SFSU single subject programs in science, therefore meets precondition (1).

(2) The core of the program (Breadth of Study) shall include coursework in (or directly related to) biological sciences, chemistry, geosciences and physics as commonly taught in departmentalized science classes in California public schools.

The SFSU core (breadth) program in science includes an introductory astronomy course for non-science majors offered by SFSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy; two introductory biology courses for majors offered by SFSU’s Department of Biology; one introductory geology course for majors and one integrated meteorology/oceanography/geology/planetology course for science majors, both offered by SFSU’s Department of Geosciences; two

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introductory physics courses for science majors offered by SFSU’s Department of Physics; and one introductory course in chemistry for majors offered by SFSU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. (See Standard 14 in this document.) These requirements meet precondition (2).

(3) Extended studies in the program (Depth of Study) shall include at least one concentration of the four science areas. Each concentration shall comprise at least 18 semester units or 27 quarter units. In addition the program shall include at least 3 semester units (5 quarter units) of additional extended study, either designated as breadth or depth studies at the discretion of the institution.

SFSU sponsors four SSMPP programs in biology/life sciences, chemistry, geosciences, and physics. The unit requirements for each concentration, not counting units that also count toward core (breadth) requirements, range from 18 to 32 units in the discipline plus 4 to 22 units of prerequisites or other, supporting math and science disciplines outside of the concentration discipline, for a total ranging from 29 to 44 units.

The unit requirements for each concentration (not counting units that also count toward the core (breadth) requirements) easily exceed the minimum of 18 units in the discipline plus 3 additional units of breadth or depth, thereby meeting precondition (3). Please refer to the course lists and course syllabi in Preconditions (1), as well as to Standard 15 in this document.

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Standards of Program Quality and Effectiveness Category I: Standards Common to All Single Subject Matter Preparation Programs Standard 1: Program Philosophy and Purpose The subject matter preparation program is based on an explicit statement of program philosophy that expresses its purpose, design, and desired outcomes in relation to the Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for Single Subject Teaching Credential Programs. The program provides the coursework and field experiences necessary to teach the specified subject to all of California’s diverse public school population. Subject matter preparation in the program for prospective teachers is academically rigorous and intellectually stimulating. The program curriculum reflects and builds on the State-adopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 Students and Curriculum Frameworks for California Public Schools. The program is designed to establish a strong foundation in and understanding of subject matter knowledge for prospective teachers that provides a basis for continued development during each teacher’s professional career. The sponsoring institution assigns high priority to and appropriately supports the program as an essential part of its mission.

The SFSU’s SSMP program in biology was founded to provideprospective high school teachers with the subject matter preparation neededto teach general science through 9th grade and one of four science disciplines through 12th grade effectively. The philosophy guidingthe program’s development can be summarized as follows and is covered indepth in Required Element 1.2:

(1) The program reflects the department’s intention to insure that future K-12 teachers have a high degree of content understanding in biology and integrated sciences; a mastery of the process by which scientists in biology and other disciplines work; a development of critical thinking and analytical skills; effective communication and presentation skills; and the effective teaching skills needed to educate future citizens and professionals in our state.

(2) The required coursework should overlap as much as possible with San Francisco State University’s (SFSU’s) B.A. degree requirements.

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The breadth course requirements, common to all science SSMPP candidates at SFSU, including those in biology, are designed to prepare teachers of general science for California K-12 students. The courses are as follows:

Table 1A: Core (Breadth) Program of Study in ScienceCourses1 Course Titles Semester

UnitsASTR 115, 116 Introduction to Astronomy,

Introduction to Astronomy Lab3, 1

GEOL 110 Physical Geology [lecture (3) and lab (1)]

4

GEOL/METR/OCN 405

Planetary Climate Change [lecture (3) and lab (1)]

4

BIOL 2302 Introduction to Biology I [lecture (3) and lab (2)]

5

BIOL 2403 Introduction to Biology II [lecture (3) and lab (2)]

5

PHYS 111, 1124 General Physics I,General Physics I Lab

3, 1

PHYS 121, 1224 General Physics II,General Physics II Lab

3, 1

CHEM 115 General Chemistry I [lecture (3) and lab (2)]

5

Total core (breadth) units: 35Footnotes:

1. For course descriptions, see Appendix 14/15B, pp. 3-7; App. 14/15C, p. 0a; App. 14/15D, pp. 0a-0g; and App. 14/15E, pp. 0a-0b.2-3. BIOL 230 and 240 are breadth courses for students in science SSMPPs other than biology. Breadth courses in the SSMPP in biology total 25 units.4-5. The General Physics w/Calculus sequence and its associated labs, PHYS 220/222, 230/232, and 240/242 (each 3+1 units), may be used instead of the PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 sequence. MATH 226 and 227 (Calculus I and II, each 4 units) are prerequisites for PHYS 220, 230, & 240.

After fulfilling these breadth courses, biology program candidates are prepared to teach biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and astronomy concepts, methods, applications, and their various interrelationships at the K-9th grade levels.

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The depth course requirements for the SSMPP in biology encompass a subset of the breadth requirements [BIOL 230, 240; PHYS 111, 112, 121, 122; CHEM 115], but include many additional courses, including at least six upper level biology courses; at least two additional chemistry courses; a math course; a teaching field experience course [BIOL 652]; and an integrative capstone course, [SCI 510]. Together, these prepare program candidates to teach life sciences concepts, methods, applications, and integrations with other science disciplines through the 12th grade level. The depth courses are as follows:

Table 1B: Extended (Depth) Program of Study in Biological Sciences

Course Course Title Depth Semester

Units

Breadth Semester

UnitsBIOL 230 Introductory Biology I

[lecture (3) and lab (2)]5


5

BIOL 355 Genetics 3BIOL 337 Evolution 3BIOL 652 SFSU Science Partners in K-12

Schools4

BIOL 525, 612 or 630


3

BIOL 350, 401, 435, 450, 524, or CHEM 349


BIOL 351, 402, 436, 526, 613, or 631


BIOL 482, 529, or 585


4


5

CHEM 215 General Chemistry II, Gen Chem II Lab

3

CHEM 130 Organic Chemistry 3PHYS 111/1121

General Physics I, General Physics I Lab

3, 1

10

PHYS 121/1221

General Physics II, Gen Physics II Lab

3, 1

MATH 226 or MATH 124


4 or 3

SCI 510 Search for Solutions 3

Total Biology Units:____

32


Total Biological Sciences Depth Program Units:

______57 or 58

Footnotes: 1. BIOL 230/240, CHEM 115, and PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 also satisfy

core program requirements.

Students preparing for the B.A. degree in biology at SFSU follow a very similar curriculum. They are not, however, required to take three courses that are part of the SSMPP depth requirements and that are important for teacher preparation: BIOL 337, Evolution—a thorough understanding of which is critical for educating K-12 students and handling issues that can arise in the public sector; SCI 652, SFSU Science Partners in K-12 Schools, which directly prepares science teachers through seminars and hands-on classroom experience; and the capstone course SCI 510, Search for Solutions. This course requires students to apply and integrate their biological and other science knowledge; to propose innovative solutions to global environmental problems using these applications and integrations; and to write, speak, and present detailed projects to fellow students. The breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 405, Planetary Climate Change, also requires well-developed analytic, problem-solving, and research skills, plus well-honed writing, speaking, and presentation skills that help prepare them for classroom teaching.

By meeting objectives (1) and (2) [stated above], the program helps prepare future teachers while they work toward their undergraduate degree, with the additional requirements intended to meet CCTC standards left unmet by the traditional B.A. degree program. This program design minimizes the burden that students must bear to become teachers while preserving the quality of their subject matter preparation. Objective (2) also makes the program consistent with SFSU’s College of Science and Engineering (COSE) stated mission, which is:

… to provide an encouraging environment to develop the intellectual capacity, critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving ability of its students so that they may become honorable, contributing, and forward-thinking members of the science and engineering community…; to foster a conducive environment for scholarly and creative activities so that new

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knowledge or solutions to problems are discovered or created; and to provide science education to all students in the University so that they may be equipped to succeed in the modern world.

Objective (2) also makes the program faithful to COSE’s stated vision, which makes commitments to the following:

… recruiting talented students, providing them with high-quality and up-to-date curricula, and fostering an effective teaching/learning environment.

… offering students an academic experience of “thinking, learning, and doing.” The best way to provide this experience is through involving students in research and the solution of real world problems. Thus, teaching and research are mutually supportive and one cannot excel without the other. The College encourages the faculty to carry on research which involves students and which serves the science and engineering community.

… full participation in the community through service. This service applies the knowledge and experience of its faculty, staff and students to the solution of problems facing the University, industry, government, or civic organizations. The College will expand its already strong cooperative relationship with various local and national organizations, especially in areas related to K-12 science and math education.

Required Element 1.1 The program philosophy, design, and intended outcomes are consistent with the content of the State-adopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 students and Curriculum Frameworks for California public schools.

The SFSU SSMP program in biology is consistent with the Department of Biology’s core mission. Its mission statement is an overview of the in-depth policy: “Advancing global health and the biosphere; educating future generations of scientists, health professionals, teachers, and citizens.” The in-depth statement speaks to the means of advancing global health and the biosphere and educating future teachers and others:

…to provide an outstanding education, at the graduate and undergraduate levels, preparing the next generation in the field and ensuring the nation’s future with a science-literate, educated public. Students are exposed to an integrated approach to biology at the molecular, cellular, organismal and ecosystem levels, in the context of our society. Our education emphasizes hands-on laboratory experience and the excitement of

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discovery through cutting-edge investigation conducted in our own nationally-recognized research laboratories. We are committed to serving the needs of a student population with diverse backgrounds and goals, a geographic region rich in ecological complexity, and a community operating at the forefront of basic science, biotechnology and medicine.

The SSMPP in biology is designed to address required elements of

subject matter knowledge and competence and skills and abilities for all domains of science defined by CCTC. Since CCTC’s standards are designed to prepare teachers to help K-12 students to meet Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (1997) consistent with Science Curriculum Frameworks for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (1999), our program should be, and is consistent with those standards and that framework, as well.

Required Element 1.2 The statement of program philosophy shows a clear understanding of the preparation that prospective teachers need in order to be effective in delivering academic content to all students in California schools.

While the SSMPP in biology implicitly prepares teachers that can help K-12 students meet California science content standards and curriculum frameworks, the program goes a step farther. The early fieldwork course BIOL 652, SFSU Science Partners in SF K-12 Schools, explicitly introduces program candidates to the CCTC standards and curriculum framework itself. This is an important part of understanding and addressing the normal developmental sequence for science learning in future K-12 students. Such understanding, along with the rich and demanding sequence of breadth and depth courses, contributes to student achievement of the five intended outcomes of the SSMPP program:

1) Content understanding: A high degree of facility with the concepts, methodologies, applications of biology and its integration with chemistry, earth sciences, physics, and astronomy, plus a good facility with the concepts, methodologies, and applications of those additional sciences.

2) Mastery of the process of science: A proven ability to understand how scientists in general and scientists within specific disciplines (biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics, and astronomy) observe the natural world, form creative hypotheses about phenomena, set up experiments to test their hypotheses, record and interpret data, analyze results, and communicate their findings. A proven ability to apply the process of science by observing phenomena; designing experiments; and testing, recording, interpreting, analyzing, and communicating data in a manner consistent with the conventions of biology and other sciences.

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3) Development of critical thinking and analytical skills: A proven ability in breadth and depth coursework to reflect upon, evaluate, analyze, and interpret information and draw logical conclusions about its accuracy, credibility, meaning, and significance.

4) Effective communication and presentation skills: The application in breadth and depth science coursework of writing, listening, reading, speaking, and presentation skills, including the appropriate use of technology.

5) Effective teaching skills: A proven ability to observe, assess, and instruct students in K-12 classroom settings in general science concepts, methodologies, and applications, and in life science, those same modalities in greater depth.

The breadth and depth requirements established for the SSMPP in biology

reflect the program philosophy and intended outcomes. They prepare future teachers for thorough content understanding as well as providing them the pedagogical tools and techniques needed to convey this content to K-12 students in California classrooms.

Outcome 1: Future biology teachers need an in-depth knowledge of biology and chemistry; less-intensive but still significant knowledge of physics, earth sciences, and astronomy; and an understanding of how these fields interrelate. As Tables 1A and 1B demonstrate, candidates in the SSMPP in biology take 32 units of introductory and upper division courses in biology; 13 units in chemistry; 8 units in physics; 8 units in geosciences; and 4 units in astronomy. Together, the coursework provides a strong background in the various fields and their integration. One of the earth science courses, GEOL/METR/OCN 405, Planetary Climate Change, examines the integration of several disciplines in depth as they relate to one of the most important issues of our time. Likewise, SCI 510, Search for Solutions, is a capstone course designed to encourage integrative thinking and application of content knowledge from various sciences in current issues such as global warming. Such integrative knowledge and application is a critical component in designing curricula and study materials for K-12 classes.

SFSU is notable for its university-wide dedication to innovative teaching techniques that go far beyond the lecture and mass-exam approach (see details in Standards 5). Instructors for virtually all courses in the SSMPP in biology employ a wide range of techniques in their own classrooms that serve as models of effective teaching strategies for program candidates. SFSU professors typically use multimedia aids with their lectures; utilize software-based and on-line instruction; require some self-directed lab or field activities and/or experimental design; assign literacy-based oral and written presentations; and assign inquiry-based, case study based, and problem-based lessons that frequently involve hands-on in-class activities and collaborative group activities.

Outcome 2: Future teachers need mastery of the process of science. In order to teach biology and general science to K-12 students, they need their own very good understanding of how professionals in scientific fields generate new

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knowledge; how they observe, test, analyze, interpret, and report their results; and how new findings can modify or replace older conceptions. This mastery helps teachers to show their students how science differs from other disciplines and to convey the values and attitudes that underlie life science and other sciences. These values and attitudes include a reliance on evidence, a willingness to consider contradictory evidence, and the frequent necessity of replacing accepted facts and ideas. Future teachers must be able to teach the ethos of science and its professional application, as well as to demonstrate them directly through laboratory and fieldwork and classroom instruction and discussions. Every SFSU SSMPP candidate takes numerous laboratory and field courses (see Tables 1A and 1B). Through these and the assessment portions of lecture-based courses, they demonstrate their own understanding of the process of science and their ability to convey it to students.

Outcome 3: As science teachers in California K-12 schools, program graduates will be encouraging and requiring students to develop critical thinking and analytical skills. They themselves must—and do-- develop a high degree of those same skills in the SSMPP. They need to be able to reflect upon, evaluate, analyze, and interpret information and draw logical conclusions about its accuracy, credibility, meaning, and significance. In addition, they need the pedagogical skills to teach these important ways of thinking and learning. As our responses to and evidence for Standard 12 shows clearly, the breadth and depth coursework in the SFSU SSMPP in biology demands the accurate expression of scientific ideas and concepts; the use of quantitative reasoning and analysis to solve scientific problems; the honing of scientific investigative skills; the critical analysis of scientific research and communication; and the application of conceptual and physical models in life science and other disciplines. Several program courses (for example, BIOL 230, 240, 355, 526, 652; SCI 510; GEOL/METR/OCN 405; PHYS 111, 121; and CHEM 115) all cover ethical issues that require a student to apply many of these critical and analytic skills, especially for the completion of term papers, projects, and presentations.

Outcome 4: Teachers need effective communication and presentation skills, both oral and written. These are crucial for effective instruction of science content. They are also important parts of the K-12 curriculum, encouraging and helping students own communication skills in science as well as in language, history, arts, and other subjects. Our response to and evidence for Standard 4 pinpoints the SSMPP program philosophy and coursework that requires students to learn and demonstrate mastery of academic and technical terminology and research conventions in biology and other sciences; and to read, write, listen, speak, reason, and communicate in these same disciplines. An important part of that literacy is familiarity with and demonstrated competence in communications technology. As our responses to and evidence four Standard 3 shows, candidates in the SSMPP in biology use computers, many types of software, on-line course management tools, on-line research tools, PowerPoint technology, clicker technology, and other forms of communication technology in many of their courses. BIOL 230, 240, and 652; SCI 510; and GEOL/METR/OCN 405, for

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example, require extensive proof of literacy skills and technological competence (see course syllabi, Appendix PS).

Outcome 5: Future teachers must be aware of and able to effectively teach all elements of the state’s science framework, including a proven ability to observe, assess, and instruct students in K-12 classrooms. The SFSU SMPP in biology has a strong curriculum in effective teaching skills. Candidates observe the excellent modeling of teaching strategies which SFSU instructors employ throughout their breadth and depth courses. The required integrative science course GEOL/METR/OCN 405, for example, deliberately applies and models all the major teaching strategies outlined in the CCTC standards (see our response to Standard 5, and course syllabus in Appendix PS). Moreover, the required early fieldwork experience course BIOL 652, Science Education Partners in S.F. Schools, meets and exceeds all requirements for student classroom teaching experience (for details see Standard 6, and course syllabus in Appendix PS). In addition, the San Francisco Unified School District serves an extremely ethnically diverse population; candidates apply classroom practices and instructional materials in this richly varied setting (see Standard 2,) and observe the effectiveness of pedagogical tools on all learning modalities.

Required Element 1.3 The program provides prospective teachers with the opportunity to learn and apply significant ideas, structures, methods and core concepts in the specified subject discipline(s) that underlies the 6-12 curriculum.

The CCTC designed its standards for science teacher subject matter preparation to ensure that science teachers can teach the core concepts and methods underlying the 6-12 science curriculum. The SFSU SSMPP in biology is designed to meet all of CCTC’s standards. Because the program requirements constitute a significant subset of a B.A. degree in biology, in many respects the program requires a higher level of rigor and depth than the standards (for more details, see Standards 14 and 15). The courses in the program are the same as those designed for science majors and hence are designed to train students to understand how science is done and potentially to become scientists themselves. Hence, students completing our program should be well versed and practiced in the core concepts and methods underlying the 6-12 curriculum.

Table 1C shows the science content standards in the California Science Framework for Grades 6, 7, and 8, and maps the SSMPP breadth courses that provide candidates with opportunities to learn and apply the content underlying each major subject area in the curricula for Grades 6-8:

Table 1C SSMPP Breadth Courses and Science Framework Grades 6-8

Breadth courses in SSMPP in Biology

ASTR 115/116

GEOL 110

GEOL/METR/OCN 405

BIOL 230

BIOL 240

PHYS 111/112

PHYS 121/122

CHEM 115

Contents Standards in Science

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FrameworkFocus on Earth Science-Grade 6-Plate tectonics X X X X-Shaping Earth’s Structure X X X X-Heat X X X X X X-Energy in Earth’s System X X X X X X-Ecology X X X X-Resources X X X X X-Investigation/Experimentation

X X X X X X X X

Focus on Life Science-Grade 7-Cell Biology X X X-Genetics X X-Evolution X X X-Earth and Life History X X X X X-Structure and Function in Living Systems

X X

-Physical Principles in Living Systems

X X X X X

Investigation/Experimentation X X X X X X X XFocus on Physical Science-Grade 8-Motion X X X-Forces X X X X-Structure of Matter X X X X X X-Earth and Solar System X X X X-Chemical Reactions X X X X X X-Chemistry of Living Systems X X-Periodic Table X X X X X X X-Density and Buoyancy X X X X X XInvestigation/Experimentation X X X X X X X X

Table 1D maps the SSMPP depth courses that provide candidates with opportunities to learn and apply the content underlying biological subject areas in the curricula for Grades 9-12:

Table 1D SSMPP Depth Courses and Science Framework Grades 9-12

Depth Courses in SSMPP in

BIOL 230

BIOL 240

BIOL 337

BIOL 355

BIOL 652

BIOL 525612

BIOL 350401

BIOL 351402

BIOL482529

CHEM215/216

CHEM130

MATH226 or124

SCI510

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Biology or630

435450524 orCHEM349

436526613or631

or585

Science Content Standards in FrameworkFocus on Biology/Life Science—Grades 9-12-Cell Biology

X X X X X X X X X

-Genetics X X X X X X X X X X-Ecology X X X X X-Evolution X X X X X X X X X X-Physiology X X X X X X

Note: BIOL 230 and 240, CHEM 115, PHYS 111/112, and PHYS 121/122 are both breadth and depth requirements

Complete syllabi for each breadth and depth course appear in Appendix PS. Our responses to Standards 14 and 15 provide additional details and evidence for program courses and science domains.

Required Element 1.4 The program prepares prospective single-subject teachers to analyze complex discipline based issues; synthesize information from multiple sources and perspectives; communicate skillfully in oral and written forms; and use appropriate technologies.

By the time students complete the SSMPP in biology, they will have been asked to tackle problems spanning a range of complexity from the introductory majors level to the level of upper division advanced majors’ lab and/or field courses, which typically require research projects.

Analyze complex discipline-based issues: Most biology courses required the kind of quantitative reasoning that allows students to analyze complex discipline-based problems and issues. The matrix below shows examples of a few key depth courses and their required analytic activities:

Depth Course

Examples of Analytic Activities

BIOL 230, 240

Graph trends; determine standard deviations; calculate probabilities

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BIOL 337 Work problem sets on evolutionary topicsBIOL 351 Do calculations and data plottingBIOL 355 Calculate probability of selected outcome from a genetic cross;

map the distance between two linked genes, deduce genotypes of parents based on offspring phenotypes

BIOL 526, 613, 631

Interpretation of graphs and tables; collection of data using numerous kinds of computer technology and instrumentation

Synthesize information from multiple sources: Most biology courses assign students to read scientific papers and other reference materials in addition to textbooks, hand-out sheets, and on-line materials. Many courses also require that students write critiques of journal articles, originate research proposals, and write research papers. The following matrix shows examples of key required depth courses and information synthesizing activities:

Depth Course

Examples of Information Synthesizing Activities

BIOL 230, 240

Write weekly lab reports, including data observations and analysis of lab activities

BIOL 482 Read scientific journals and write critiques that assess the clarity of authors’ presentations. Describe personal research projects using conventions of scientific literature.

BIOL 525 Read and review scientific literature on plant physiology topics and write research papers.

BIOL 612 Use National Library of Medicine Pubmed search engine to locate research articles, read, and submit written reports

BIOL 631 Review scientific literature; write a research proposal; write a scientific research paper including abstract, methods, results, and discussion sections and literature citations

Skillful oral and written communication: Students in the SSMPP in biology

have numerous opportunities to hone disciplinary literary skills. The following matrix lists a few key courses and examples of disciplinary literacy activities:

Depth Course

Examples of Disciplinary Literacy Activities

BIOL 230, 240

Write weekly lab reports that record data, observations, and analysis of lab activities and address inquiry-based questions and activities

BIOL 351 Write in-depth reports and create and present before class members PowerPoint displays of data and interpretations from lab projects.

BIOL 526, 513, 631

Write in-depth reports and create and present before class members PowerPoint displays of data and interpretations from original lab

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projects based on student experimental design BIOL 652 Students participate in weekly seminary discussions of teaching and

learning issues; students write reports and give oral and PowerPoint presentations on their own early fieldwork experiences and solutions to teaching and learning issues

Use of appropriate technologies: All students at SFSU use the on-line iLearn course management system to access specific course information such as syllabi, lecture notes, and hand-outs; to download written assignments; and to upload exercises, quizzes, and other materials. All students have Internet and email accounts through the University’s Division of Information Technology. All have access to computing laboratories and extensive library-based electronic resources.

Candidates in the SSMPP in biology also learn to use numerous kinds of appropriate technologies for lab and field experiences that reflect up-to-date methods for data gathering, analysis, processing and presentation of scientific information. The following matrix shows examples of key depth courses and technological tools and techniques employed in each:

Depth Course

Examples of Use of Appropriate Technology

BIOL 230, 240

Classroom computers; compound microscopes; spectrophotometers; paper chromatography; analytic software from Internet websites

BIOL 351

Phase contrast microscopes; culture systems; spectrophometers; polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; Western immunoblotting; hemocytometers; ultracentrifuges; fluorescence microscopes

BIOL 402

Phase contrast microscopes; bright field microscopes; autoclaves; Millipore filters; thermal cyclers; agarose gel electrophoresis

BIOL 526

Spectrophotometers; thin-layer chromatography; polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; Western immunoblotting; pH meters; gas monitors; pressure bombs

BIOL 613

Biopac data acquisition units; electrodes; video cameras; electroencephalography sensors; electrocardiography sensors; spirometers

BIOL 631

Spectrophotometers; osmometers; digital data acquisition units; respirometers; automatic pipetters

Required Element 1.5 Program outcomes are defined clearly and assessments of prospective teachers and program reviews are appropriately aligned.

As discussed in Required Element 1.1, five program outcomes have been established for the SSMPP in biology:

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1) Content understanding2) Knowledge and mastery of the process of science3) Development of critical thinking and analytical skills4) Effective communication and presentation skills5) Effective teaching skills

These are defined in terms of CCTC’s standards, the College of Science and Engineering (COSE)’s mission and vision, and the Department of Biology’s mission and vision. Because program courses are largely a subset of the B.A. degree in biology, some assessment of prospective teachers is done de facto, as part of regular student assessment in those courses. Some program assessment is accomplished as part of periodic departmental program reviews. In addition, COSE’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME) is charged with monitoring of program candidates, on-going regular program reviews, and and updating program outcomes as needed. Standard 9 explains in detail the role of CSME, established in 2007, in these assessment functions. The following matrix shows major forms of assessment of prospective teachers in light of all five outcomes:

Intended Program Outcomes

Content Knowledge

Process of Science

Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills

Effective Communication and Presentation Skills

Effective Teaching Skills

Individual Assessments

In breadth and depth courses: quizzes; mid-term and final exams; term papers; lab reports; problem sets. End-of-program summative assessment of subject matter competence and departmental survey

In breadth and depth courses: Lab notebooks, lab reports, experimental design, lab projects, critiques of scientific research

In breadth and depth courses: Critiques of scientific research, research reports, problem sets, design of experiments, design of research proposals

In breadth and depth courses: Written lab reports, written and oral presentation of lab projects; discussion seminars and presentations of early fieldwork experiences

In breadth and depth courses: Hands-on teaching of science lessons in S.F. public schools; seminar discussions of teaching issues; journaling, oral, and written reports on solutions to teaching issues

Program Reviews

CSME program

CSME program

CSME program

CSME program reviews,

CSME program

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reviews, evaluation, and program adjustments.Periodic reviews by Department of Biology.



evaluation, and program adjustments.Periodic reviews by Department of Biology.


Note: In-depth evidence on content knowledge and process of science appears in Standard 12; on critical thinking and analysis in Standard 7; on communication and presentation in Standard 4; on teaching skills in Standard 6; and on program review in Standard 9.

Required Element 1.6 The institution conducts periodic review of the program philosophy, goals, design, and outcomes consistent with the following: campus program assessment timelines, procedures, and policies; ongoing research and thinking in the discipline; nationally accepted content standards and recommendations; and the changing needs of public schools in California.

COSE’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME), the result of years of planning and effort, opened in 2007 and is charged with designing and conducting periodic reviews of all facets of the program. It serves faculty and students in the SSMPP program as a conduit of current pedagogical research and of both state and national science education policy developments. It operates in collaboration and compliance with departmental, COSE, and university assessment efforts. Our responses to and evidence for Standard 9 gives a detailed explanation of CSME’s critical involvement in program review and assessments. In summary, CSME and its faculty advisors from the biology, chemistry, geosciences, and physics SSMPPs, as well as respected educational professors and evaluators, will collect annual data on all programs and conduct five-year-long longitudinal reviews. These will include data from current students; from SFSU program alumni (especially those in teaching or teaching credential programs); and reviews of curricular materials and other program elements.

CSME will coordinate these reviews with information from formal five-year departmental program reviews aimed at identifying and articulating SSMP program values, competencies, and learning outcomes; assessing learning objectives; monitoring revision in those objectives in response to changing needs and new knowledge; assessing achievement of program goals; and suggesting improvements.

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Standard 2: Diversity and Equity The subject matter program provides equitable opportunities to learn for all prospective teachers by utilizing instructional, advisement and curricular practices that insure equal access to program academic content and knowledge of career options. Included in the program are the essential understandings, knowledge and appreciation of the perspectives and contributions by and about diverse groups in the discipline.

Human diversity is evident and celebrated throughout all academic programs at San Francisco State University, including the teacher preparation program in biology. Forty-seven percent of the B.A. degrees awarded at SFSU in 2005-2006 went to minority groups underrepresented in higher education [See evidence, Appendix 2, pp.1-4]. Among students who attended informational meetings about the SFSU College of Education’s Single Subject Credential Program during 2008, 59 percent were female and 38 percent were from minority groups [See documentation, Appendix 2, pp. 5-20].

University-wide, 52 percent of faculty members are female and 43 percent non-white. The biology department faculty is typical: 53 percent of current members are either women or ethnic minorities. [See list of current faculty members, Appendix 2, pp. 21-24]. The biology faculty is vitally interested in recruiting and advising a diverse group of students for the Single Subject Matter preparation program in biology, as well as in teaching the perspectives and contributions of diverse groups to the field. In its website, the SFSU biology department describes its “tradition of excellence in educating a diverse student population” [see Appendix 2, pp. 25-28]. The department’s newsletter, Bio News, carries an article in its Spring 2008 edition discussing the diversity of biology students and faculty, including departmental efforts to hire faculty of color, to recruit underrepresented minority students, and to expand outreach programs and financial support [see Appendix 2, pp. 29-36]. The biology curriculum reflects the orientation, as well, and students are receptive to this approach.

Required Element 2.1 In accordance with the Education Code Chapter 587, Statutes of 1999, (See Appendix A), human differences and similarities to be examined in the program include, but are not limited to those of sex, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, religion, sexual orientation, and exceptionality. The program may also include study of other human similarities and differences.

SFSU biology department policies support and reflect those of the university as a whole: the intent to create and maintain “an environment for learning that promotes respect for and appreciation of scholarship, freedom, human diversity, and the cultural mosaic of San Francisco” and the surrounding Bay Area [see

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Appendix 2, pp. 37-42]. This involves “attracting, retaining, and graduating a highly diverse student body,” and “providing curricula that reflect all dimensions of human diversity and that encourage cultural thinking and social and cultural awareness.”

Reading materials and lecture content in two required courses in the SSMPP in biology, BIOL 230 (general introductory course) and BIOL 355 (genetics), address contributions to the discipline from a diverse spectrum of researchers; and applications of biology to understanding the characteristics, functioning, diseases and disorders, and other aspects of people of different sexes, races, and ethnicity [see details in Element 2.3].

The university approaches this same dedication to examining human diversity through Segments II and III of its General Education requirements for all students completing undergraduate programs. Undergraduate must take 3 to 4 units that fulfill the American Ethnic/Racial Minorities requirement and a total of 9 credit hours in courses that address the more inclusive value and significance of human achievements; the experience and achievements of various cultural, ethnic, or social groups; the complexity of personal, cultural, and social problems and issues; the problems, issues, or solutions confronted by various social, ethnic, or cultural groups and how they may be experienced in different ways; the integration of their abilities, knowledge, and experience in making decisions; the prevalence of cultural, social, personal, and/or procedural biases; and the use of effective procedures for investigating problems and issues. [See Appendix 2, pp. 43-46 for Mission statement.] An example of a popular Segment II course is BIOL 322, Human Sexuality [see syllabus, Appendix 2, pp. 47-56].

Required Element 2.2 The institution recruits and provides information and advice to men and women prospective teachers from diverse backgrounds on requirements for admission to and completion of subject matter programs.

Each University program recruits and advises applicants from a wide range of backgrounds.

• A committee of the University Academic Senate, the All-University Teacher Education Committee (AUTEC) makes recommendations to and advises each department in matters relating to the preparation of teachers. This includes the recruitment of racial and ethnic minorities students into teacher preparation programs [see Appendix 2, pp. 57-60].

• The Department of Biology maintains a Biology Advising website that provides complete information on course requirements for the SSMP program in Biology [see Appendix 2, pp. 61-79]. It also supplies worksheets, and lists hours for drop-in advisement with a dedicated faculty advisor who meets with all

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students who wish to complete the single subject matter program. It lists several other Biology faculty members, as well, who are able to advise pre-credential students. The on-line University course catalog refers students interested in teaching biology to the departmental website. The Biology Advising website links students to tutoring services to help insure success for all potential students. It also provides information on the NSF Noyce Scholarships for future K-12 science and math teachers to help make teacher-career preparation affordable for more students.

• The Mathematics and Science Teacher Education Program (MASTEP), a National Science Foundation-funded collaborative initiative, began on campus in 1996 with a five-year grant to increase recruitment of candidates from all backgrounds for science and math teaching at the Kindergarten through 12 th grade levels. A second grant carried the program through to 2005. Among many activities, MASTEP began sponsoring Future Teacher Clubs, which met on the SFSU campus to promote teaching as an important option for math and science majors [see Appendix 2, pp. 80-83]. MASTEP helped create an environment of educational excellence that, in part, encouraged the hiring of math educator Dr. Eric Hsu and biology educator, Dr. Kimberly Tanner, both of whom teach early field experience courses for future teachers.

• Another outgrowth of MASTEP, in conjunction with the CSU Chancellor’s Office, is the SFSU Center for Science and Math Education, a well-funded program to recruit, retain, and develop teachers from amongst the diverse student populations on campus. In September 2007, CSME began a highly visible and active multi-pronged program of information, recruitment, and support for current and future science and math teachers. The Department of Biology was involved in the proposal to establish the Center and refers students to their financial support offerings, their field experience opportunities, and their other activities. CSME acts as a centralized office for encouraging and advising students on K-12 teaching careers in math and science [see Appendix 2, pp. 84-85].

• CSME sponsors a financial support program for pre-service teachers called the Math and Science Teaching Initiative (MSTI) that helps recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds. MSTI fellowships provide stipends of $2,000 per semester; extra advising and mentoring for pathways into science and math teaching; meetings with other fellows and advisors; and access to teaching opportunities [see Appendix 2, pp. 86-90]. More than 60 percent of MSTI fellows are females; at present, all MSTI fellows in biology are female. MSTI support can extend to accommodations for students with special needs, for example, financial support for a fellow who undergoes kidney dialysis.

• The SFSU Student Resource Center for Students in Science and Engineering has an informational website that helps students with career planning and identifies advisors within each science department who can assist

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in program planning. It also links students directly to the Biology Advising website and to the Center for Science and Math Education [see Appendix 2, pp. 91-96].

• The College of Education sponsors a Credential Services Teacher Preparation Center on campus. This well-advertised center draws many potential candidates to career fairs, provides career counseling, sponsors teacher recruitment events, and refers interested students to Biology Department advisors [see Appendix 2, pp. 97-98].

Required Element 2.3 The curriculum in the Subject Matter Program reflects the perspectives and contributions of diverse groups from a variety of cultures to the disciplines of study.

Each student in the SSMPP in biology must enroll in BIOL 230 and BIOL 240 (Introductory Biology I and II) and Biology 355 (Genetics), in addition to their other required and elective courses. The educational materials and lectures in these three foundation courses are filled with references to the many contemporary and historical contributions made by women and minority scientists. Students have equivalent exposure in foundation courses in chemistry, physics, and geosciences required for the SSMPP in biology.

Students taking BIOL 230 and 240 read BIOLOGY, 8e, by Neil Campbell, Jane Reese, and other co-authors (Benjamin Cummings, 2008). An interview with a contemporary researcher leads each of the book’s eight units. In its most recent edition, four of the eight features researchers were women and two more were minority scientists. These interviews show an accurate view of the wide spectrum of modern biologists, and highlight important contributions. Instructors use the interviews as examples of current thinking and methodologies in particular sub-disciplines such as biochemistry, cell biology, evolution, and ecology.

BIOLOGY, 8e, also highlights historical contributions by reknown biologists. These include:

• Mary Claire King who helped elucidate the genetics of breast cancer [p. 377]

• Barbara McClintock, who received a Nobel Prize for her discovery of transposable elements [p. 435]• Nobel laureate Rosalind Franklin, who helped reveal the structure of DNA through X-ray diffraction studies [p. 308-9]• Essayist Rachel Carson, whose book SILENT SPRING helped ignite the ecological movement of the mid 20th century [ p. 1150]

SFSU genetics professor Dr. Sally Pasion, who coordinates and teaches BIOL 355, often stresses the multicultural nature of human genetics, including both researchers and the groups they study [see Appendix 2, pp. 99-100]. Her

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lecture examples have included:• the high frequency of sickle cell anemia in African American populations• the prevalence of hereditary breast cancer in Jewish people of Eastern European dissent• the varying responses of racial groups to drugs such as albuterol and to cancer treatments

The main text for BIOL 355 [PRINCIPLES OF GENETICS 4e by D. Peter Snustad and Michael J. Simmons; John Wiley and Sons, 2006] contains numerous references to the contributions of geneticists from diverse backgrounds. To list just a few examples:

• The role of Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa cell line in understanding cancer [p. 38]• T.C. Hsu’s contribution to understanding eukaryotic cells and chromosomes [p. 123]• How Nancy Wexler worked out the genetics of Huntington’s disease [p. 152]• The importance of Okazaki fragments, named after Reiji and Tuneko Okazaki [p. 260]• The contributions of Susan Berget, Claire Moore, and others to the elucidation of introns [p. 303]• The role of H. Ghobind Khorana in cracking the genetic code [p. 337]• The importance of Tay-Sachs disease among Ashkenazi Jews in understanding metabolic disease [p. 351]• Salvador Luria and the study of bacteriophage [p. 424]• Kathleen Danna and others in the study of restriction endonucleases [p. 425]• Stephanie Sherman and fragile X syndrome [p. 517]• Su Guo and RNA interferase [p. 626]• Susuma Tonegawa and Nobumichi Horzumi and antibody diversity [p. 682-3]• Motoo Kimur and the rate of protein evolution [p. 787]

Students are exposed to reading material and lectures on the diverse contributors to biological science in other required courses such as BIOL 337 [Evolution]; in breadth courses in Chemistry, Physics, and Geosciences; and in elective courses across the curriculum.

Required Element 2.4 In the subject matter program, classroom practices and instructional materials are designed to provide equitable access to the academic content of the program to prospective teachers from all backgrounds.

The SFSU Department of Biology promotes equitable access to prospective teachers in many ways, in conjunction with initiatives and resources of the university and the CSU system.

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• The syllabus for every biology course must include a Disability Access Statement, offering accommodations to all students with disabilities and special needs. Accommodations can be made for captioning, disability access, exacerbated symptoms, note taking, and test taking [see Appendix 2, pp. 101-103]. This is part of the CSU Accessible Technology Initiative, which covers instructional materials, university procurement practices, and web accessibility [see Appendix 2, pp. 104-105].

• CSU’s Accessible Technology Initiative, along with SFSU’s local efforts, insure full and equal access to electronic and information technology to individuals with disabilities [see Appendix 2, pp. 106-107].

• Biology professor Frank Bayliss helped initiate the Student Enrichment Opportunities program (SEO) to improve the success rate of underrepresented minorities in science [see Appendix 2, pp. 108-116]. SEO, in conjunction with CSME, sponsors a Science and Math Supplemental Instruction Program that provides limited-enrollment workshop sections in a number of SSMPP required courses to supplement instruction and help insure students’ success in the associated required courses. The course list includes BIOL 230, 240, 350, 355; CHEM 115 and 215; and PHYS 111 and 121. Biology professors Frank Bayliss and Nan Carnal were co-authors of a recent journal article for the American Society for Cell Biology documenting the increased success rate of underrepresented minority students who attend SI classes in addition to regular lectures and labs in these required courses [see Appendix 2, pp. 117-130].

• The SFSU Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (CFTD) promotes a number of programs that help insure equal and complete access to all classrooms and to academic course content for all students. In addition, the campus Learning Assistance Center provides tutoring sessions in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry [see Appendix 2, p. 131].

• The Disability Programs and Resources Center publishes instructional strategies for students with visual impairments, hearing impairments, mobility impairments, systemic disabilities (i.e. epilepsy, HIV, or MS), and learning disabilities [see Appendix 2, pp. 133-174].

• The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) program encourages faculty to make course concepts accessible and skills attainable regardless of student learning styles, physical, or sensory abilities. UDL provides an on-line training module for all SFSU faculty [see Appendix 2, p. 132].

• For students with language barriers or other access issues, the Learning Assistance Center (LAC) offers tutoring on biology, chemistry, and biochemistry, through individual and small group sessions at their own center [see Appendix 2, p. 131]. Students can gain additional assistance through the Educational

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Opportunity Program (EOP) [see Appendix 2, p. 175].

• The Biology Department advisement website directs students to the Community Access and Retention Program (CARP), a student-run evening tutoring program that serves many first-generation college students and members of traditionally underrepresented groups on campus. CARP offers tutoring in many of the required courses for the SSMPP in biology [see Appendix 2, pp. 176-180].

Required Element 2.5 The subject matter program incorporates a wide variety of pedagogical and instructional approaches to academic learning suitable to a diverse population of prospective teachers. Instructional practices and materials used in the program support equitable access for all prospective teachers and take into account current knowledge of cognition and human learning theory.

Based on contemporary learning theory, Department of Biology faculty present--and students in the SSMPP in biology benefit from--a large range of learning opportunities. These include:

• Lectures with rich audiovisual presentations and question/answer sessions.

• Group learning for discussions, data collection and analysis, and project preparation and presentation; peer instruction is common during group sessions.

• Procedural learning based on detailed lab instructions.• Problem-based learning through hands on experimentation, hypothesis

formation, experimental design, and recording and assessment of results. • Computer-based modeling and problem-solving.• Active learning through field experiences, including practice instruction of

K-12 students.

We present detailed evidence of varied teaching styles and learning opportunities in Standard 5, Required Elements 5.1-5.5.

The SFSU Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (CTFD) is instrumental in helping Department of Biology faculty members expand their repertoire of teaching approaches [see Appendix 2, pp. 181-183]. Each semester, CTFD sponsors workshops in student learning, faculty teaching styles, and innovative use of technology in classrooms. Many Biology faculty members avail themselves of these sessions.

MASTEP grants from 1996-2005 (referred to in Element 2.2) provided funds for workshops on effective teaching and learning approaches in the sciences and mathematics at SFSU; these helped establish on-going faculty interest and experience. Among presenters at MASTEP workshops were Dr. Roger Johnson, an expert in collaborative learning; Dr. Deborah Allen, teaching techniques for problem-based learning; and Dr. Lillian McDermott who introduced ways to probe

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students’ in-depth understanding and to design curricular interventions to confront misconceptions. Biology faculty members revised BIOL 230 to incorporate alternate pedagogies. An additional CSME grant allowed SFSU researcher Jamie Chan to analyze better models for teaching introductory biology laboratories and this led to revisions in BIOL 240 and the incorporation of new pedagogies.

One outcome of the Department’s long-standing enthusiasm for varied teaching styles was a national search and successful hiring of Dr. Tanner, whose research and teaching focuses on biology education. In conjunction with colleague Allison Busch, Dr. Tanner teaches BIOL 652, Partners in Biology Education--a course that emphasizes multiple teaching/learning styles and is highly recommended for students interested in teaching careers. Dr. Tanner consults with biology faculty regarding teaching and learning issues and curricular design, and also serves as vice chair for departmental assessment. Through these various capacities, she has helped establish an ethos of teaching excellence in the Biology Department.

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Standard 3: Technology

The study and application of current and emerging technologies, with a focus on those used in K-12 schools, for gathering, analyzing, managing, processing, and presenting information is an integral component of each prospective teacher’s program study. Prospective teachers are introduced to legal, ethical, and social issues related to technology. The program prepares prospective teachers to meet the current technology requirements for admission to an approved California professional teacher preparation program.

All educational programs at SFSU, including the Single Subject Matter Preparation program in biology, employ a wide variety of technological tools to promote teaching and learning. San Francisco State University is located in a region that is internationally renown for its computer and high technology development; its leadership and innovation in biotechnology; and its central role in computer graphics, animation, and entertainment. All SFSU students achieve technological competence through the required use of computers in most courses; through the use of a university-wide learning management system called iLearn; through on-line registration; through course-related research using the extensive electronic resources of the main library, and so on.

Students who prepare to teach biology and other science subjects gain a much greater-than-average facility with technology in their required and elective courses. For example, BIOL 230 and 240, the introductory sequence required in the SSMPP in biology, employ presentation graphics and software for lectures; on-line syllabi, assignments, quizzes, and grading; and many forms of hardware, software, and instrumentation in the laboratory [see details below and in Required Element 3.1]. The facility program candidates gain with standard and emerging technologies is important and necessary because (1) in all contemporary fields of science, data gathering, analysis, and communication is highly technological; and (2) because as K-12 teachers, they will be instructing their students in the use of many such technological tools for gathering and understanding scientific knowledge and applying it in laboratory and field settings.

Depending on the resources of their school districts, biology students in California high schools use a range of tools, instruments, and supplies for doing library, lab, and field research; for analyzing and solving problems; and for communicating their findings and understandings to others. K-12 instructors must not only know how to use and teach these technologies, but must know additional ones, such as how to use presentation software such as PowerPoint. A partial list of such technologies includes classroom and home computers; microscopes (light, stereoscopic, dissecting); volumeters; gel electrophoresis

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equipment; incubators; spirometers; balance scales; Celsius thermometers; micropipettes; spectrophotometers; and pH meters. [List compiled from MODERN BIOLOGY by John Postlethwait and Janet Hopson (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2009), a textbook and instructional program for college-bound high school students.]

As the responses in Required Elements 3.1 and 3.2 show, students in the single subject matter preparation program in biology use these tools and many more sophisticated ones in their required and elective lab courses, thereby gaining the competence needed to instruct others.

Prospective teachers of biology must also be prepared to field questions and lead discussions on the legal, ethical, and social issues surrounding biotechnology. All SFSU students fulfilling requirements in the SSMPP in biology take BIOL 230 and BIOL 355, and both courses cover biotechnological issues in detail. In the text for BIOL 230 [BIOLOGY, 8e, Benjamin Cummings, 2008], Chapter 20 covers medical, forensic, environmental, and agricultural applications of DNA technology as well as safety and ethical issues. In the text for BIOL 355 [PRINCIPLES OF GENETICS, 4e, Wiley, 2006], Chapters 15, 16, 17, and 24 cover genetic screening, counseling, and therapy; genome projects and DNA patenting; DNA fingerprinting and use in criminal trials; cloning and societal implications; containment of recombinant organisms; uses and potential misuses of PCR in research and medical diagnoses; and genetically modified plans, crops, foods, and animals. Dr. Sally Pasion, who teaches BIOL 355, lectures on many of these topics, as well, and initiates student participation discussions. Students also encounter the issues surrounding biotechnology in courses in the required cell biology cluster such as BIOL 350 [Cell Biology], 401 [Microbiology], 435 [Immunology], and others.

Required Element 3.1 The institution provides prospective teachers in the subject matter program access to a wide array of current technology resources. The program faculty selects these technologies on the basis of their effective and appropriate uses in the disciplines of the subject matter program

All SSMPP candidates in biology, as well as all other SFSU students, achieve technological competence through the required use of computers in most courses and on-line interfacing with instructors, the library, and university administration.

• The University’s Academic Technology Unit supports on-line teaching and learning through several avenues, including the following:

--A learning management system called iLearn, based on open-source Moodle software [see Appendix 3, pp. 1-2]. Each semester, virtually every SFSU course updates and presents its own specific iLearn webpage for distributing

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syllabi, lecture notes, hand-outs, and other instructions. The site allows instructors to send email to all class members and allows those students to interact in formal discussions, chat rooms, and collaborative assignments. Finally, students download assignments, upload papers and exercises, take quizzes, and track the grades and assessments instructors maintain on the site.

--CourseStream, an on-line environment that allows video streamed courses with live web-casts, synchronized Power Point slides, video-recorded lectures, and the capability of keyword reviews of all recorded lectures for the semester [see Appendix 3, pp. 3-4].

--ePortfolios or sites for students to store and present evidence of their collected academic work, including grades, reports, projects, and other career-oriented materials [see Appendix 3, pp. 5-7].

--Media Distribution and Support service, which provides faculty with formatted media and technical equipment, including over 20,000 videotapes, DVDs, laser discs, CD-ROMs, films, and other resources [see Appendix 3, p.10].

--Electronically enhanced Learning Spaces, including over 100 “wired” classrooms, six enhanced meeting rooms, and two enhanced theaters [see Appendix 3, p. 8].

--Creative Services that assist faculty, staff, and students with graphics, posters, photos, video-copying, and teleconferencing [see Appendix 3, p. 8]..

• The University’s Division of Information Technology provides more general technological support for all campus activities. This includes Internet and email accounts for students and faculty; 24-hour computing labs in various campus locations with over 1,500 PCs and Macintoshes; licensed software and databases; on-line class schedules, registration, grades, and other campus information [see Appendix 3, pp. 9-10].

SSMPP candidates in biology enrolled in introductory biology and chemistry courses such as BIOL 230, 240, CHEM 115, and CHEM 215 have additional access to numerous computers with on-line access in laboratory classrooms; in the 24-station SEGA Multimedia Laboratory for Science and Mathematics in Science Building room 249; and, in upper division program courses and independent study projects, in the Center for Computing for Life Sciences [see Appendix 3, pp. 16-22].

• The J. Paul Leonard Library, in its effort to empower the University community with lifelong learning skills in promotion of scholarship, knowledge, and understanding, takes a leadership role in exploring and incorporating changing information technologies and formats. The library’s extensive collection of electronic resources, microforms, audio-visual media, and computer software includes over 200 databases providing access to over 24,000 electronic journals. These electronic resources are available in the library, in various campus centers, and to students at home through campus Internet accounts. Each SFSU student must display competence with computer and on-line library skills by taking a tutorial called Online Advancement of Student Information Skills (OASIS). Most students spend 6 to 8 hours reading the chapters and taking the

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five quizzes that are part of OASIS. A grade of 80 or above on each quiz is required for graduation in any field [see Appendix 3, pp. 11-15].

• Many courses employ personal student response systems (or “clicker” technologies) based on computers and radio frequencies or infrared signals [see Appendix 3, p. 23-24]. These allow instructors to pose questions to classes of any size and to tabulate and display the results immediately. Four major foundation courses for the teaching credential program in Biology--BIOL 230, 240, and 355 and CHEM 215—were using clicker technology as of Fall, 2008.

Students in the SSMPP in biology have extensive access to all of the above-listed contemporary technological resources through their required and elective courses. Biology faculty members choose technologies for lab and field experiences that reflect up-to-date techniques for data gathering, analysis, processing, and presentation of information in various biological sub-disciplines. The following list provides examples of required and commonly chosen elective courses and the technological tools and techniques students learn to use in each:

-- BIOL 230/240 [Introductory Biology I and II]Numerous dedicated classroom computersAudio-visual projectorsPipettes [Mohr, serological, volumetric]Zeiss compound microscopeB+L Spectronic 20 SpectrophotometerpH meterpaper chromatography

-- BIOL 351 [Cell and Molecular Biology Lab]Phase contrast microscopeCulture systems for cells, explants, organsB+L Spectronic 20 SpectrophotometerSDS-PAGE (polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis containing sodium dodecyl sulfate)Western immunoblotting equipmentCO2 incubatorNeubauer hemocytometerCentrifugesFluorescence microscope using ELIZA immuno-fluorescence [enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay]

-- BIOL 402 [Microbiology Lab]

Olympus BHTU phase contrast microscopeBright field non-phase contrast microscopy

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AutoclaveMillipore, nucleopore filtersB+L Spectronic 20 SpectrophotometerBBL Enterotube IIPCR thermal cyclerAgarose gel electrophoresis set upStains [simple, negative, nigrosin, capsule, Schaeffer-Fulton, Kinyoun carbol- fuchsin, gram, flagellar]

-- BIOL 526 [Plant Physiology Lab]

B+L Spectronic 20 SpectrophotometerThin-layer chromatographySDS-PAGECentrifugeBioRad Miniprotean II SystemWestern blotting equipmentpH meterDEX inducible systemELIZACO2 and O2 monitorsPressure bomb

-- BIOL 613 [Human Physiology Lab]

Biopac MP35130 data acquisition unitBiopac SS2L electrodesVideo cameraBiopac Electroencephalography sensorsBiopac Electrocardiograph sensorsSpirometer using Biopac Airflow transfuser SSII2A

-- BIOL 631 [Animal Physiology Lab]

B+L Spectronic 20 SpectrophotometerOsmometerPowerlab digital data acquisition unitStrath Kelvin RespirometerGilson Differential RespirometerPipetmen Automatic Pipetter P5000

Students learn to use the above-listed technology in these and other courses and will be extremely well-prepared to teach the instruments and methods available to most secondary students in California.

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Required Element 3.2 Prospective teachers demonstrate information processing competency, including but not limited to the use of appropriate technologies and tools for research, problem solving, data acquisition and analysis, communications, and presentation.

Students enrolled in the SSMPP in biology use and develop competency with various forms of information processing technology throughout their coursework. The following examples show specific technologies for research, problem solving, data acquisition and analysis, communication, and presentation in representative courses.

• Research Students in the required introductory courses BIOL 230/240 access numerous websites to research information on mitosis, human chromosome maps, chromosome abnormalities, and genetic diseases. [See Lab manual for BIOL 230, Laboratory Exercise 9 in Appendix 3, pp. 25-26] All SSMPP candidates in biology must take a a physiology lecture course (either BIOL 525, 612, or 630) and a cell biology or physiology laboratory course (such as BIOL 613 or 631). Students in BIOL 612 use the National Library of Medicine search engine PubMed to search for research articles for term papers on recent physiological research.

• Problem Solving Students in BIOL 240 use MacClade software to reconstruct phylogenies. [See Lab manual for BIOL 240, Exercise 5 in Appendix 3, pp. 27-36]. Students have access to 15 PowerMac 6500 computers, as well as Apple computers, in the SEGA Multimedia Laboratory for Science and Mathematics. They can also use MacClade software on home computers.

• Data Acquisition and Analysis Students in BIOL 613, for example, use BioPac software to collect and analyze data for polygraphs, electromyography, electroencephalography, and electrocardiography. [See Lab manual for BIOL 613, tutorial on BioPac software, Appendix 3, pp. 37-39].

• Communication Students in all biology classes use the iLearn website and web pages to access course syllabit, to upload and download assignments, to review Power Point presentations of lectures, and to communicate with classmates on group projects.

• Presentation. Students in BIOL 613 use Power Point software and overhead and digital projectors as well as Excel spread sheets, graphing, table making, and word processing programs to create 35- to 45-minute presentations of independent and group lab work, and on proposal for future research projects. [See Lab manual for BIOL 613, Appendix 3, pp. 40-46].

Required Element 3.3 In the program, prospective teachers use current and emerging technologies relevant to the disciplines of study to enhance their subject matter knowledge and understanding.

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Each SSMPP in science at SFSU, including biology, maintains its own computer laboratories to support classroom and laboratory instruction, and those facilities are used extensively. The operating systems represented in these computer labs include both Microsoft Windows and various flavors of Unix including Apple Computer Inc.’s Mac OS X. (Both Microsoft and Apple operating systems are commonly found in K-12 schools.) Students in these computer labs use a variety of software, including Web browsers, spreadsheets, graphing and other visualization packages, database programs, PowerPoint presentation software, computer aided instructional software, and application software specific to particular disciplines. As described in Elements 3.1 and 3.2, as part of lab exercises for a number of courses, students must acquire data using instrumentation (possibly including a computer and the internet), analyze it to solve a problem (perhaps using spreadsheet software on a computer, or at least using a scientific calculator), communicate the results in writing (using word processing software, say), and occasionally present the results (possibly using presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint). Information and observational technologies have become essential tools to help students learn subject matter and understand concepts, from computer-based molecular models in biology and chemistry to animations of global cloud patterns in the geosciences. Most biology and other science courses that are part of the SSMPP, particularly lab courses, rely on technology as a teaching and learning aid. Course syllabi and materials in Appendix PS offer additional examples.

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Standard 4: Literacy

The program of subject matter preparation for prospective Single Subject teachers develops skills in literacy and academic discourse in the academic disciplines of study. Coursework and field experiences in the program include reflective and analytic instructional activities that specifically address the use of language, content and discourse to extend meaning and knowledge about ideas and experiences in the fields or discipline of the subject matter.

Virtually all of the required and elective courses in the SSMPP in biology promote the ability to understand, communicate, and present biological ideas by applying the terminology, content, and conventions of the discipline.

SFSU reaffirms the centrality of writing to a higher education and states the university’s intention to insure that all graduates write proficiently [see Academic Planning and Educational Effective Goal II; in Appendix 4, p. 1.] In response to this and other university-wide initiatives in writing excellence, the Department of Biology has incorporated a strong writing emphasis in many of its courses, as have other departments within the College of Science and Engineering. The interdisciplinary capstone course SCI 510, which is a required part of the SSMPP in biology and other science disciplines, is a good example of this emphasis. During the semester-long investigation of one aspect of a multifaceted scientific issue such as global warming, students must carry out intensive library research and analysis; make oral presentations and poster presentations; keep on-going work logs and reflective journals; and submit literature presentations as well as written peer evaluations [see syllabus in Appendix PS].

Required Element 4.1 The program develops prospective teachers’ abilities to use academic language, content, and disciplinary thinking in purposeful ways to analyze, synthesize and evaluate experiences and enhance understanding in the discipline.

All SFSU students must complete 6 units in designated written communication and oral communication courses [see Appendix 4, pp. 3-10]. These fundamental courses--as well as the many written and oral assignments in breadth and depth classes for the SSMPP in biology--allow prospective teachers to acquire generalized and specialized academic language and content. This growing literacy helps them develop the biological thinking needed to understand, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and express themselves about their highly varied lab, field, lecture, and seminar experiences in the program. This, in turn, helps prepares them for effective communication in K-12 classrooms.

The following types of coursework in required and elective program classes

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are instrumental in developing such skills:

• Exams: Most biology courses contain at least some essay and/or problem-solving questions in exams, requiring precise written expression, technical terminology, and evidence of conceptual understanding. Examples include the required courses BIOL 230, 240, 337, 355, and 652.

• Term papers: Two required program courses, BIOL 230 and 355, assign in-depth term papers, as do the courses in the cell biology option (BIO 350, 401, 435, 450, and 524) and the physiology option (BIOL 525, 612, 630).

• Critiques: Students must write reviews of scientific research articles for several courses, including BIOL 402 (a course for the cell biology and physiology laboratory option) BIOL 612 (which fulfills the physiology course option) and has assignments similar or parallel to the other physiology courses in the option, and 482 (which fulfills the ecology course option).

• Lab reports: All full laboratory courses and all courses with lab components require lab notebooks, flow charts outlining lab procedures, and other submitted lab reports that record, analyze, and present results using biological terminology and standard scientific conventions. Examples include BIOL 230, 240 (both required), and BIOL 351, 436, and 613 (all cell biology/physiology lab requirement option choices).

• Presentations: Many required and option-fulfilling courses also assign students to complete a significant research project, often in collaboration with other students, and to prepare written and oral reports for in-class delivery. Examples include BIOL 240 (required), and BIOL 351, 402, 526, 613, and 631 (all cell biology/physiology lab requirement option choices).

Evidence for the writing and presentation requirements in these courses appears in Appendix 4, pp. 11-26.

Required Element 4.2 The program prepares prospective teachers to understand and use appropriately academic and technical terminology and the research conventions of the disciplines of the subject matter.

Students enrolled in the SSMP program in biology develop proficiency with the academic and scientific terminology and research conventions of the discipline through much of their work in biology courses. In particular, reading textbook assignments, attending lectures, and writing out tests, term papers, and lab reports reinforces student learning and application of the very extensive technical vocabulary in biological science. For example, every SFSU student preparing to teach biology must take BIOL 337, Evolution. To prepare for the lecture on natural selection, students must read and absorb Chapter 3 of EVOLUTIONARY ANALYSIS 3e, [See textbook Table of Contents for Chapter 3 in Appendix 4, p. 27]; learn over a dozen vocabulary terms; understand the lecture which applies those and other terms, equations, and problems [see sample lecture notes on natural selection, Appendix 4, pp. 28-33], and be prepared to use the terms properly in written tests and papers throughout the course.

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Students learn to describe and apply the conventions of scientific research by preparing their lab notebooks, lab reports, literature searches, term papers, and projects. Examples are as follows:

• Every SSMPP in biology candidate must take BIOL 230 and record data and observations in a lab notebook for each lab session. Each daily write-up must include the purpose of the exercise, the materials and methods, the results, and contain a section on discussion and conclusions. [See Biology 230 Lab syllabus, Appendix 4, p. 34-37].

• Many prospective biology teachers in the SFSU program take BIOL 482, Ecology, one of three courses that fulfill their ecology requirement. For this course, students read scientific journals and write critiques of specific papers, looking at each standard section and assessing the clarity and effectiveness of the authors’ presentation to absorb the form and function of scientific literature. Students also apply their knowledge by describing their own research projects using the same conventions [see BIOL 482 Syllabus, Appendix PS].

• The lab manual for BIOL 402, General Microbiology Lab, includes an in-depth discussion of why and how to keep a lab notebook, including examples from student notebooks [See Appendix PS]. Many students take this course to fulfill their requirement in the cell biology and physiology laboratory option.

• The lecture topics for BIOL 613, Human Physiology Laboratory—also frequently taken to fulfill the cell biology and physiology laboratory option—focuses heavily on scientific communication and literacy. In BIOL 613, the instructor devotes several weeks to the following topics: reviewing scientific literature; writing a research proposal; writing a scientific research paper; listening to student presentations of proposed projects; graphic presentations of data; writing the methods and results sections of a scientific research paper; and writing the abstract and discussion sections of papers and citing literature [see Appendix PS, course syllabus for BIOL 613], Each of the above courses and the many others like them help prepare SFSU students thoroughly to understand the conventions of biological research.

Required Element 4.3 The program provides prospective teachers with opportunities to learn and demonstrate competence in reading, writing, listening, speaking, communicating and reasoning in their fields or discipline of the subject matter.

Students have innumerable opportunities to hone disciplinary literacy skills while enrolled in the SSMPP in biology.

• Reading Most Biology courses assign students to read scientific papers and other reference materials in addition to textbooks. All program candidates in biology must take either plant, animal, or human physiology [BIOL 525, 612, or 630] and often take the lab associated with it [BIOL 526, 613, 631] to fulfill their cell biology and physiology laboratory option. BIOL 525 instructs students on

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reading and reviewing literature and requires two written reviews. BIOL 612 instructs students in how to use the National Library of Medicine search engine called PubMed to search for research articles for term papers on recent physiological research, how to read them, and how to write articles about them for class. BIOL 613 gives detailed instructions on how to read a scientific paper most effectively [See Appendix 4, p. 38-47].

• Writing As stated in Element 4.2, students write lab reports for every lab class or class with a lab component. All SSMPP students take BIOL 230 and turn in the data and observations they record in a lab notebook for each lab session. Students are required to write critiques, papers, or projects for virtually every class. Students in BIOL 435 do extensive written analyses [see Appendix PS].

• Listening Program candidates are required to take BIOL 652, Introduction to Science Education, Pedagogy, and Partnership, during which they study issues surrounding science teaching and learning at the K-12 level. Students attend weekly seminars to listen to and participate in discussions led by the instructor Kimberly Tanner, by graduate students, and by departmental and outside scientists [see course syllabus, Appendix PS].

• Speaking Students give oral presentation, often based around collaborative projects, in several biology courses that fulfill the requirement for a cell biology and physiology laboratory course, including BIOL 351, 526, 613, and 631, as well as in the early fieldwork course BIOL 652.

• Communicating. Students write lab reports for every lab class, as stated above, and give oral reports in many classes, also described above.

•Reasoning. All Biology courses require disciplinary reasoning and problem solving. A good example is the problem sets students must analyze and solve for BIOL 337, Evolution, a required course for all SSMPP candidates in Biology [see syllabus in Appendix PS]. Reasoning and problem-solving are also prominent requirements in BIOL 652, and students must communicate their solutions through writing and speaking.

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Standard 5: Varied Teaching Strategies In the program, prospective Single Subject teachers participate in a variety of learning experiences that model effective curriculum practices, instructional strategies and assessments that prospective teachers will be expected to use in their own classrooms.

Required courses in the program expose future teachers to a wide range of instructional circumstances and styles. Class sizes range from relatively large classes taught mostly in lecture mode such as BIOL 230 or ASTR 115 [see Appendix PS] to small classes taught mostly using inquiry-based methods, small-group collaborative problem solving, and whole-class discussion (some of it student-led), with lecture employed intermittently only as needed, such as in BIOL 652 and GEOL/MET/OCN 405 [Appendix PS]. Many courses with labs divide instruction between lecture mode and individual or collaborative, semi-independent lab and/or field exercises. Lab and field courses, in particular, routinely require students to collect and record data, then analyze and interpret it and report their results.

Required Element 5.1 Program faculty include in their instruction a variety of curriculum design, classroom organizational strategies, activities, materials, and field experiences incorporating observing, recording, analyzing and interpreting content as appropriate to the discipline.

Several courses in the SSMPP in biology employ a spectrum of innovative teaching approaches. Several lessons in the laboratory portion of the required introductory course BIOL 240 use an inquiry-based approach: For example, in Lab # 13, Floral Variation, An Evolutionary Key to Success, students are asked to observe and record specific features of floral morphology from a number of plant species (unidentified); hypothesize which are pollinated in an abiotic way and which in a biotic way; then design the perfect flower shape for a list of known animal pollinator [see Appendix 5, pp. 1-8]. In Lab # 19, students observe and record characteristics of species from several arthropod subphyla. Then they create a case study by choosing a habitat and deciding which arthropod groups would make appropriate bioindicator species for the ecological health of the site they picked [see Appendix 5, pp. 9-22]. In Lab # 20, students examine examples from seven orders of insects; observe and record wing structural adaptations; create their own dichomotous keys for identifying unknown insects by order; make additional observations of structural adaptations; then create a case study that examines pesticide resistance and biocontrol issues based on the adaptations they studied [see Appendix 5, pp. 23-37].

Another good example of a course that employs numerous activity types, strategies, and materials for observing, recording, analyzing, and interpreting content is GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change), a required course in the breadth portion of the SSMPP for biology and the other major sciences.

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The course, with its spectrum of approaches, was designed, in part, to model demonstrably effective pedagogical approaches for future teachers [see Appendix PS]. It also integrates concepts from geosciences, physics, chemistry, and biology. Yet another course with a similar goal, in part, is the required capstone course SCI 510 (Search for Solutions). It directs each student to work collaboratively in a small group for most of the semester to analyze and synthesize information bearing on an interdisciplinary problem of significant scientific and social importance, and to co-present the group’s results at the end of the semester in a PowerPoint presentation [see Appendix PS].

The following table lists distinct learning/teaching methodologies and program courses that exemplify their use:

Learning/Teaching Methodology

Course Examples Evidence

Lecture with Multimedia Aids

BIOL 230, 240, 337, 355, 435, 482; CHEM 115, 130, 215;PHYS 111, 121; ASTR 115; GEOL 110, 405

Syllabi, Appendix PS; see bracketed items

Hands-on, In-class Activities

BIOL 230, 240, 350, 402, 436, 482, 526, 613, 631;CHEM 115, 216; PHYS 112, 122; ASTR 116; GEOL 110, 405


Group Learning BIOL 230, 240, 402, 482, 585, 613, 652; SCI 510; GEOL 405


Inquiry-based Learning BIOL 240, 351, 402, 482, 585, 613, 631; GEOL 405


Peer Instruction BIOL 402, 526, 585, 613, 631, 652; SCI 510; GEOL 405


Case Study/Problem Based Learning

BIOL 402, 585, 652; SCI 510 Syllabi, Appendix PS; see bracketed items

Software-Based/On-Line Instruction

BIOL 240, 337, 613; GEOL 405


Self-Directed Experimental Design

BIOL 351, 402, 436, 482, 526, 585, 613, 631


Literacy-Based Oral and BIOL 351, 402, 450, 482, Syllabi, Appendix

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Written Presentations 526, 585, 613, 631, 652; SCI 510; GEOL 405

PS; see bracketed items.

Field Experiences BIOL 482, 529, 585, 652; ASTR 116; GEOL 110


Required Element 5.2 Program faculty employ a variety of interactive engaging teaching styles that develop and reinforce skills and concepts through open-ended activities such as direct instruction, discourse, demonstrations, individual and cooperative learning explorations, peer instruction, and student-centered discussion.

Instruction in the program employs student-centered and/or interactive pedagogical strategies to varying degrees, depending on class size and instructor training and inclination. As mentioned in Element 5.1, the required breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 310 (Planetary Climate Change) exemplifies the systematic application of a broad spectrum of engaging teaching styles and techniques, in part, to model effective pedagogical practices for future secondary science teachers. The course makes inquiry-based learning its primary pedagogical strategy, usually employing information technologies but occasionally physical materials and equipment. Informal peer instruction typically occurs spontaneously and is encouraged. Presentation of topics in the course is organized to make connections among topics frequent and straightforward to establish, and students are directly or indirectly encouraged to make such connections themselves. The course also frequently asks students to work collaboratively in small groups followed by whole-class discussion led by the instructor. Every student must co-lead a whole-class discussion about several related papers in the scientific literature. Direct instruction (in the form of lecture) is used intermittently, and usually only briefly, as needed [see Appendix 5, pp. 38-39].

The required course SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) provides another excellent example of a class that demands a high degree of student engagement and applies a multitude of teaching styles and methodologies (see Appendix PS).

The following table lists distinct teaching styles and program courses that exemplify their use:

Teaching Styles Course Examples EvidenceDirect Instruction BIOL 230, 240, 350, 355, 401, 482, 524,

525, 529, 585, 630, 652; CHEM 115, 215; PHYS 111; MATH 124, 226


Discourse BIOL 230, 402, 482, 524, 526, 529, 585, 630, 652; SCI 510; GEOL 405

Syllabi, Appendix PS;

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see bracketed items

Demonstrations BIOL 230, 351, 402, 436, 526, 631, 652; PHYS 112, 122; ASTR 116; GEOL 110, 405


Individual Learning Instruction

BIOL 240, 652; SCI 510 Syllabi, Appendix PS; see bracketed items

Cooperative Learning Instruction

BIOL 435, 524, 652; SCI 510; GEOL 405 Syllabi, Appendix PS; see bracketed items

Peer Instruction BIOL 351, 526, 585, 613, 631, 652; SCI 510; GEOL 405


Student-Centered Discussion

BIOL, 652; SCI 510 Syllabi, Appendix PS; see bracketed items

Required Element 5.3 Faculty development programs provide tangible support for subject matter faculty to explore and use exemplary and innovative curriculum practices.

The Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (CTFD) at SFSU supports faculty for the institution-wide goal of teaching excellence. Providing programs and activities that promote curricular development and improved instructional skills and pedagogy is part of the CTFDs mission [see Appendix 5, pp. 40-42].

CTFD provides individual faculty consultations; resources for course design; suggestions for construction of syllabi; guidelines for rubrics and effective grading; ideas for enhancing classroom participation; specific ways to improve the teaching of large classes and lectures; information on problem-based learning; plans for increased use of educational technology; and an extensive, on-going list of workshops in the above areas [see Appendix 5, pp. 43-52; 61-64]. Workshops for the Fall 2008 semester, for example, included the topics of on-line learning; facilitating large classes; creating and selecting instructional methods; classroom administration; enhancing writing proficiency for students; engaging students in class; improving student research skills; and the use of multimedia in the classroom [see Appendix 5, pp. 53-60].

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Individual Biology faculty members have also received encouragement and support in the form of grants from outside agencies to promote improved educational methods and programs. For example, Dr. Diana Chu received a $655,000 grant from the National Science Foundation that will, in part, help instructors improve students’ writing skills [see Appendix 5, pp. 64-65]. Drs. John Stubbs and Kimberly Tanner received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to run the SFSU GK-12 fellows project from 2003 to the present. This contributed, in part, to the current BIOL 652 course in early educational fieldwork experiences [see Appendix 5, p. 66-74]. In 2007, Jamie Chan and co-investigators from the Department of Biology received a grant from the Center for Science and Math Education to develop inquiry-based activities for the lab portion of the required introductory course BIOL 240 [see Appendix 5, p. 75-77]. Also in 2007, Dr. Kimberly Tanner received a similar CSME grant to study the role of biological education in students’ environmental conceptions and misconceptions.

Required Element 5.4 Program faculty use varied and innovative teaching strategies, which provide opportunities for prospective teachers to learn how content is conceived and organized for instruction in a way that fosters conceptual understanding as well as procedural knowledge.

Program faculty use varied strategies to engage candidates in high-level interactions with course content to improve their understanding and ability to teach.

For example, in the required genetics course BIOL 355, students break into groups and analyze and carry out a theoretical three-point test cross—that is, they predict the percentages of offspring in a population that will inherit each of the eight possible genotype combinations (both parental and cross-over) of three specific genes. After the students problem-solve the cross, they present their results to other students in the discussion section.

Virtually every mid-term and final in an SSMPP course contains synthesis questions that require a student to interact with course content at the level of critical thinking, integration, and analysis. Every program candidate in Biology will have undertaken and benefited from dozens of such integrative experiences. For a detailed example from BIOL 355, see Appendix 5, pp. 78-79.

In BIOL 402, Microbiology Laboratory (which fulfills the requirement to take a cell biology or physiology laboratory course), students are given an unknown culture, choose analytic techniques, make a sequential plan, carry out an analysis, and report back results and conclusions [see syllabus in Appendix PS].

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In BIOL 526, Plant Physiology Laboratory, another course that fulfils the same laboratory requirement, students must do similar analyses, however they begin by designing their own experiments, carrying them out, and reporting results in both oral and written form [see syllabus in Appendix PS and course materials, Appendix 5, pp. 80-83].

In BIOL 652, students use varied strategies including observation, planning, cooperative learning, hands-on instruction, case-study analysis, evaluation of their teaching techniques and styles, oral and written presentations, and other approaches to interact with biology education at al high level and to thoroughly understand their field experiences in the San Francisco public schools [see Appendix PS, and course materials, Appendix 6, pp. 15-34].

SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) provides another model for how organizing, analyzing, and communicating information about a complex problem can enhance understanding of concepts relevant to the problem (see syllabus in Appendix PS).

GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) provides yet another example of a required breadth course that models for future science teachers how they can select, organize, and present content to enable and encourage students themselves to make interconnections among concepts and thus to reinforce conceptual understanding. In addition, at several points during the semester students work collaboratively in small groups to assemble hierarchical concept maps and dynamic system diagrams showing relationships among key ideas or climate system components, respectively. Late in the course, students co-lead discussions about articles from the scientific literature that invoke and apply concepts introduced earlier. Students are then asked to write a paper synthesizing information from those articles (and others that they must find) to address several themes that run through much of the course [see syllabus in Appendix PS]. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to discuss the pedagogical approach with the co-instructors. The strategy of interweaving and reinforcing concepts in a variety of ways seems to engage students throughout the semester, and based on quantitative analysis of a pre- and post-semester concept map assessment most students demonstrably learn the subject matter effectively [see http://www.funnel.sfsu/courses/gm310/assessment].

Required Element 5.5 Program coursework and fieldwork include the examination and use of various kinds of technology that are appropriate to the subject matter discipline.

Most courses in the program, particularly lab courses or courses with labs, employ computer application software or common measurement instruments as instructional aids. Students are taught to use the software or instrumentation as

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necessary. Since most of the courses in the program can be part of a B.A. degree program in biology, and since none are education methods courses per se, students always use these technologies in the context of the discipline being taught. Standard 3, Required Element 3.1 lists many specific technological instruments and methods used in SSMPP courses.

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Standard 6: Early Field Experiences The program provides prospective Single Subject teachers with planned, structured field experiences in departmentalized classrooms beginning as early as possible in the subject matter program. These classroom experiences are linked to program coursework and give a breadth of experiences across grade levels and with diverse populations. The early field experience program is planned collaboratively by subject matter faculty, teacher education faculty and representatives from school districts. The institution cooperates with school districts in selecting schools and classrooms for introductory classroom experiences. The program includes a clear process for documenting each prospective teacher’s observations and experiences.

The SSMPP in Biology is fortunate in having strong, coordinated academic leadership and the support of the Science Education Partnership and Assessment Lab (SEPAL) and the Center for Science and Math Education (CSME) to facilitate valuable early field experiences for potential biology teachers.

Biology faculty member Kimberly Tanner, a biology education specialist, directs the Science Education Partnership and Assessment Lab (SEPAL) at SFSU. SEPAL offers several programs that pair SFSU undergraduates (as well as graduate students) with K-12 teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) [see Appendix 6, pp. 1-5] and other Bay Area public schools. SSMPP candidates enroll in BIOL 652, which Dr. Tanner teaches along with Allison Busch and other instructors. SEPAL sponsors and helps coordinate this biology education seminar and fieldwork course, during which biology teacher candidates accumulate 66 or more hours of early fieldwork training and experience. (See detailed explanation in Required Elements 6.1 and 6.3.) Enrollees teach hands-on science lessons and activities that require them to revisit and apply their biology content knowledge so they can share it effectively with teacher and student partners.

BIOL 652, which is a required course for the SSMPP in biology, represents a close collaboration between the Department of Biology, the College of Education, SFUSD administrators and teachers, and those at other Bay Area public schools. Students can enroll in BIOL 652 after completion of BIOL 230, 240 (Introductory Biology I and II), or one upper division biology course with instructor consent. Since students usually take BIOL 230 and 240 in their first two years of study, the field experience of BIOL 652 can come early in their preparation for biology teaching. They can take the course later in their SSMP program, as well, for additional field experience [see course syllabus, Appendix 6, p. 6].

The College of Education’s Credential Services Teacher Preparation Center also provides prospective teachers with information on gaining early field experience [see Appendix 6, p. 7-10].

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The center also provides several additional kinds of support: It helps recruit and advise science students interested in teaching. It coordinates several scholarships and fellowships. As described in Standard 2, Required Element 2.2, CSME sponsors a financial support program for pre-service teachers called the Math and Science Teaching Initiative (MSTI) that helps recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds. MSTI fellowships provide stipends of $2,000 per semester; extra advising and mentoring for pathways into science and math teaching; meetings with other fellows and advisors; and access to teaching opportunities [see Appendix 6, pp. 11-13]. MSTI is CSME’s primary fellowship-granting program for preservice teachers. To qualify for this financial support, students must get 15 hours per semester of field experience in K-12 teaching.

CSME helps sponsor additional types of field experiences for prospective science teachers, including a NASA program called Spaceward Bound. This program provides financial support for selected pre-service science teachers to practice “expeditionary learning” by doing supervised field studies in biology, geology, and other sciences related to space research. So far, a number of SFSU pre-service teachers have traveled to the Mojave Desert to carry out field research with NASA and CSU scientists and engineers. An important aspect of this field experience is learning how scientific fieldwork can inform and connect with the work of 6-12th grade teachers [see Appendix 6, p. 14]

Required Element 6.1 Introductory experiences shall include one or more of the following activities: planned observations, instruction or tutoring experiences, and other school based observations or activities that are appropriate for undergraduate students in a subject matter preparation program.

Students enrolled in BIOL 652 get a wealth of in-service learning fieldwork as well as a sound academic footing in effective ways to teach biology. They have the opportunity to:

--explore and develop their own understanding of biological concepts--practice and develop their own teaching style and philosophy--gain skills in biology teaching and the development of biology lessons that

engage students in scientific investigations--increase their knowledge of research, theories, and policies that shape K-

12 biology education--share their knowledge and enthusiasm for science with K-12 students in

San Francisco [See course syllabus and description, Appendix PS]Biology 652 students collaborate in teams of two, working in conjunction

with one to two SFUSD teachers (or those from other districts) to prepare six biology lessons for students at one of a number of Bay Area schools.

In their planning sessions to prepare for six separate 1 to 1 ½ hour classroom biology lessons—each taught in two classrooms--BIOL 652 students spend about 24 hours in direct planning with student co-teachers and with certificated secondary education life science teachers. The students spend 12 to 18 hours in direct, supervised classroom instruction to teach the lessons. They

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also spend 30 hours attending a two-hour seminar course each week for 15 weeks on effective biology learning and teaching. [Topics are listed in course syllabus, Appendix PS] In total, student receive 66 to 72 hours of early fieldwork training and experience.Required Element 6.2 Prospective teachers’ early field experiences are substantively linked to the content of coursework in the program.

BIOL 652 counts as 4 units toward both the SSMPP and the majors degree in Biology because the coursework is substantially linked to biological as well as pedagogical content. Enrolled students revisit their biology content knowledge and common misconceptions in biology in order to prepare six life science lessons. Students prepare lessons plans and case studies that require them to review biological topics such as photosynthesis, respiration, plant growth requirements, and consumption and digestion in herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Appendix 6, pp. 15-25, presents three typical student-generated lesson plans that apply their own biological knowledge on the topics of animal nutritional modes, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration. Lesson plans can come from any area of biological science.

Required Element 6.3 Fieldwork experiences for all prospective teachers include significant interactions with K-12 students from diverse populations represented in California public schools and cooperation with at least one carefully selected teacher certificated in the discipline of study.

Typically, two pre-service teachers enrolled in BIOL 652 are partnered with one or two certificated secondary education life science teachers in Bay Area schools. Like SFSU, this district is renown for its racial and ethnic diversity. No group represents more than 30 percent of the student population, and Asians, Latinos, Filipinos, African Americans, Caucasians, and others are well represented. The school district thus serves a highly diverse urban population that represents a full spectrum of California racial and ethnic groups. The SFSU students attend a three-hour orientation session with their teacher partners at the beginning of the semester. Throughout the semester, they meet in a series of planning sessions to prepare their six classroom lessons. During the six 1 to 1 ½ hour lessons delivered to two separate classes, the students have frequent and intensive interactions with junior high school students. These include instruction; demonstrations of techniques; leading group discussions; providing one-on-one help during experiments and other class activities; and assessments of student understanding. [See course syllabus and description, Appendix PS].

Required Element 6.4 Prospective teachers will have opportunities to reflect on and analyze their early field experiences in relation to course content. These opportunities may include field experience journals, portfolios, and discussions in the subject matter courses, among others.

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The pre-service teachers in BIOL 652 have numerous opportunities to reflect upon and analyze their early fieldwork experiences.

--Each student writes 15 reflective journal entries, one per week of the semester, which they submit to the course instructor. [See Guidelines for Electronic Reflective Journals, Appendix 6, p. 26] They spend 45 minutes per entry, write 600 to 800 words, and address prompts such as these:

• How are you using questions in your teaching? When do you use them during a lesson and for what purpose?

• Record questions, written and verbal, that you, your SFSU partner, and your teacher partner asked during your first lesson.

• At this point in time, what are you most struggling with in your teaching?• What did you learn this week through your teaching partnership

experience?[For examples of reflective journal prompts, see Appendix 6, pp. 27-30]

--Students each write a detailed case study that analyzes and works through a teaching dilemma and arrives at a successful solution. These are presented during the seminar portion of BIOL 652, thus each student is exposed to a dozen or more realistic problem situations and resolutions. [See case study assignment; Appendix 6, p. 31]

--Students reflect upon and write a statement of personal teaching philosophy. This becomes part of their course portfolio and students often find it relevant to identifying and reaching their employment goals. [See teaching statement assignment; Appendix 6, pp. 32-3]

--Students write a final individual reflection of what they learned from their field and seminar experiences in BIOL 652 and how they learned it. [See final reflective assignment; Appendix 6, p. 34].

Together, these journaling and analytic assignments provide structure through which students can thoroughly evaluate and understand their biology teaching experiences as well as solidify their conceptual knowledge of biology.

Required Element 6.5 Each prospective teacher is primarily responsible for documenting early field experiences. Documentation is reviewed as part of the program requirements.

As described in Element 6.4, each student reflects upon, analyzes, and documents their biology teaching fieldwork through written lesson plans, journal entries, case studies, personal teaching philosophy, and a final evaluation. The course instructor reviews and assesses all documentation for each student as a required part of his or her SSMP program in Biology. The course syllabus clearly states the criteria for evaluating each student’s participation and achievement on

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a 600-point scale. [See syllabus, Appendix PS].

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Standard 7: Assessment of Subject Matter Competence The program uses formative and summative multiple measures to assess the subject matter competence of each candidate. The scope and content of each candidate’s assessment is consistent with the content of the subject matter requirements of the program and with institutional standards for program completion.

No preamble statement presented in 2005 draft of this proposal, nor requested by reviewers.

Required Element 7.1 Assessment within the program includes multiple measures such as student performances, presentations, research projects, portfolios, field experience journals, observations, and interviews as well as oral and written examinations based on criteria established by the institution.

Courses in the SSMPP in biology employ a wide array of assessments to insure that students have acquired an understanding of the common principles, methods, and communications within all sciences; an in-depth knowledge of the concepts, vocabulary, and disciplinary thinking within biology; a knowledge of the basic concepts, vocabulary, and disciplinary thinking within chemistry, physics, and geosciences; and the ability to demonstrate scientific understanding through experimental design, analysis, and communication of results in planned and original laboratory work.

The required introductory biology sequence, for example, BIOL 230/240, employs a number of assessment approaches in lecture and laboratory portions. These include midterm and final lecture exams; clicker quizzes during lecture [see Standard 3 for details]; diagnostic laboratory quizzes; pre-lab worksheets; lab homework assignments; lab notebooks; and individual and group lab reports.

Each SSMPP candidate in biology is required to take a physiology course [BIOL 525, 612, or 630] and either the companion physiology laboratory course or a cell biology lab. BIOL 525/526, Plant Physiology and lab, are a good example of the multiple assessment measures in this type of sequence, and are typical of the courses in this option. BIOL 525/526 employ lecture exams; class interactive exercises; written, in-class responses to questions; take-home practice problem sets; lab notebooks; short term papers consisting of literature reviews of articles from principle plant physiology literature; in-depth term papers describing hypotheses, experimental design, and results of an open-ended lab assignment; poster presentations of open-ended lab work; oral presentations of open-ended lab work; and direct observation of each student’s lab attendance, participation, and proficiency [see syllabi in Appendix PS].

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Required Element 7.2 The scope and content of each assessment is congruent with the specifications for the subject matter knowledge and competence as indicated in the content domains of the Commission-adopted subject matter requirement.

Instructors for each course in the SSMPP in biology evaluate student

understanding of course content in numerous ways throughout each semester. Below is a matrix showing the courses required for the SSMPP in Biology and the specific kinds of assessments used in each. Eleven forms of assessment are represented here. Evidence for the assessments used in each course can be found in course syllabi [See Appendix PS].

Courses Written Exams

Assign-ments

Quizzes On-line quizzes

Lab Notebook

Formal Lab Report

Oral Presenta-tion

Short Paper

Term Paper

Poster

BIOL 230

X X X X X X

BIOL 240 X X X X X X X XCHEM 115

X X X X X

CHEM 130

X X X

CHEM 215

X X X

PHYS 111/112

X X X X X X

PHY 121/122

X X X X X

MATH 226 or 124

X X X

SCI 510 X X X X X X XBIOL 355 X X X X XBIOL 337 X X X X XBIOL 652 X X X X X X XOne of the Following:BIOL 525 X X X X X XBIOL 612 X X X X X XBIOL 630 X X X X X XOne of the Following:BIOL 350 X X X X XBIOL 401 X X X X XBIOL 435 X X X X XBIOL450 X X X X XBIOL 524 X X X X XCHEM 349

X X X X X

One of the Following:BIOL 351 X X X X X XBIOL 402 X X X X X X X X XBIOL 436 X X X X X X X X XBIOL526 X X X X X XBIOL613 X X X X X XBIOL 631 X X X X X XOne of

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the Following:BIOL 482 X X X X X X X X XBIOL 529 X X X X X X X X XBIOL 585 X X X X X X X X X

Required Element 7.3 End-of-program summative assessment of subject matter competence includes a defined process that incorporates multiple measures for evaluation of performance.

SFSU’s SSMPP in biology has a three-part summative assessment of subject matter competence. First, all candidates are required to take BIOL 652, a program of early fieldwork experiences in biology teaching in conjunction with the San Francisco Unified School District. Candidates are allowed to take the course more than once to enlarge their practical experience and application of biological concepts, and may do so after an introductory biology course and one upper division biology as well as later, after many upper division courses. Students in BIOL 652 revisit the major elements of their biology courses as they prepare six lesson plans to teach at the secondary level. Course instructor Dr. Kimberly Tanner, a Biological Educator, working together with co-instructor Alison Busch, assesses their lesson plans and the students’ mastery of biology, as well as all other aspects of the teaching fieldwork. Students submit and the instructor evaluates reflective journal entries; a detailed written case study of a commonly encountered teaching dilemma; an oral presentation of their personal solutions; statements of their individual teaching philosophy and reflections; and a course portfolio of all journaling and analytical assignments and practical classroom experiences.

Second, all SSMPP candidates will be required to take the capstone course, SCI 510, Search for Solutions, which draws connections among various disciplines and interrelationships among science, technology, and society. Students research a significant science-based phenomenon such as global warming and its effects on society. Each student proposes a solution to one aspect of the problem; creates hypotheses, predictions, and test procedures; and reports in a detailed term paper, PowerPoint display, and oral presentation [see Appendix PS]. By evaluating all of these, instructors get a summative assessment of each student’s competence in several interrelated sciences, as well as in methodology and applications.

Third, there are two forms of end-of-program assessment. Program advisors keep track of candidates’ subject matter competency, in the same way as subject matter competency is reviewed and tabulated for the teaching credential [see Appendix 7, p. 1]. In addition, graduating seniors fill out a required exit survey that includes content and attitudinal questions. The Department of Biology tabulates the results of both question types and uses the data to inform

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their program revisions. Appendix 7, pp. 2-14, shows the questions and recent tabulations.

Required Element 7.4 Assessment scope, process, and criteria are clearly delineated and made available to students when they begin the program.

Students in the SSMPP in biology have access to several clear sources of information about assessment scope, procedures, and criteria while in the program.

On its general advising webpage, the Department of Biology states the minimum GPA for its majors and minors, including those in the Bachelor of Arts in General Biology degree which is very similar to the SSMPP. Potential candidates are directed to SSMPP advisors who can also go over the grading policies [see Appendix 7, pp. 15-24].

COSE’s CSME distributes electronic and hard copies of a SSMPP packet to all potential candidates [see Appendix 7, pp. 25-30]. This discusses subject matter competency, required grade point averages, and the requirements and content of BIOL 652, the early fieldwork course.

Finally, the SFSU Bulletin for 2008/2009 discusses grading policies and systems in depth. It provides basic definitions of A,B,C,D, and F work [see Appendix 7, pp. 31-36]; the determination of grade point average; and the university-wide procedures for student grade-change appeals. In each course syllabus, the instructor presents parameters for assessment as a basis for student preparedness as well as appeals. These multiple avenues provide each SSMPP candidate an overview of the program’s performance expectations and assessments.

Required Element 7.5 Program faculty regularly evaluate the quality, fairness, and effectiveness of the assessment process, including its consistency with program requirements.

SFSU’s Department of Biology has numerous mechanisms for evaluating the quality, fairness, and effectiveness of the assessment process in all of its courses and sequences, including the SSMPP in biology.

The Department’s assessment subcommittee holds focus groups with students; considers the tabulated data from the graduating seniors subject matter competence and attitudinal survey; and writes an annual assessment report about departmental and individual course practices.

The Department’s curriculum subcommittee considers the course plan for each course, including how students are assessed. They report to the entire faculty, which votes to approve or disapprove the course plan.

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Peer and student evaluations are a regular part of every biology course. Each semester, two independent faculty members come to a class session of each course taught by a faculty member seeking tenure and write formal evaluations of instructor effectiveness, including assessment practices. Student evaluations are mandatory each semester for each course, regardless of instructor. The Department Chair reviews peer and student evaluations. Both figure prominently in the departmental tenure process.

The Department Chair handles individual student complains and appeals regarding assessment issues such as petitions for grade changes.

A cadre of biology faculty who are general biology advisors handle student advisement for the SSMPP candidates, check student transcripts for compliance with pre-requisites, and monitor student demand for required courses (past, present, future) such as BIOL 355.

As stated in Standard 10, COSE’s CSME works with individual science departments to oversee the SSMPPs in all science disciplines. This includes monitoring course offerings to insure compliance with program goals and state requirements.

Required Element 7.6 The institution that sponsors the program determines, establishes and implements a standard of minimum scholarship (such as overall GPA, minimum course grade or other assessments) of program completion for prospective single subject teachers.

The SFSU Bulletin for 2008/2009 discusses grading policies and systems in depth. It provides basic definitions of A,B,C,D, and F work [see Appendix 7, pp. 31-36]; the determination of grade point average; and the university-wide procedures for student grade-change appeals. In each course syllabus, the instructor presents parameters for assessment as a basis for student preparedness as well as appeals. The SFSU Department of Biology states the minimum GPA for its majors and minors, including those in the Bachelor of Arts in General Biology degree which is very similar to the SSMPP. Finally, students using the CSME single subject matter packet [see Appendix 7, pp. 37-53] will find that a GPA (2.67 overall or 2.75 in last 60 semester units) is required for entry into the teacher certification program at SFSU [see Appendix 7, pp. 37-38; 49].

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Standard 8: Advisement and Support The subject matter program includes a system for identifying, advising and retaining prospective Single Subject teachers. This system will comprehensively address the distinct needs and interests of a range of prospective teachers, including resident prospective students, early deciders entering blended programs, groups underrepresented among current teachers, prospective teachers who transfer to the institution, and prospective teachers in career transition.

The efforts of, and coordination between a number of resource centers at SFSU results in the identification and encouragement of prospective biology teachers, advising as to SSMPP requirements, and the improved retention of program candidates.

The initial interface with resident students, early deciders, and transfer students is usually the Biology Department, its website [see Appendix 8, p. 1-20] and its SSMPP advisors; COSE’s Student Resource Center for Science and Engineering Students [details in Required Element 8.2]; and/or COSE’s Center for Science and Math Education. Once identified as prospective candidates for the SSMPP in biology, students are referred to appropriate biology department advisors for help with program planning, transfer credits, and tracking required courses through graduation. The Department maintains reciprocal links with CSME, which provides ongoing encouragement, financial stipends, and other forms of support such as fellowships and field opportunities [see Appendix 8, p. 4].

The initial interface for current teachers without single subject matter credentials, including underrepresented groups, as well as for college graduates making career transitions, is usually the Department of Education’s Credential Services and Teacher Preparation Center (CSTPC). This center publicizes and holds monthly orientation sessions to identify and encourage prospective teachers [see Appendix 8, pp. 21-26]. If a candidate needs to fulfill undergraduate biology courses, he or she will be referred to biology department advisors including SSMPP advisors.

Required Element 8.1 The institution will develop and implement processes for identifying prospective Single Subject teachers and advising them about all program requirements and career options.

As described above, the biology department, COSE, CSME, and CSTPC have each developed and implemented processes for identifying potential science teacher candidates and directing them to the appropriate advisors and advisement information. The Department of Biology has printed information for walk-in candidates and maintains a complete website for Biology Advising Information [see Appendix 8, pp. 1-20]. The first page, for example, asks students, “Interested in Teaching K-12 Biology?” [see Appendix 8. P. 2] and

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provides a link to advisor names, phone numbers, and office hours of advisors knowledgeable in SSMPP requirements and program planning. The website itself also provides complete on-line information on breadth and depth requirements and electives [see Appendix 8, p. 9-12]. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with one of several advisors to help them outline a semester-by-semester program. A cadre of biology faculty who are general biology advisors handle student advisement for the SSMPP candidates, check student transcripts for compliance with pre-requisites, and monitor student demand for required courses.

Both COSE and CSME web materials and office personnel can direct potential biology teachers to the same advisement system. CSME web materials link candidates directly to on-line biology advisement pages as well as provide contact information for departmental advisors.

CSTPC associates direct current teachers and other career professionals to that center’s printed and on-line materials which address subject matter competency [see Appendix 8, pp. 21-22]. CSTPC also provides in-person advising. This may include completing courses within the approved subject matter program in biology; these students are directed to biology department advisors for the SSMPP.

Required Element 8.2 Advisement services will provide prospective teachers with information about their academic progress, including transfer agreements and alternative paths to a teaching credential, and describe the specific qualifications needed for each type of credential, including the teaching assignments it authorizes.

SFSU’s Center for Science and Math Education tracks current California State credential requirements and works with SSMPP advisors in the biology department to insure their understanding of the requirements of the single subject matter program; transfer agreements between SFSU and California community colleges and between SFSU and other California State University campuses and other universities; issues relating to transfer of units from institutions not party to the formal transfer agreements; the distinctions among and limitations on different types of credentials in California; and the alternative paths leading to the various credentials. [For more detail on CSME’s involvement, see evidence presented in Standards 9 and 10.]

The SFSU College of Science and Engineering urges each of its science departments to require or strongly recommend direct meetings between advisors and majors each semester, including students in single subject matter programs. This helps insure that advisors are updated regularly on each student’s academic status in the program. The ratio of SSMPP candidates in biology to academic advisors to is approximately 20 to 1.

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Students are required to print out and bring with them to advisement appointments a Single Subject Science Competence: Biological Sciences Worksheet [see Appendix 8, pp. 23-24 for the worksheets now used in the current approved SSMPP]. These track their academic progress toward the SSMPP in biology. Program candidates in biology who are within a few semesters of graduation fill out a graduation checklist and bring this to their advisement sessions [see Appendix 8, p. 25-30].

The SFSU Academic Senate has established a Policy on Undergraduate Academic Advising that delineates at least five pivotal points at which students should seek and obtain academic advising, including the point at which the student enters a program such as the SSMPP in biology [see Appendix 8, pp. 31-35]. Students are responsible for a number of things, including seeking academic advising from the appropriate sources at pivotal and other times and maintaining a personal academic advising folder to take to each advisement session. Faculty advisors, departments, and programs have additional responsibilities, including appointing and training advisors; establishing advisement mechanisms; producing informational materials; creating advisement plans and criteria for students on probation; and evaluating the effectiveness of their advisement process [see Appendix 8, pp. 34-35].

Required Element 8.3 The subject matter program facilitates the transfer of prospective teachers between post-secondary institutions, including community colleges, through effective outreach and advising and the articulation of courses and requirements. The program sponsor works cooperatively with community colleges to ensure that subject matter coursework at feeder campuses is aligned with the relevant portions of the State-adopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 Students in California Public Schools.

The Curriculum Committee for the Department of Biology makes formal assessments of course equivalency between institutions before recommending or denying articulation to the SFSU Articulation Officer. The recommendation is reviewed by the Department and COSE, and signatures from the Curriculum Chair or Associate Chair, as well as from the Dean or Associate Dean of COSE, go back to the University Articulation Officer. If articulation is denied, reasons are provided in writing on the articulation request form and communicated to the institution requesting articulation. Science courses that are covered by the articulation agreements are considered equivalent in content to SFSU science courses. Science courses equivalent to courses in our program are therefore aligned with the relevant portions of the State-adopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 Students in California Public Schools. See Appendix 8, pp. 36-57 for examples of correspondence and departmental data demonstrating discussions of articulation issues and agreements in geology breadth requirements for the SSMPP in biology and other science disciplines, as well as in the geology major.

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Students enrolled at community colleges or other institutions can see the results of formal articulation agreements by visiting the Assist website www.assist.org. A student taking biology courses at City College of San Francisco, for example, can see course equivalents at SFSU for required courses in the SSMPP [see Appendix 8, pp. 58-60].

COSE’s CSME has assembled a Teacher Advisory Board and a process (see Standard 9) for facilitating the transfer of prospective science teachers from community colleges. The single subject matter advisor in biology is responsible for advising transfer students who express an interest in teaching biology [see Appendix 8, p. 61].

Required Element 8.4 The institution establishes clear and reasonable criteria and allocates sufficient time and personnel resources to enable qualified personnel to evaluate prospective teachers’ previous coursework and/or fieldwork for meeting subject matter requirements.

A cadre of biology faculty who are general biology advisors handle student advisement for the SSMPP candidates, check student transcripts for compliance with pre-requisites, and monitor student demand for required courses. These advisors are fully versed in all aspects of the program and evaluate coursework for subject matter requirements. They work for the program as part of the 20% of full time effort the institution expects each faculty member to devote to university service. They also evaluate course materials to help provide equivalency authorization when no formal articulation agreements exist. In addition, they will often consult with other faculty members who teach specific courses to make a final evaluation and sign an authorization form [see Appendix 8, p. 63].

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http://www.assist.org/

Standard 9: Program Review and Evaluation The institution implements a comprehensive, ongoing system for periodic review of and improvement to the subject matter program. The ongoing system of review and improvement involves university faculty, community college faculty, student candidates and appropriate public schools personnel involved in beginning teacher preparation and induction. Periodic reviews shall be conducted at intervals not exceeding 5 years.

SFSU’s College of Science and Engineering (COSE) is fortunate in having The Center for Science and Math Education (CSME)--a college-wide body charged with improving the quality of teaching within COSE and more broadly, with promoting and improving the preparation of more K-12 science teachers--to help review and evaluate single subject matter programs [see Required Elements 9.2-9.4]

The program review and evaluation includes both formative and summative elements. Interim (formative) data will be collected each year, and five year longitudinal reviews will be the basis for the summative review.

While CSME will spearhead the evaluation, the Center plans to enlist some or all of the following individuals and groups to contribute to the reviews:1) A well-respected evaluator [e.g. Dr. Elsa Bailey, who has evaluated the MSTI program at SFSU, or the CSME director] .2) SSMPP advisors from the biology faculty (e.g., Drs. Sally Pasion, Kimberly Tanner, Carmen Domingo, and/or others)3) College of Education professor Larry Horvath, who teaches the Curriculum and Instruction course in science for COE’s secondary credential program; 4) Dr. Jeanne D’Arcy, Director of science and math teacher professional development for the San Francisco Unified Schools;5) Ms. Kathleen White, Director of teacher professional development for the City College of San Francisco.

The reviews themselves will include: 1) Data from current students, regarding the effectiveness of program elements; 2) data from SFSU biology alumni, particularly those who have moved into teaching and into teaching credential programs; and 3) reviews of curricular materials and other program elements. For details see Required Element 9.1.

Formative data will be collected annually. A complete program review will take place every 5 years. Additionally, any new developments in California’s Biology Standards will spark an immediate review of SFSU’s biology SSMPP program to determine whether changes need to be made to comply with revisions in the Standards. For example, recent changes in California’s plan to implement algebra for all 8th graders has led to SFSU’s consideration of how to

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better prepare prospective middle and elementary school teachers to teach algebra. Similarly, if major changes are made in the Biology Standards, CSME and the biology faculty will immediately address ways that SFSU’s program can adjust to meet the changing Standards.

Beyond the CSME review process, each SFSU department undergoes a formal program review every five years, with self-review, external review, and university review components. The goal of these regular reviews is to identify and articulate the values, competencies, and learning outcomes expected for each program, assessing the currency of learning objectives and describing how those learning objectives have been revised in response to changing needs and new knowledge. The purpose also includes assessing how well the articulated values, competencies, and learning outcomes have been achieved and describing methods being explored as to their achievement. Improvements to course presentations in the SSMPP in biology will be carried out as part of departmental self-studies conducted every five years. An explanation of the process and its guidelines in the Handbook for the Fifth Cycle of Academic Program Review, appears in Appendix 9, pp. 1-4.

Required Element 9.1 Each periodic review includes an examination of program goals, design, curriculum, requirements, student success, technology uses, advising services, assessment procedures and program outcomes for prospective teachers.

The CSME evaluation of the SSMPP in biology will list all major outcomes for SFSU program candidates as well as for the program itself. The Center director and personnel will accomplish this work, followed by the establishment of a timeline for implementing the goals.

For 5-year reviews, CSME will convene expert review panels, consisting of: The CSME Director (convener)2 Biology faculty members1 science education professor from the SFSU Department of Education1 representative from San Francisco Public Schools1 representative from City College of San Francisco.

This group will be provided with the following data:• course syllabi from courses for prospective biology teachers;• synthesized evaluation data from these courses;• data from CSME and SFSU’s Teacher Preparation Center regarding the movement of prospective biology teachers into credential programs and into the classroom.

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• data regarding students’ strategies for entering credential programs: To what extent are they enrolled in the approved SSMPP and to what extent are they taking the CSET as a way of entering credential programs?

The group will be asked to review these data and address these questions:1) To what extent is core course content aligned with the needs of prospective science teachers?2) To what extent is course content aligned with high school biology Standards in California?3) To what extent are biology students engaging in the single subject matter preparation program, versus taking the CSET as an entry method into teaching?

As a result of the 5-year reviews, CSME may institute more in-depth evaluation procedures to identify reasons for key findings. For example, an important outcome is the decrease of students using CSET as an entry level into credential programs and an increase in students enrolled in the approved biology program as preparation for their credential program. If we find no changes in these indicators, we will interview new credential students to determine why they have chosen one entry method versus another.

The summative (Year 5) evaluation will also involve a review of all longitudinal data by an outside evaluator such as Dr. Elsa Bailey. Outcomes will be considered by the entire team named above. In addition, we will obtain validation of the evaluation by requesting one or more independent reviewers from other CSUs which have similar teacher preparation programs.

Required Element 9.2 Each program review examines the quality and effectiveness of collaborative partnerships with secondary schools and community colleges.

SFSU prepares the majority of science teachers for the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), and works closely with the District to ensure that teacher preparation programs are aligned with the needs of the City’s public schools. While teachers who prepare at SFSU also teach in other districts, the evaluation focus will be on ensuring that the partnership with SFUSD is working well: Is SFUSD satisfied with the quality of biology and general science teachers who go through the SSMPP at SFSU? How could we enhance teacher preparation?

To address these questions, the five-year review will include a component on “SFSU-SFUSD Partnerships.” We will address the overall level of satisfaction of SFUSD school personnel with the quality of SFSU-prepared science teachers by analyzing longitudinal data collected annually as part of the BIOL 652 course. In this course, teachers who have been paired with SFSU students are asked to evaluate their student partners.

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Another component to the partnership evaluation involves “SFSU-City College Partnerships.” Again, many community colleges function as feeder schools to SFSU, but we will focus resources on evaluating our major partnership with City College. A key rationale for SFSU’s decision is that City College has a very strong teacher preparation program, and due to its location, it already has a strong partnership with SFSU. There is a “Bridge Articulation” program that prepares City College graduates for entry into SFSU and that provides advising for these students when they reach SFSU. The question we will address, and the methods/data sources for addressing it are as follows: To what extent do the City College students who identify science teaching as their major career goal actually pursue this goal when they arrive at SFSU? Using data already gathered by Kathleen White, Director of teacher professional development for City College, CSME will track students identified by City College to monitor their progress at SFSU toward entering a credential program. (Note that the Center will also actively advise these students by involving them in CSME’s teacher preparation activities.)

An additional source of evaluation for the SSMPP in biology will be the Science Education Partnership and Assessment Laboratory (SEPAL). During the administration of BIOL 652, which provides early fieldwork experiences in secondary schools throughout SFUSD, SEPAL staff examine the effectiveness of collaborative partnerships with secondary schools. This evaluation is carried out both at the level of individual students, such as those taking the recommended sequence of courses and electives for the SSMPP in biology (including their required enrollment in BIOL 652) and at the level of participating school teachers. SEPAL director Kimberly Tanner is a biological educator interested in assessing science learning and science teaching across all scientific disciplines. She designed and evaluated an assessment for graduating seniors to gauge their attitudes and experiences in biology courses as part of the Department of Biology’s on-going academic program review. This survey allows for tracking of the percent of graduates who identify teaching as a primary career pathway. The survey questionnaire and tabulation appear in Appendix 9, pp. 5-24.

Required Element 9.3 The program uses appropriate methods to collect data to assess the subject matter program’s strengths, weaknesses and areas that need improvement. Participants in the review include faculty members, current students, recent graduates, education faculty, employers, and appropriate community college and public school personnel.

The CSME Advisory Board, comprising representatives (as described above) of the constituencies defined by this required element, will assess program strengths and shortcomings using data including, but not necessarily limited to, the following: enrollment and graduation statistics; student grades; surveys of

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current students, former students, and interviews with program faculty members, particularly single subject matter program advisors; and standard SFSU student course evaluations. Elements 9.1 and 9.2 address the board members, their participation, and specific assessments for the program evaluation in more detail.

Required Element 9.4 Program improvements are based on the results of periodic reviews, the inclusion and implications of new knowledge about the subject(s) of study, the identified needs of program students and school districts in the region, and curriculum policies of the State of California.

COSE’s CSME, guided by periodic, formal Advisory Board reviews, formal SFSU departmental program reviews, and by more frequent, less formal formative assessments, will monitor the currency of the coursework in the program and the needs of future science teachers and local school districts (as detailed in Elements 9.1 and 9.2) and will recommend program modifications as needed. Assessments by SEPAL director Kimberly Tanner of institutional partnerships and student experiences will also contribute to program improvements. As stated above, CSME will monitor California state curriculum policies and ensure that the program remains in compliance [Appendix 9, pp. 25-27]. Recent improvements to the SSMPP in biology include the implementation of BIOL 652 and its required early fieldwork experiences. BIOL 652 was launched since our original proposal submission, in part to meet needs identified during our work on the SSMPPs. Thus the process of program improvement is already well underway We anticipate that one of the key pieces of data that will go into both our formative and summative assessments will be why (or why not) students choose to pursue the SSMPP in biology rather than opting to take the CSET exams.

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Standard 10: Coordination One or more faculty responsible for program planning, implementation and review coordinate the Single Subject Matter Preparation Program. The program sponsor allocates resources to support effective coordination and implementation of all aspects of the program. The coordinator(s) foster and facilitate ongoing collaboration among academic program faculty, local school personnel, local community colleges and the professional education faculty.

The Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME) takes primary responsibility for administering the biology SSMPP at SFSU. In carrying out this responsibility, the director of CSME works in collaboration with CSME advisors, with COSE, and with the chairperson and SSMPP faculty advisors of the Department of Biology. The many roles played by CSME in coordinating the SSMPPs for all participating science departments are detailed in our responses to and evidence for Standard 9 [see Appendix 9, pp. 25-29].

Required Element 10.1 A program coordinator will be designated from among the academic program faculty.

The director of CSME is responsible for coordinating all the science SSMPPs at SFSU. The current interim director of CSME is Dr. Nilgun Ozer, professor of Engineering. Dr. Ozer works in conjunction with the Department of Biology’s chairperson as well as the departments’ SSMPP advisors, and with CSME advisors [see Required Element 10.2] to coordinate the SSMPP in biology.

Required Element 10.2 The program coordinator provides opportunities for collaboration by faculty, students, and appropriate public school personnel in the design and development of and revisions to the program, and communicates program goals to the campus community, other academic partners, school districts and the public.

CSME has designated an SFSU Science and Mathematics Teacher-Preparation Advisory Board, comprising SFSU and community college faculty members, school district representatives, and current and former students, to offer advice about the structure and administration of the program and to formally review it periodically [see Appendix 10, p. 1] The director also consults periodically with program faculty and other stakeholders about the program. Program faculty from the Department of Biology currently include Drs. Jennifer Breckler, Sally Pasion, and Kimberly Tanner [see Appendix 10, p. 3].

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SFSU’s Department of Biology has primary responsibility for defining, developing, and revising the biology SSMPP. CSME’s director coordinates and administers the program, and works with the Department to define and revise program goals. CSME is primarily responsible for communicating the program goals to the campus community and to other stakeholders. The Center maintains an extensive website describing the ongoing crisis in math and science education; potential solutions; the Center’s own goals and objectives; and its current program. CSME also distributes a printed brochure and SSMPP information packets to potential SSMPP and credential candidates. The director and other Center personnel speak at numerous events, and provide individual advising sessions and other forms of assistance, as needed. They also direct potential candidates to advisors in specific departments such as biology. The specific goals and objectives of CSME, formally initiated in September 2006, include developing, administering, and assessing subject-matter preparation programs in math and science [see Appendix 10, p. 4-8].

CSME has awarded mini-grants, including one that has already improved BIOL 240 (Introductory Biology II), a breadth requirement for all science SSMPP candidates [see Standard 5, Required Element 5.3 and Appendix 10, p. 9-11]. Collaborative external grants have also benefited SFSU science SSMPPs,: A NASA-NOVA grant to Dr. David Dempsey led to the collaborative development of GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) by faculty in both the Department of Geosciences and the College of Education. This integrated geosciences course is a required breadth course for biology SSMPP candidates, and it addresses state standards. A MASTEP mini-grant also led to the development of the required capstone course SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) [see Standard 11, Required Element 11.3 and syllabi in Appendix PS].

Required Element 10.3 The institution allocates sufficient time and resources for faculty coordination and staff support for development, implementation and revision of all aspects of the program.

CSME’s director is a full-time position, and current interim director Dr. Nilgun Ozer, a faculty member in the SFSU School of Engineering, recently stepped away from her directorship of MESA, a minority enrollment program for the School of Engineering, in order to direct CSME. Co-directors drawn from the math and science faculty assist departments with the development of SSMPPs. For their CSME duties, they receive 20 percent release time in addition to the 20 percent of time they and other faculty members are expected to devote to campus service.

In addition, a cadre of biology faculty who are general biology advisors handle student advisement for the SSMPP candidates, check student transcripts for

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compliance with pre-requisites, and monitor student demand for required courses.

Required Element 10.4 The program provides opportunities for collaboration on curriculum development among program faculty.

CSME’s mission includes promoting science and mathematics education grant writing, research, and curriculum development collaborations among faculty within and across disciplines, such as COSE single subject matter faculty and College of Education faculty. Appendix 10 p. 3 lists the CSME faculty and their various disciplines. Appendix 10, pp. 5-6 lists the Center’s specific goals and objectives. Appendix 10, pp. 7, 9, and 10 describe and list numerous curriculum development projects already being directed by CSME’s interdisciplinary faculty. As stated in Required Element 10.2, numerous grants to program faculty have supported curriculum development and improvement for SSMPP requirements.

Required Element 10.5 University and program faculty cooperate with community colleges to coordinate courses and articulate course requirements for prospective teachers to facilitate transfer to a baccalaureate degree-granting institution.

As described in Required Element 8.3, the Curriculum Committee for the Department of Biology makes formal assessments of course equivalency between institutions before recommending or denying articulation to the SFSU Articulation Officer. The recommendation is reviewed by the Department and COSE, and signatures from the Curriculum Chair or Associate Chair, as well as from the Dean or Associate Dean of COSE, go back to the University Articulation Officer. If articulation is denied, reasons are provided in writing on the articulation request form and communicated to the institution requesting articulation. The depth portion of the SSMPP in biology is a large subset of the B.A. in Biology; much of the articulation of courses and lower-division requirements for degree programs therefore also applies to the SSMPP. Additionally, science courses in our program are aligned with the relevant portions of the State-adopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 Students in California Public Schools. See Appendix 8, pp. 36-37 for examples of correspondence demonstrating discussions of articulation issues and agreements.

Students enrolled at community colleges or other institutions can see the results of formal articulation agreements by visiting the Assist website www.assist.org. A student taking biology courses at City College of San Francisco, for example, can see course equivalents at SFSU for required courses in the SSMPP [see Appendix 8, pp. 58-60]. Community college students

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http://www.assist.org/

can also obtain preparation information from the California State University Lower-Division Transfer Pattern Project [see Appendix 10, pp. 12-13].

COSE’s CSME has assembled a Teacher Advisory Board and a process (see Standard 9) for facilitating the transfer of prospective science teachers from community colleges. The single subject matter advisor in biology is responsible for advising transfer students who express an interest in teaching biology.

The CSME director works with department chairs, the SFSU Articulation Officer, and articulation staff and science faculty at local community colleges (for example, through the SFSU Science and Mathematics Teacher-Preparation Advisory Board) to articulate course requirements that facilitate the transfer or prospective science teachers to SFSU. The CSME director also works with departmental single subject matter advisors to ensure that they are prepared to evaluate courses taken at other institutions for transfer credit in our program. For evidence of this cooperation, see Appendix 8, pp. 36-38.

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Standard 11: The Vision for Science The institution articulates a philosophical vision of science and the education of prospective science teachers. Each program references the current Science Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (2002) as part of its vision statement.

SFSU’s College of Science and Engineering (COSE) stated mission (Appendix 11, p. 1) is:

… to provide an encouraging environment to develop the intellectual capacity, critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving ability of its students so that they may become honorable, contributing, and forward-thinking members of the science and engineering community of the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond; to foster a conducive environment for scholarly and creative activities so that new knowledge or solutions to problems are discovered or created; and to provide science education to all students in the University so that they may be equipped to succeed in the modern world.

COSE’s stated vision includes:

… [a commitment] to … recruiting talented students, providing them with high-quality and up-to-date curricula, and fostering an effective teaching/learning environment.

… [a commitment] to offering students an academic experience of “thinking, learning, and doing.” The best way to provide this experience is through involving students in research and the solution of real world problems. Thus, teaching and research are mutually supportive and one cannot excel without the other. The College encourages the faculty to carry on research which involves students and which serves the science and engineering community.

… [a commitment] to full participation in the community through service. This service applies the knowledge and experience of its faculty, staff and students to the solution of problems facing the University, industry, government, or civic organizations. The College will expand its already strong cooperative relationship with various local and national organizations, especially in areas related to K-12 science and math education.

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COSE’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME) articulates a vision for science teacher preparation consistent with the COSE vision for science education. The following excerpt was adapted from material presented on the CSME website [see Appendix 11, pp. 2-3]:

A 2005 report from the National Academies of Science, “Rising Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future,” chronicles the United States' loss of its long-standing global lead in the production of engineers, and the erosion of its lead in the production of other science, technology, engineering and mathematics professionals. In California, more than in almost any other state, industries that drive California’s economy depend heavily upon a continuously growing scientifically and mathematically literate work force. The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) reports that in 2000, the demand in California for workers with science and engineering B.A. degrees exceeded the 20,000 science and engineering B.A. degrees granted by California universities by 14,000.

Factors cited by the CCST as contributing to this shortfall include poor preparation of high school students for college, particularly in math, science and engineering, and low levels of interest expressed by K-12 students in science and engineering. Both of these factors are attributed to a lack of exposure to science and engineering in K-12, and to the inadequate qualifications of many K-12 science and mathematics teachers. This lack of teacher training is, in turn, attributed to the growing shortage of secondary science and mathematics teachers available to teach. Beyond that, it can lead to the poor preparation of students entering college and eventually it can contribute to a large attrition rate (nearly 40 percent) of qualified and certified K-12 science and mathematics teachers from the profession.

The goals of the SFSU Center for Science and Math Education will be to recruit, support, and develop good science and mathematics teachers; to establish and support research into math and science education and promote its application; and to establish a community of math and science education scholars, teachers and students to support and sustain these efforts into the future. Ultimately, the goal is to focus on and encourage the fledgling interest of SFSU students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, and nurture, develop and sustain that interest at SFSU and other CSU schools. Center projects will include developing, administering, and assessing subject-matter preparation programs; recruiting, mentoring, advising, and tracking the training experiences of potential mathematics and science teachers; and training graduate teaching assistants and in-service K-12 math and science teachers.

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The mission of the SFSU Department of Biology includes “…educating future generations of scientists, health professionals, teachers, and citizens,” to help prepare a “science-literate, educated public.” In particular, the department is “committed to serving the needs of a student population with diverse backgrounds and goals…” [see Appendix 11, p. 7].

Through the biology and education courses they take and their contact with faculty members, students in the SSMPP in biology acquire this philosophy of quality science education, hands-on training and experience, and interaction with and service to the community. Throughout their coursework, they encounter a multitude of teaching approaches that benefit a range of learning styles [see evidence in Standard 5], much of it requiring hands-on, minds-on participation. Through their required early fieldwork course in biology teaching, BIOL 652, they themselves interact with and serve the San Francisco community. Materials for that course rely on and reference the Science Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (2002). Students can also participate in educational programs for the San Francisco community by volunteering through the SFSU Institute for Civic and Community Engagement [see Appendix 11, p. 8-9].

Required Element 11.1 The program includes a code of ethics that can be applied to the practice of science.

Basic standards of academic ethics, emphasizing plagiarism, apply to all academic work at SFSU and also apply to the practice of science. An on-line student guide gives detailed information on plagiarism [see Appendix 11, pp.10-12], as do instructions in the SFSU Faculty Manual [see Appendix 11, p. 13]. All students in the SSMPP in biology take the introductory biology course BIOL 230. The course syllabus describes specific regulations concerning plagiarism [see Appendix 11, p. 14]. Lab instructors for each BIOL 230 lab section discuss plagiarism, cheating, and doing ones own homework in their initial class meeting. Lab instructors also learn and teach specific protocols for animal experimentation [see Appendix 11, p. 15-17]. Finally, they discuss issues surrounding academic integrity, including honesty in reporting research results; the appropriate use of citations; giving credit fairly; and the proper use of data, including what constitutes misuse. Most upper division laboratory courses (students in the SSMPP in Biology must take at least one), require written lab materials and research papers with such proper scientific citations [see evidence in Standard 4]. The lab manuals provide instruction in the proper use and form of citations and their importance to academic integrity [as an example, see BIOL 613 manual, Appendix 4, p. 46-47].

Professional societies, which students are encouraged to join as student members, have codes of ethics that include plagiarism, falsification of research, and falsification of data. An example is the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. [See ASBMB Code of Ethics, Appendix 11, p. 18] Most

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students are also exposed to professional ethics through interactions with faculty during research experiences, and can also elect to take BIOL 349, Bioethics.

Required Element 11.2 The program examines ethical, moral, social, and cultural implications of significant issues and ideas in science and technology.

All students in the SSMPP in biology take BIOL 355, Genetics. As described in the evidence for Standard 3, the course textbook, the lectures, and the discussion sections of BIOL 355 address ethical, moral, social, and cultural implications of significant issues and ideas in biological science. In the integrative issue-based course SCI 510, as well as in GEOL/METR/OCN 405, Planetary Climate Change, students encounter similar implications, including the geographically disparate influence of global warming and specific vectors for disease transmission.

Required Element 11.3 The program explores practical solutions to challenging important and relevant problems.

All students in the SSMPP in Biology will take a capstone course, SCI 510, Search for Solutions [see Appendix 11, p. 19]. As the course overview and goals describe,

Connections among the various disciplines of science and the inter-relationships among science, technology and society are the focus of this problem-based course. Working with others as part of a team, you will be challenged to see the conceptual and operational relationships among the various sciences and between science and technology as you research a significant science-based phenomenon, its effects on society, and how these effects could be mitigated…While the societal problem under study will vary from semester to semester, the approach and tasks will remain the same. The problem will always be interdisciplinary in nature and broad enough to allow for a diversity of specific questions to be addressed by each team. Complex phenomena which have multiple effects, both on a personal or local level and on the global community, will be selected by the instructor(s). The goals are to study current scientific understanding of the selected phenomenon, examine its regional and worldwide impacts, and propose solutions for how society can effectively deal with its effects. This course is required for future science teachers. Students who want to study science as an integrated entity, and understand the relationships among science, technology, and society in a challenging, problem-solving format, are encouraged to enroll….You can expect to develop an appreciation for the value

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of applying multidisciplinary approaches to problem solving and to recognize the benefits of integrating science and technology as mutually supportive activities.

The learning objectives for the course are:

1. Examine the phenomenon and its effects and identify the contributions of each of the basic sciences to its study.

2. Identify a specific problem related to the phenomenon and develop a plan to investigate the issue in depth.

3. Use information collected in the investigation and apply critical thinking skills to propose and critique a convincing course of action to mitigate the effects of the phenomenon.

4. Describe and evaluate the various types of literature, including scientific research, on the phenomenon.

5. Develop skills in working as a member of an investigative team and keep an ongoing record of your team’s work and effectiveness.

6. Prepare and present the results of your team’s work in an oral, classroom presentation using PowerPoint software and as a written report.

7. Prepare and present the results of your team’s work in a poster for public review.

Students in SCI 510 will have an extensive opportunity to explore practical solutions to challenging, important, and relevant issues such as global climate change. They will demonstrate their understanding of the problems and solutions through the course requirements for collaborative oral reports, poster presentations, work logs and reflective journals, and literature searches and presentations [see details in SCI 510 course syllabus, Appendix PS].

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Standard 12: General Academic Quality The program is academically rigorous and intellectually stimulating. It provides opportunities for students to experience and practice analyzing complex situations to make informed decisions and to participate in scientific problem solving. In the program, each prospective teacher develops effective written and oral communication skills with a focus on concepts and methodologies that comprise academic discourse in science.

The SFSU Department of Biology is known for the outstanding education it affords its students: Each year, many San Francisco State biology graduates are accepted into the top doctoral programs in the country. SFSU's biology programs also have a strong record of placing students in medical and dental schools. Course standards and requirements are high throughout all biology offerings, including the SSMPP in biology and as a result, candidates are very well-prepared to continue with certification studies and to teach at the K-12 level. The matrix presented below summarizes the evidence for Required Elements 12.1-12.5:

Courses for SSMPP

Communication Skills

Quantitative Reasoning

Investigations Critical Thinking

Models

BIOL 230 X X X X XBIOL 240 X X X X XCHEM 115 X X X XCHEM 130 X X X XCHEM 215 X X X X XPHYS 111/112

X X X X

PHY 121/122

X X X X X


X X X

SCI 510 X X X X XBIOL 355 X X X XBIOL 337 X X X X XBIOL 652 X X X X XOne of the Following:BIOL 525 X X X XBIOL 612 X X X XBIOL 630 X X X X

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One of the Following:BIOL 350 X X X XBIOL 401 X X X XBIOL 435 X X X XBIOL 450 X X X XBIOL 524 XCHEM 349 XOne of the Following:BIOL 351 X X X X XBIOL 402 X X X X XBIOL 436 X X X X XBIOL 526 X X X X XBIOL 613 X X X X XBIOL 631 X X X X XOne of the Following:BIOL 482 X X X X XBIOL 529 X X X X XBIOL 585 X X X X X

Required Element 12.1 The program requires sufficient practice in written and oral communication skills that enable prospective teachers to express scientific ideas, concepts, and methods accurately.

As discussed in Standard 4, Required Element 4.3, SSMPP candidates in biology develop and reinforce their literacy ad communication skills in every course through regular reading, writing, listening, and speaking assignments. For example, students write lab reports for every class with a lab component (BIOL 230, 240; BIOL 351, 402, 436, 482, 526, 529, 585, 613, 631 [of which they must take at least two]; CHEM 216; ASTR 116; GEOL 110, 405). In the required courses BIOL 230 and 240, for example, SSMPP students turn in the data and observations they record in a lab notebook for each lab session. Students are required to write critiques, papers, and projects for virtually every class as indicated in the above matrix and as evidenced in the course syllabi in Appendix PS. Students are required to take BIOL 652, Introduction to Science Education, Pedagogy, and Partnership, during which they study issues surrounding science teaching and learning at the K-12 level. Students attend weekly seminars to listen to and participate in discussions led by the instructor, Dr. Kimberly Tanner, by graduate students, and by departmental and outside scientists [see syllabus, Appendix PS]. Students give oral presentations, often based around collaborative projects in most biology courses including BIOL 351, 526, 613, and 631 [of which they must take one] and BIOL 482, 529, and 585 [of

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which they must also take one]. As noted in Required Elements 11.2 and 11.3, students also research and write papers and present them orally in the required courses SCI 510 and GEOL/METR/OCN 405.

Required Element 12.2 The program promotes the use of quantitative reasoning and encourages prospective teachers to analyze complex situations, make informed decisions, and participate in scientific problem solving.

Most biology courses require quantitative reasoning via the application of math and/or statistics. Students are required to graph trends, determine standard deviations, calculate amounts and percentages during lab procedures, and synthesize information as they report results and draw conclusions. Specific examples include probability calculations in BIOL 230, 240, and 355 [all required for the SSMPP]; calculations and data plotting in BIOL 351 [part of a required option]; and interpretation of graphs, tables, as well as collection of data using numerous kinds of technological devices and instruments in physiology labs such as BIOL 526, 613, and 631 [also part of the cell biology and physiology lab cluster]. In addition, all biology courses require disciplinary reasoning and problem solving. A good example is the problem sets students must analyze and solve for their required course BIOL 337, Evolution [see Appendix 12, pp. 1-8]. Lab Exercise 13 in the required course CHEM 115 demonstrates the need for accurate scientific measurement and precise calculations in determining the results of practical problems such as distinguishing the density of pennies minted in specific years, and in determining the identities of metals in a mixed sample [see Appendix 12, pp. 9-19].

Required Element 12.3 The program regularly requires prospective teachers to participate in scientific investigations.

In their required breadth and depth courses, biology students are often required to design and evaluation lab or field experiments. In CHEM 115 (General Chemistry I), for example, students design and evaluate a laboratory experiment on the copper cycle [see Appendix 12, pp. 20-29]. In CHEM 215/216, students design, test, and evaluate a water purification protocol [see Appendix 12, pp. 30-40]. Field and lab experiences in ecology, physiology, and cell biology require that students include varying degrees of experimental design [see course syllabi in Appendix PS]. For example, students in BIOL 526, plant physiology lab [one of the required courses in the cell biology and physiology lab cluster], form teams, each develop a hypothesis, design an experiment on phototropism, carry out the experiment, then prepare and present a poster reporting the results and analysis [see Appendix 12, p. 41-46]. The other courses in this cluster have similar assignments [see syllabi, Appendix PS]. Exercise 7 from that same course asks for the student to hypothesize the mechanism for hydroxylamine inhibition of turnip peroxidase after learning to isolate and identify the enzyme’s activity in a crude extract of turnip tissue [see Appendix 12, pp. 47-53].

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As described in Required Elements 13.2 and 13.3, almost all upper division Biology courses in the SSMPP provide laboratory or field experiences that engage students in one or more research or research-like projects, sometimes focusing on a single discipline and sometimes on multiple disciplines. These give students the most complete experience of the process of science, integrating the most extensive set of scientific skills including observation, analysis, hypothesis posing, hypothesis testing, and communication of results. BIOL 526, 613, 631, 351, 402, and 436 are all examples [see course syllabi in Appendix PS].

Required Element 12.4 The program allows prospective teachers to gain experience in critically analyzing and reviewing scientific writings and research.

Most biology courses assign students to read scientific papers and other reference materials in addition to textbooks. All SSMPP students in biology must take either plant, animal, or human physiology [BIOL 525, 612, or 630] and often take the lab associated with it [BIOL 526, 613, or 631] as part of the requirement for a cell or physiology lab course. BIOL 525 instructs students on reading and reviewing literature and requires two written reviews. BIOL 612 instructs students in how to use the National Library of Medicine PubMed search engine to locate research articles for term papers on recent physiological research; how to read them; and how to write articles about them for class. In BIOL 631 [see Appendix PS], the instructor devotes several classes to the following topics: reviewing scientific literature; writing a research proposal; writing a scientific research paper; listening to student presentations of proposed projects; graphic presentations of data; writing the methods and results sections of a scientific research paper; and writing the abstract and discussion sections of papers and citing literature.

In addition, many prospective biology teachers in the SFSU program take BIOL 482, Ecology, to fulfill their ecology requirement [BIOL 482, 529, or 585]. In each of these courses, students read scientific journals and write critiques of specific papers, looking at each standard section and assessing the clarity and effectiveness of the authors’ presentation to absorb the form and function of scientific literature. Students also apply their knowledge by describing their own research projects using the same conventions. [See course syllabi, Appendix PS].

Each of the above courses and the many others like them help prospective teachers gain experience in critically analyzing and reviewing scientific writings and research.

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Required Element 12.5 The program provides opportunities for prospective teachers to examine conceptual and physical models and their evolution over time.

The study of biology is replete with physical and conceptual models, and candidates for the SSMPP in biology learn and work with them in virtually every class. Examples of physical models include atomic and molecular structure, DNA structure, internal organs, the musculoskeletal system, fertilization, and blood circulation. Examples of conceptual models include chemiosmosis, the fluid-mosaic model, protein synthesis, signal transduction, the sliding filament mechanism, and neural transmission. Students study and apply these and many other models in all biology courses [see matrix, above].

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Standard 13: Integrated Study of Science

The program reflects science as an integrated entity and examines interrelationships among the disciplines, and variations in the structures, content, and methods of inquiry in the disciplines are studied. Each prospective single subject teacher gains an understanding of how the conceptual foundations of the scientific disciplines are related to each other.

The SSMPP in biology integrates chemistry, physics, and geosciences into the curriculum in three different ways, all built into the required components of the program.

First, the core (breadth) program for all science SSMPPs requires that students learn fundamental principles, content, theories, and methods of inquiry for biology, physics, chemistry, and the diverse geosciences disciplines (astronomy, geology, meteorology, and oceanography). In addition, the extended (depth) programs of study require mathematics, either statistics or calculus. By themselves these requirements are not necessarily sufficient for students to appreciate the commonalities and differences in the way science is practiced among the disciplines. However, studying the individual disciplines is a necessary condition for that appreciation, and students have both implicit and explicit opportunities to make such connections.

Second, most courses in the SSMPP in biology, even in the core (breadth) part of the program, apply at least some basic knowledge and skills from other disciplines. For example, BIOL 230 and 240 (Introductory Biology I and II) and GEOL 110 (Physical Geology) require basic algebra and chemistry knowledge; PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 apply algebra and a little chemistry; CHEM 115 employs algebra; and GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) employs all of the disciplines, including all of the geosciences disciplines. Many biology courses include CHEM 115 and CHEM 130 as prerequisites. A number of courses in the extended (depth) parts of the program require extensive enough knowledge and skills from other disciplines to have prerequisites in those disciplines. For example, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, and physiology have chemistry prerequisites. In addition, PHYS 111/112 and 121/122, required for the SSMPP in biology, have as prerequisites algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and a passing grade in a math preparedness exam. [See prerequisites noted in Standard 15, Required Elements 15A.1, 15B.1, 15C.1, and15D.1, and course descriptions in Appendix PS].

Third, the College of Science and Engineering (COSE)’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME) helped to develop and promote the capstone course SCI 510 (Search for Solutions), required in all SSSMP

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programs in science at SFSU. The course syllabus offers this overview (see Appendix 13, pp. 1-5):

Connections among the various disciplines of science and the inter-relationships among science, technology and society are the focus of this problem-based course. Working with others as part of a team, you will be challenged to see the conceptual and operational relationships among the various sciences and between science and technology as you research a significant science-based phenomenon, its effects on society, and how these effects could be mitigated. And while the solutions are important, the emphasis will always be on the nature of the search. Understanding how data are derived, reported and interpreted will facilitate the search for solutions. While the societal problem under study will vary from semester to semester, the approach and tasks will remain the same. The problem will always be interdisciplinary in nature and broad enough to allow for a diversity of specific questions to be addressed by each team. Complex phenomena that have multiple effects, both on a personal or local level and on the global community, will be selected by the instructor(s). The goals are to study current scientific understanding of the selected phenomenon, examine its regional and worldwide impacts, and propose solutions for how society can effectively deal with its effects. This course is required for future science teachers. Students who want to study science as an integrated entity, and understand the relationships among science, technology and society in a challenging, problem-solving format, are encouraged to enroll.

This course not only counts toward depth requirements in all four SSMP programs in science at SFSU, it will help prepare students to become better communicators and better science teachers, regardless of discipline.

Required Element 13.1 Each integrative study component develops the prospective single subject teacher’s understanding of how the conceptual foundations of the scientific disciplines are related to each other.

As noted above, the SSMP program in biology requires courses that cover all four of the scientific disciplines (plus mathematics). Some of those courses apply knowledge and skills from one or more of the other disciplines. SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) integrates all of the disciplines, showing how each contributes to our understanding of the complex problem of climate change (or other designated interdisciplinary issue). The breadth requirement

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GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) does the same. Both courses are described in detail in Required Elements 5.1, 5.2, and 5.4 [also see course syllabi in Appendix PS].

Required Element 13.2 Each integrative study component provides opportunities for prospective teachers to examine the interconnections between different fields of science.

All of the courses that apply principles, knowledge, and skills from two or more different disciplines (examples noted above) demonstrate interconnections among the disciplines. For example, all SSMPP candidates in biology take BIOL 230/240 and read BIOLOGY, 8e (Benjamin Cummings, 2008). The first five chapters of this main text cover inorganic and organic chemistry, biochemistry, and show how chemical concepts such as molecular structure, electron orbitals, the chemistry of water, carbon bonding, and chemical reactions underlie most biological structure and function. Chapters 8, 9, and 10 cover the biochemistry of metabolism, cellular respiration, and photosynthesis, including energetics and other physical chemistry concepts. Chapter 25 on life’s history brings in many chemistry and geosciences concepts such as Earth’s formation, the early synthesis of organic compounds, the fossil record, radiocarbon dating, geological eras, continental drift, and changes in oceanic and atmospheric compositions. Chapter 52 on ecology of the biosphere integrates additional chemical and geosciences concepts such as abiotic factors in environments, global and local climatic patterns, and oceanic thermoclines. Chapter 55 also introduces biogeochemical cycles such as the water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous cycles, each of which is in itself an instructive integration of biological, geological, and chemical concepts.

SSMPP candidates in biology must take an upper level physiology course and a cell biology or physiology lab which applies numerous chemical and physical principles; a cell biology course which employs a considerable amount of biochemistry; and evolution and ecology courses which go into greater depth on the geological, physical, and chemical concepts described for Chapters 25 and 52 of BIOLOGY, 8e.

The required courses SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) and GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) also emphasize interdisciplinary study in and applications of geosciences, physics, chemistry, and biology [see Required Elements 5.1, 5.2, and 5.4, as well as Appendix 13, pp. 1-5 and Appendix PS].

Required Element 13.3 The integrative study component(s) of the program require that prospective teacher use higher-level thinking skills while involved in coursework and research in each science

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discipline.

The courses in the SSMP program in biology, starting with the largely introductory courses in the core (breadth) part of the program, require students to make observations, analyze, make deductions and inferences, make judgments, generalize, synthesize, and in some cases pose hypotheses and test them. This is just as true of the portions of the courses that apply principles, knowledge and skills from different disciplines as it is of the single-discipline portions of the courses. For example, Lab 12 of the laboratory portion of BIOL 230, students must understand the biochemistry and energetics of both aerobic respiration and fermentation. They are required to set up an experiment using chemical reagents and fructose to test the conditions under which yeast ferment and break down the food source aerobically. They must create hypotheses and predictions for the effect of temperature on enzyme catalysis during aerobic in gold fish (ectotherms) and mice (endotherms); explain their reasoning in both cases; then carry out laboratory tests, report their results, and explain and interpret their findings.

In SCI 510, students carry out interdisciplinary literature research for collaborative projects. They analyze and synthesize ideas from the literature on some aspect of a designated multidimensional issue such as global climate change. They then write a substantial, well integrated report on potential solutions to the problem and deliver conclusions orally, along with an original PowerPoint presentation.

Higher level thinking skills and multidisciplinary topics are routine in all upper division biology courses. All SSMPP candidates must take an ecology course [BIOL 482, 529, or 585]. Students in BIOL 529, plant ecology, for example, carry out samplings to determine how plant growth correlates with physical forms and features of the environment. Students in BIOL 585, marine ecology, create hypotheses and predictions then measure and analyze parameters of physical oceanography and their effects on marine life.

Required Element 13.4 Faculty teaching in the program and prospective teachers in various disciplines of science meet regularly to exchange ideas and perspectives.

The Department of Biology hosts a series of seminars with departmental and guest speakers lecturing on interdisciplinary topics such as biological oceanography. Other COSE science departments also have regular, widely advertised seminar series open to all students. In addition, through contact with biology faculty in upper division labs, courses, and independent lab studies, students can get first-hand experience with the practical integration of various

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disciplines. For example, all SSMPP candidates in biology interface with Dr. Kimberly Tanner in BIOL 652, which sponsors collaborations between students and working science teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District. In other programs sponsored by the Science Education Partnerships and Assessment Laboratory (SEPAL), which Dr. Tanner directs, students, teachers, and scientists from various disciplines collaborate on research to discover new educational methods, scientific misconceptions, effective learning styles, and so on [see Appendix 13, p. 6-9].

Dr. Jonathon Stillman teaches several marine biology courses from the Romberg Tiberon Center for Environmental Studies, including BIOL 585, one option of three in a cluster of ecology courses required in the SSMPP. Through Dr. Stillman’s courses, seminars, and research, students are introduced to multidisciplinary investigations on environmental thermal changes, acclimation, and acclimatization in marine invertebrates [see Appendix 13, p. 10-11]. Students who take BIOL 435 [Immunology, which fulfills the requirement in the cell and physiology cluster] get equivalent opportunities through Dr. Steve Weinstein to study the chemistry of cellular signal transduction in macrophages during host infection [see Appendix 13, p. 12-14]. SSMPP students might interact with Dr. Chris Smith in the Center for Computing for Life Sciences [see Standard 3]. Dr. Smith is a pioneer in the field of bioinformatics and through him, students get exposure to the interface between biology and computer science [see Appendix 13, p. 15-16]. Drs. David Dempsey and Ray Trautman co-teach the required interdisciplinary course SCI 510, and Drs. Dempsey and Petra Dekens co-teach the required core breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 405. Once again, SSMPP candidates interact with, learn from, and share ideas with these professors from other disciplines.

Finally, Biology faculty exchange ideas and perspectives with prospective teachers from the SSMPPs in physics, chemistry, and geosciences in BIOL 230/240, which constitute breadth requirements in each of those disciplines. The Center for Science and Math Education also brings together students and science faculty from many disciplines in the promotion of more and better- qualified science teachers.

Required Element 13.5 The program includes courses and/or projects that integrate science as a whole.

SCI 510 (Search for Solutions), a capstone course that will be required of all students in SFSU science SSMPPs, including in biology, is designed for future science teachers and others to provide an opportunity to see how science as practiced in multiple disciplines can be brought to bear on problems of social significance [see Appendix 13, pp. 1-5].

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As described in Required Elements 13.2 and 13.3, the most advanced courses in each concentration consist of laboratory or field experiences that engage students in one or more research or research-like projects, sometimes focusing on a single discipline and sometimes on multiple disciplines. These give students the most complete experience of the process of science, integrating the most extensive set of scientific skills including observation, analysis, hypothesis posing, hypothesis testing, and communication of results. Examples of these courses include BIOL 526, 613, 631, 351, 402, and 436 [see syllabi in Appendix PS].

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Standard 14: Breadth of Study in Science

The science program is organized to provide prospective teachers a sufficiently broad understanding of science so that, as future literate science teachers, they have the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to develop scientific literacy among their students. A breadth of study provides familiarity with the nature of science and major ideas foundational to all the sciences and provides a basis for prospective teachers to engage in further studies of a scientific discipline. The program is aligned with the Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten through Grade Twelve (1998).

The core (breadth) program of study (Table 14 below) comprises thirty-five semester units of courses in astronomy, geology/meteorology/oceanography, biology, physics, and chemistry. It is designed to provide a broad but rigorous introduction to the principles and methods of each of the four areas of concentration (biology, chemistry, geosciences, and physics). All but one course are lower division, but all but one are designed for science majors and all include laboratory components, characteristics that we feel are particularly important for preparing future high school science teachers.

Depending on the extended (depth) program of study that a student elects to complete, at least 8 of the 35 units in the core (breadth) program will also satisfy requirements, or at least prerequisites, of the extended (depth) program. (The particular courses that overlap between the two depend on the concentration selected.) This reduces the total number of units required to complete the single subject matter program.

Table 14: Core (Breadth) Program of Study in ScienceCourses1 Course Titles Semester

UnitsASTR 115, 116 Introduction to Astronomy,

Introduction to Astronomy Lab3, 1

GEOL 110 Physical Geology [lecture (3) and lab (1)]

4

GEOL/METR 310

Planetary Climate Change [lecture (3) and lab (1)]

4

BIOL 230 Introduction to Biology I [lecture (3) and lab (2)]

5

BIOL 240 Introduction to Biology II [lecture (3) and lab (2)]

5

PHYS 111, 1122 General Physics I,General Physics I Lab

3, 1

88

PHYS 121, 1222 General Physics II,General Physics II Lab

3, 1

CHEM 115 General Chemistry I [lecture (3) and lab (2)]

5

Total core (breadth) units: 35Footnotes:

1. For course descriptions, see Appendix B, pp. 3-7; App. C, p. 0a; App. D, pp. 0a-0g; and App. E, pp. 0a-0b.

2. The General Physics w/Calculus sequence and its associated labs, PHYS 220/222, 230/232, and 240/242 (each 3+1 units), may be used instead of the PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 sequence. MATH 226 and 227 (Calculus I and II, each 4 units) are prerequisites for PHYS 220, 230, & 240.

Required Elements:

14.1 Tables 14.1-2, 14.3-5, 14.6-7, 14.8-9, 14.10-11, and 14.12 on the following pages summarize how the core (breadth) program addresses the required elements for general science subject matter knowledge and competence.

Each entry in the tables is a reference to page(s) in an appendix. The references have the general form: “Letter-page#”. For example, “F-14” refers to page 14 in Appendix F.

The number of semester units for each course listed in the left-hand column of each table has the general form: “(# lecture + #lab units)”.

Not all of the required elements that are addressed by each listed course are necessarily referenced. However, for each required element, one or more courses that we judge to be minimally sufficient to address that required element are listed.

We note, in response questions from the reviewers in spring 2010 regarding elements 3.1f and 8.1a, that plasmas are covered in Astr 115 (Introduction to Astronomy) which is a required breadth course for all the science SSMPPs at SFSU, and seismic waves are covered in Geology 110 ("Physical Geology"), which is also a required breadth course.

89

Table14.1-2

Subject Matter Requirements for Prospective Teachers: General ScienceContent Domains for Subject Matter Understanding and Skill in General Science

1. Astronomy 2. Dynamic Processes of the Earth (Geodynamics)

Courses 1.1 Astronomy2.1 Tectonic Processes

and Features2.2 Rock

Formation

2.3 Surficial

Processes & Features

2.4 Energyin the Earth System

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)ASTR 115, 116: Intro Astronomy & Lab(3 + 1 units)

F-2F-4F-7

F-2F-4F-7

F-2F-4F-7

F-2F-5

F-2F-5

F-2F-4

F-2F-4

F-2F-4F-5

GEOL 110:Physical Geology(3 + 1 units)

F-14 F-27

F-14 F-27

F-14 F-27

F-14 F-27

F-14 F-27

F-14 F-26

F-1 F-20

F-14 F-22 F-20 F-14

F-20

F-14 F-22 F-23

F-14 F-21 F-26

GEOL/METR 310: Planetary Climate Change (3 + 1 units)

F-30 F-30 F-30 F-31 F-30 F-30

90

Table 14.3-5

Subject Matter Requirementsfor Prospective Teachers: General Science

Content Domains for Subject Matter Understandingand Skill in General Science

3. Earth Resources 4. Ecology 5. Genetics and Evolution

Courses3.1 Earth

Resources 4.1 Ecology 5.1 Genetics and Evolution

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i)GEOL 110:PhysicalGeology(3 + 1 units)

F-14 F-27

F-14 F-27

F-14 F-27

F-14 F-27

F-14 F-28

BIOL 230:Intro Biology I(3 + 2 units)

F-46F-55 F-56 F-57

F-46F-48F-49F-57

F-46F-49F-57

F-46F-48F-49F-57

F-46F-49F-57F-58

F-46F-57F-58

F-46F-57F-58

BIOL 240:Intro Biol II(3 + 2 units)

F-50F-67

F-50F-67

F-50F-67

F-50F-67

F-50F-51F-67

F-50F-66F-67

F-50F-59

F-50F-51F-59

F-50F-51F-59

F-50 F-59

91

Table 14.6-7

Subject Matter Requirements for Prospective Teachers: General Science

Content Domains for Subject Matter Understanding and Skill in General Science

6. Molecular Biologyand Biochemistry 7. Cell and Organismal Biology

Courses6.1 Biology and Biochemistry 7.1 Cell and Organismal Biology

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) (k)

BIOL 230:Intro Biology I (3 + 2 units)

F-6F-55

F-46F-48F-55

F-46 F-49 F-58

F-46F-48F-56

F-46 F-48F-56F-57

F-46F-48F-56

F-46F-48F-56

F-46F-48F-56

F-46F-56F-57

F-46F-48F-57

F-46F-56F-59F-60F-62

F-46F-48F-49F-62F-63

F-46 F-49F-63F-64F-65

F-46 F-48F-62

F-46 F-48F-56F-57F-62

F-48

BIOL 240:Intro Biology II(3 + 2 units)

F-50

F-50F-51F-66

F-50F-51F-60F-

F-50F-51F-60F-

92

61 61

93

Table 14.8-9



8. Waves 9. Forces and Motion

Courses8.1 Waves 9.1 Forces and Motion

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g)

PHYS 111, 112:Gen Phys I & Lab(3 + 1 units)

F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134

PHYS 121, 122:Gen Phys II & Lab(3 + 1 units)

F-139 F-139F-157 F-139 F-139

F-157 F-139

PHYS 220, 222:Gen Phys I w/Calc & Lab(3 + 1 units)

F-164 F-164 F-164F-185 F-166

F-164F-183F-185

F-164

PHYS 230, 232:Gen Phys II w/Calc & Lab(3 + 1 unit)

F-168F-191

PHYS 240, 242:Gen Phys III w/Calc & Lab(3 + 1 units)

F-174F-175

F-188F-189

F-174F-189 F-174 F-174

F-189

F-174F-187F-188

F-174F-188

94

Table 14.10-11



10. Electricity and Magnetism 11. Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics

Courses10.1 Electricity and Magnetism 11.1 Heat Transfer and

Thermodynamics(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g)

CHEM 115: Gen Chem I(3 + 2 units)

F-197 F-200

F-197 F-

200

F-197 F-

200

F-197 F-200

F-201

F-197 F-

198

PHYS 111, 112:Gen Physics I & Lab(3 + 1 units)

F-134F-

149

PHYS 121, 122:Gen Physics II & Lab(3 + 1 units)

F-139

F-139

F-139

F-139

F-139F-

142

F-139

PHYS 230, 232:Gen Phys II w/Calc & Lab(3 + 1 units)

F-168

F-168 E-46 F-

168F-

168F-

168

95

96

Table 14.12

Subject Matter Requirementsfor Prospective Teachers:

General ScienceContent Domains

for Subject Matter Understandingand Skill in General Science

12. Structure and Properties of Matter

Courses12.1 Structure and Properties of Matter

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h)

CHEM 115:Gen Chemistry I(3 + 2 units)

F-197 F-

198

F-197 F-

198

F-197 F-

198

F-197 F-

200

F-197 F-

198

F-197 F-

198

F-197 F-198

F-197 F-198

(i) (j) (k) (l) (m) (n) (o) (p)


F-197 F-

198

F-197 F-198

F-197 F-199

F-197 F-

199

F-197 F-

199

F-197 F-

200

F-46F-55

F-46F-55

97

14.2 Tables II.1.1-1.3, II.1.4-1.5, II.2, and II.3 on the following pages summarize how the program addresses the required elements of subject matter skills and abilities applicable to the content domains in science.

Each entry in the tables is a reference to page(s) in an appendix. The references have the general form: “Letter-page#”. For example, “F-113” refers to page 113 in Appendix F.

Semester unit values for each course listed in the left-hand column of each table have the general form: “(# lecture + #lab units)”.

Not all of the required elements that are addressed by each course listed are necessarily referenced, nor are all courses in the program that address at least some required elements necessarily listed. However, for each required element, one or more courses that we judge to be minimally sufficient to address that required element are listed.

In response to CCTC reviewer comments on our original 2005 proposal submission, we also note the following concerning how observation and data collection are handled for Chemistry:

Observation and data collection are integral aspects of chemistry labs, including the CHEM 115 lab, a breadth requirement for all science SSMPP candidates at SFSU. Three CHEM 115 lab exercises illustrate the point.

In Lab Exercise 3, "The Chemistry of Fireworks" [Appendix 14, pp. 1-7], students use a hand-held spectroscope to observe the results of placing several different chemical compounds in a bunsen burner flame. Students observe and record each chemical’s appearance, changes as it burns, and the chemical’s spectrum in the flame. Using the spectroscope, they also observe spectra produced by an incandescent bulb and by gas discharge tubes. Students tabulate results in their lab books and use the data to answer a variety of questions.

In Lab Exercise 9, "Deductive Chemical Reasoning" [Appendix 14, pp. 8-15], students hone their observational skills further. They make detailed observations of reactions between a set of six unknown solutions and five known chemicals. They record their observations in lab notebooks and construct a table. The observations must be made with care, and the table must accurately represent their observations for them to succeed with the last two parts of the lab, during which students must identify unknown substances based on comparisons to their earlier observations.

Lab Exercise 18, "Introduction to Reaction Kinetics" [Appendix 14, pp. 16-21], requires similarly detailed observations and data collection. In Parts A and B of the lab, students carefully observe the "Iodine Clock

98

Reaction," including noting how reactant concentrations affect the rate of the reaction. In Part C of the lab, students are then assigned different times by the instructor, and required to demonstrate in front of the class that they can use their earlier tabulated findings to choose a concentration that will produce the desired reaction time.

99

Part II: Subject Matter Skills and Abilities Applicable to the Content Domains in Science

Table II.1.1-1.3 Skill and Ability Domains in Science1. Investigation and Experimentation

Courses1.1 Question Formulation

1.2 Planning aScientific

Investigation1.3 Observation and Data Collection

(a) (b) (c) (d) (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j)


F-68F-69F-80

F-68F-69F-80

F-68F-69F-80

F-68F-69F-80

F-68F-69F-80

F-68F-69F-80

F-68F-80 F-68 F-68 F-68

F-68F-69F-80

F-68 F-68 F-68

F-68F-

105toF-

108

F-68 F-70F-76

F-68F-70F-75F-80F-85

BIOL 240:Intro Biology II (3 + 2 units)

F-114F-

115F-

116

F-129toF-

131

F-114F-

115F-

116F-

125toF-

131CHEM 115: Gen Chem I(3 + 2 units) C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14 C-1

C-4C-1C-4

C-1C-4

C-1C-4

100

GEOL/METR 310: Planetary Climate Change(3 + 1 units)

F-34F-35F-42

F-30F-31F-42

F-44 F-45

101

Table II.1.4-1.5

Part II: Subject Matter Skills and AbilitiesApplicable to the Content Domains in

ScienceSkill and Ability Domains in Science

1. Investigation and Experimentation

Courses1.4 Data

Analysis/Graphing1.5 Drawing Conclusions and Communicating Explanations

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)

BIOL 230: Intro Biology I (3 + 2 units)

F-68F-73F-75F-90

F-68F-73F-75F-90

F-68F-73F-75F-90

F-68F-73F-75F-90

F-68

F-68F-73F-74F-90

F-68F-73 F-90

F-102

F-68F-73 F-90

F-68F-73 F-90

F-68

BIOL 240: Intro Biology II (3 + 2 units)

F-129toF-

131

F-129toF-

131

F-129toF-

131

F-129toF-

131GEOL 110:Physical Geology(3 + 1 units)

F11 to

F16

102

Table II.2Part II: Subject Matter Skills and Abilities

Applicable to the Content Domains in ScienceSkill and Ability Domains in Science

2. Nature of Science

Courses2.1 Scientific Inquiry 2.2 Scientific

Ethics2.3 Historical Perspectives

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) N/A N/A (h) (i) (j) (k) (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) (d)


F-68F-80

F-68F-80

F-68F-80

F-68F-80

F-68F-80

F-68F-80

F-68F-80

F-68F-80

F-68F-80

F-68F-80

F-68F-80

F-68F-

109toF-

112

F-68F-80

F-68F-80

F-68F-80

BIOL 240:Intro Biology II (3 + 2 units)

F-113

F-113

F-113

F-113

F-113


C-1C-4

C-14

C-14

C-1C-4C-14

C-1C-4C-14

C-1C-4C-14

C-1C-4C-14

C-14

C-1C-4C-14

C-1C-4C-14

C-1C-4C-14

C-1C-4C-14

C-1C-4C-14

C-1C-4C-14

C-1C-4C-14

103

Table II.3

Part II: Subject Matter Skills and AbilitiesApplicable to the Content Domains in Science

Skill and Ability Domains in Science3. Science and Society

Courses3.1 Science Literacy

3.2Diver-

sity

3.3 Science

Technology &

Society

3.4 Safety

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (a) (a) (b) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)

BIOL 230: Intro Biology I (3 + 2 units) F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-53

F-105toF-

108

F-105toF-

108

F-105toF-

108

F-105toF-

108

F-105toF-

108

F-105toF-

108

BIOL 240: Intro Biology II (3 + 2 units)

F-113F-

129toF-

131

F-113F-

129toF-

131

F-113F-

129toF-

131

F-113


C-1C-4

C-14

C-1C-4

C-14C-14 C-1

C-4

C-18bC-35

C-14C-

14a-m

C-14C-

14a-m

C-14C-

14a-m

C-14C-

14a-m

C-14C-

14a-m

C-14C-

14a-m

104

ASTR 115:Introduction to Astronomy(3 units)

F-1 to

F-2GEOL/METR 310:Planetary Climate Change(3 + 1 units)

F-45F-31F-44F-45

105

Standard 15: Depth of Study in a Concentration Area Each candidate for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in Science must complete a subject matter program that includes Concentration 15A, 15B, 15C, or 15D. Concentration in the identified discipline prepares prospective teachers to teach a full range of courses authorized by the single subject credential authorization. Depth within a discipline is essential for teaching advanced and specialized courses. Standard 15A: Depth of Study in Biological Sciences The Concentration in Biological Sciences includes a depth of study of biology that is significantly greater than that required for a general understanding of science as described in Standard 14. The depth of study in Concentration 15A should provide conceptual foundations distributed across the discipline. Integral to the concentration are conceptual foundations that include cell biology and physiology, genetics, evolution, and ecology. Concentration 15A includes in-depth study and field/laboratory experiences in biology; achievement of an appropriate level of understanding in chemistry, mathematics and physics, use of methods employed by scientists in the generation knowledge; and application of biological sciences to technological and societal issues including ethical considerations. Candidates for the Science Credential with a Concentration in Biological Science will be able to teach a wide variety of biology courses in their teaching assignments. The program is aligned with the Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (1998). The Concentration in Biological Sciences will prepare prospective teachers to teach the full range of biology courses authorized by this credential.

The extended (depth) program of study in biological sciences (Table 15A) totals 28 units of coursework in biology (plus prerequisites and other required course work) and addresses all required elements of Standard 15A. The biological sciences program includes a year of introductory biology for biology majors (BIOL 230, 240) with laboratory experience in both semesters. The program builds upon this foundation, requiring upper division course work in genetics, evolution, cell biology, physiology, and ecology. (For course descriptions see Appendix B, pp. 3-7.) Thus, the program provides deep conceptual foundation as well as an understanding of research approaches and outcomes that support current conceptual frameworks in all specified biological disciplines.

An upper division laboratory experience is required in cell biology or physiology and in ecology. This, coupled with the introductory biology lab

106

experience allows students to gain hands-on research and technical skills as well as an understanding of methodologies employed by scientists in the generation of knowledge. The instruction in lecture/discussion and laboratory courses also equips students to understand the application of knowledge to a variety of research queries and ethical issues.

A year of general chemistry and general physics, both with laboratories, and a semester of organic chemistry are required; the program also requires students to complete either a statistics course or a semester of calculus. Thus, our required depth of study program includes prerequisites and other elements that provide an appropriate level of understanding in chemistry, mathematics, and physics.

This program provides a secondary school teacher with discipline knowledge, lab experience, and insight and understanding of key concepts and experimental methodologies in major biological disciplines that go well beyond that encountered in a traditional or AP high school biology course. A teacher with this background will be well prepared to teach biology at the high school level and make instructional contributions to a biology curriculum.

107

Table 15A: Extended (Depth) Program of Study in Biological Sciences

Course Course Title Semester Units

Semester Units

BIOL 230 Introductory Biology I[lecture (3) and lab (2)]

5


5

BIOL 355 Genetics 3BIOL 337 Evolution 3BIOL 525, 612 or 630


3

BIOL 350, 401, 435, 450, 524, or CHEM 349


BIOL 351, 402, 436, 526, 613, or 631


BIOL 482, 529, or 585


4


5

CHEM 215/216

General Chemistry II, Gen Chem II Lab

3, 2

CHEM 130 Organic Chemistry 3PHYS 111/1121

General Physics I, General Physics I Lab

3, 1

PHYS 121/1221

General Physics II, Gen Physics II Lab

3, 1



4 or 3

Total Biology Units:____

28


Total Biological Sciences Depth Program Units:

______52 or 53

Footnotes:

108

1. CHEM 115 and PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 also satisfy core (breadth) program requirements.

109

Required Elements:

15A.1 Tables 15A.1.1-1.4, 15A.1.5-2 and Table 15A.3-4 on the following pages summarize how the extended (depth) program in biological sciences addresses the required elements for subject matter knowledge and competence.

Each entry in the tables is a reference to page(s) in an appendix. The references have the general form: “Letter-page#”. For example, “B-8” refers to page 8 in Appendix B.

Semester unit values for each course listed in the left-hand column of each table have the general form: “(# lecture + # lab units)”.

Not all of courses in the biological sciences program that address required elements are listed in these tables. However, for each required element, one or more courses that we judge to be minimally sufficient to address that required element are listed. Other courses in the program (not listed) build additional depth of knowledge for subsets of required elements. For example, BIOL 355 (Genetics) addresses all required elements in Domain I.1.1, 1.2, 2.1-2.5, 3.1, and 3.3, and also I.3.2.c. BIOL 337 (Evolution) addresses Domain I.2.2.a, 2.2.c, 2.4.b, and all required elements in 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3. Similarly, options to meet the Cell Biology and Physiology program course requirements address required elements I.1 and Ecology course options address required elements I.4.

110

Table15A.1.1-1.4

Biology/Life Sciences Subject-Matter RequirementsSubject-Matter Domains

1. Cell Biology and Physiology

Biology Courses

1.1 Prok & Euk

Cells

1.2Cellular Repro-duction

1.3Plant and Animal

Cell Anatomy and Physiology

1.4Integration and Control

of Human Organ Systems

(a) (a) (b) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)

BIOL 230: Intro Biology I(3 + 2 units)

B-8B-10B-13 B-25B-29

B-8B-10B-13B-26

B-8B-10B-13B-26

B-8B-25

B-8B-21B-25

B-8B-25B-32B-33

B-8B-25

B-8B-10B-14B-25B-26

B-8B-10B-14B-25

B-8B-10B-13B-16B-25

B-8B-24B-25B-26B-27B-32

B-8B-11B-14B-16B-32B-33

B-8B-10B-33B-34

B-8B-33B-34

B-8B-32B-33B-34

B-8B-32B-33B-34

B-8B-32

BIOL 240:Intro Biology II(3 + 2 units)

B-17B-28B-29

B-17B-29

B-17B-29

B-17B-18B-20B-35

111

Table15A.1.5-2


1. Cell Biologyand Physiology 2. Genetics

Biology Courses

1.5Physiology

of theImmune System

2.1Chrom.

Structure &

Function

2.2Patterns

of Inheritance2.3

Gene Expression2.4

Biotech

2.5 Bio-ethic

s

(a) (b) (c) (d) (a) (b) (a) (b) (c) (d) (a) (b) (c) (d) (a) (b) (a)

BIOL 230: Intro Biology I(3 + 2 units)

B-8B-33

B-8B-33

B-8B-33

B-8B-33

B-8B-11B-14B-26B-27

B-8B-10B-13B-26

B-8B-10B-13B-26

B-8B-10B-11B-13B-14B-26

B-8B-11B-14B-26

B-8B-10B-11B-13B-14B-26

B-8B-11B-14B-26

B-8B-27

B-8B-11B-14B-26

B-8B-27

B-8B-27

B-8B-27

B-8B-27

BIOL 240: Intro Biology II(3 + 2 units)

B-17B-18B-20B-28

B-17B-18B-20B-28

B-17B-34

112

Table15A.3-4


3. Evolution 4. Ecology

Biology Courses

3.1Natural

Selection

3.2Evolutionary

Patterns

3.3Mecha-

nisms for Speciation

3.4History & Origin of

Life

4.1 Bio-di-ver

-sity

4.2 Ener-

gy Flow

& Nutr. Cycle

s

4.3Interrelationsand Change

in Ecosystems

(a) (b) (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (a) (b) (a) (a) (a) (b) (c)BIOL 230: Intro Biology I(3 + 2 units)

B-8B-26

BIOL 240: Intro Biology II(3 + 2 units)

B-17B-18B-20B-28

B-17B-28

B-17B-28

B-17B-18B-20B-28

B-17B-18B-20B-28

B-18B-20

B-17B-28

B-17B-28

B-17B-28B-20B-28

F-125toF-

128

B-17B-36

B-17B-36

B-17B-18B-20B-36

B-17B-35

B-17B-36

113

15A.2 Tables II.1.1-1.3, II.1.4-1.5, II.2, and II.3, which appear under Required Element 14.2 of Standard 14 in this document, summarize how the program addresses the required element of subject matter skills and abilities for the content domains of science. The courses listed in those tables are all part of the core (breadth) program that is integral to this biology single subject matter program.

114

Standard 16: Laboratory and Field Experiences Laboratory and field experiences constitute a significant portion of coursework in a program that includes open- ended, problem solving experiences. Prospective teachers have the opportunity to design a variety of laboratory experiments. Data are collected, analyzed, and processed using statistical analysis and current technology (where appropriate).

No material for the Standard 16 preamble was presented in the 2005 proposal submission, and none was requested by reviewers.

Required Element 16.1 The program includes required laboratory components in no less than one-third of its courses.

All of SFSU’s single subject matter programs in science, including the SSMPP in

biology, are strong in laboratory and field work. Below is a matrix showing the courses required for the SSMPP in biology and the number of lecture, lab, and/or field credits assigned to each course. Note that over half of the courses have lab and/or field components.[Also, see the course list and course syllabi/descriptions in Appendices PL and PS.]

Courses Required for SSMPP in Biology Lecture Units

Lab Units Field Units

BIOL 230 3 1BIOL 240 3 2CHEM 115 3 2CHEM 130 3CHEM 215 3PHYS 111 3PHYS 112 1PHYS 121 3 1PHYS 122 1MATH 226 or MATH 124 3SCI 510 3BIOL 355 3BIOL 337 3BIOL 652 2 2One of the Following:BIOL 525 3BIOL 612 3BIOL 630 3One of the Following:BIOL 350 3

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BIOL 401 3BIOL 435 3BIOL 450 3BIOL 524 3CHEM 349 3One of the Following:BIOL 351 3BIOL 402 2BIOL 436 2BIOL 526 3BIOL 613 3BIOL 631 3One of the Following:BIOL 482 3 1BIOL 529 2 1 1BIOL 585 3 1

Required Element 16.2 The program includes periodic open-ended, problem solving experiences in its coursework.

All SSMPP candidates in biology must take BIOL 230 and 240. Required Element 5.1 described some of the problem-solving laboratories in these courses [see Appendix 5, pp. 1-37]. Candidates must also take at least one cell or physiology lab course—either BIOL 351, 402, 436, 526, 613, or 631—and a number of labs in these courses require open ended problem-solving. For example, in BIOL 631 (Animal Physiology), students learn the principles and laboratory procedures for enzymatic analysis. They carry out assays on crude homogenates of crustacean and fish gills and kidneys to determine which of several enzymes are present, in what quantities, and what their activity, measured in various ways, means about the functioning organisms in their environments [see Appendix 16, pp. 1-18]. In the cell biology lab course BIOL 351, students carry out an equivalent open-ended analyses of Drosophila proteins [see Exercise 8, course syllabus, Appendix PS].

In addition, SSMPP candidates must take an ecology course [either BIOL 482, 529, or 585], each of which have labs components [See Required Element 16.1], and students carry open-ended problem solving in all of them. For examples from BIOL 482 involving the size and age structure of sand crabs and the community structure of kelp-forest fishes, see Appendix 16, pp. 18-21.

SSMPP candidates in Biology at SFSU have many problem-solving experiences in core breadth courses, as well. CHEM 115 (General Chemistry I), for example, is a required part of the breadth program (as well as the depth program) and assigns problem solving lab exercises with some open-endedness [see Appendix 12, pp. 9-40].

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Required Element 16.3 The program requires prospective teachers to organize, interpret, and communicate observation data collected during laboratory or field experiences using statistical analysis when appropriate.

Biology labs and lab courses routinely include assignments that require students to acquire, organize, interpret, and communicate observations, including quantitative observations, some of which are subject to statistical analysis. For example, all Biology majors take BIOL 240, which includes 2 lab units. One laboratory directs students to observe the number of fin supports in individuals within populations of fluffy sculpin fish. They then organize their data, calculate the variance in fin counts, analyze their findings statistically, then communicate their conclusions in a formal lab report [see instructions in Appendix 16, pp. 22-31]. In the required breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 405, students select monthly average solar flux, outgoing infrared radiation flux, and surface temperature data from a database on a computer. They generate color-filled contour plots of it and describe the temporal and geographic distributions; average the data over distinct geographic regions at mid-latitudes in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres for each month of the year, and compare them. They also compute and compare similar averages over the globe and compare the averages of different months [see Appendix 16, pp. 32-38].

Required Element 16.4 The program requires prospective teachers to design and evaluate laboratory experiments and/or fieldwork.

In their required breadth and depth courses, Biology students are often required to design and evaluate lab or field experiments. In CHEM 115 (General Chemistry I), for example, students design and evaluate a laboratory experiment on the copper cycle (Appendix 12, p. 20-29). Field and lab experiences in ecology, physiology, and cell biology require that students include varying degrees of experimental design. For example, students in BIOL 526, plant physiology lab, form teams, each develop a hypothesis, design an experiment on phototropism, carry out the experiment, then prepare and present a poster reporting the results and analysis [see Appendix 16, p. 39-42]

Required Element 16.5 The program involves prospective teachers in research and collection of data that requires utilization of current technology.

Students in the SSMPP in biology employ current technology for data collection and analysis as part of laboratory and field research in many of their courses. Standard 3, Required Element 3.1, lists the many types of technologies students use. Required Element 3.2 describes and provides evidence for the use of Biopac software, electrodes, sensors, and acquisition unit for data collection and analysis in BIOL 613,

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which fulfills the physiology or cell biology lab course requirement [see Appendix 3, pp. 37-39].

In CHEM 115, a required core breadth course for all SSMPP candidates, students use an Ocean Optics USB2000 diode Array Spectrophotometer to measure the absorption, percent transmission, relative irradiance, and luminescence from an unknown sample, as well as the reflection from a material surface [see Appendix PS].

In BIOL 230, required course for all SSMPP candidates, students use a spectrophotometer to collect data on unknown starch and protein solutions, then plot the absorption data for each unknown [see Appendix 16, p. 43-44].

In BIOL 482, which fulfills the ecology course requirement, students do computer simulations of the effects of competition on population size and distribution. In a field trip to a dune area near Monterey, California, students collect data on actual insect population sizes and distributions, then apply computer modeling to analyze the effects of competition and predation [see Appendix 16, p. 45 and course syllabus in Appendix PS].

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Standard 17: Safety Procedures The program instructs prospective teachers in proper safety procedures prior to laboratory and field experiences. This includes instruction in emergency procedures and proper storage, handling and disposal of chemicals and equipment. The program provides facilities equipped with necessary safety devices and appropriate storage areas. When the program provides experiences with live organisms, they are observed, captured, and cared for both ethically and lawfully.

No Standard 17 preamble material was presented in 2005 proposal, and none was required by reviewers.

Required Element 17.1 The program instructs prospective teachers in proper safety procedures (safe uses of chemicals, specimens, and specialty equipment) prior to laboratory and field experiences, and implements current safety guidelines and regulations.

To satisfy the depth and breadth requirements in biology and several other sciences, SFSU students planning to teach biology at the secondary level must take several classes with labs and field components and take at least one entire laboratory course. The list includes CHEM 115, 215 (General Chemistry I and II; breadth and depth requirements); ASTRON 115/116 (Introduction to Astronomy; breadth requirements); PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 (General Physics I and II; depth); GEOL 110 (Physical Geology; breadth) and GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change; breadth). In each of these courses, students learn laboratory safety either through written materials in lab manuals and hand-outs, through demonstrations and verbal instructions by lab instructors, or both. This safety education helps students learn the importance of safe behavior and techniques in all lab settings as well as common preparation and emergency procedures.

As part of their depth requirements in biology, each candidate in the SSMPP in Biology must also take BIOL 230/240 (Introductory Biology I and II, including a lab portion of each course) and at least one full laboratory course to accompany their study of cellular and molecular biology and animal, plant, or human physiology. Lab classes in which they can enroll to fulfill their requirement for a cell biology or physiology laboratory course include BIOL 527 (Plant Physiology Lab), BIOL 613 (Human Physiology Lab), BIOL 631 (Animal Physiology Lab), BIOL 351 (Cell and Molecular Biology Lab), BIOL 402 (General Microbiology Lab), and BIO 436 (Immunology Lab). Students are free to take more than the minimum number of lab courses.

For each of the above listed courses, the lab manual includes written instructions on general laboratory procedures, personal safety procedures, proper waste disposal, handling live organisms, and emergency procedures in the event of injuries, illness, hazardous and toxic spills, or other occurrences. We include pages from lab manuals for BIOL 230, 351, 402, 436, and 526 in Appendix 17, pp. 1-13.

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Required Element 17.2 The program provides facilities that are equipped with appropriate safety devices.

No additional information was required from reviewers.

Required Element 17.3 The program provides instruction in, and demonstrates emergency procedures and proper storage, handling, and disposal of chemicals, specimens, and equipment.

At the first laboratory class meeting of BIOL 230, 240, 351, 402, 436, 526, 613, 631, and all other biology courses with lab components, instructors discuss and demonstrate lab procedures and safety. Part of the discussion centers on general guidelines relating to most lab settings, and part will be specific to the instruments, reagents, and techniques of cell and molecular biology, microbiology, physiology, and so on. The lecture includes:

• Personal safety (i.e. eye protection, appropriate clothing, avoidance of mouth pipetting, and work space cleanliness)

• Laboratory procedures (i.e. handling of chemicals, glassware, use of Bunsen burners, and operation of microscopes)

• Proper disposal techniques (for hazardous chemicals, for biological wastes, for infectious agents, for broken glass, and so on)

• Emergency procedures (i.e. reporting spills or injuries, operation of eye wash and shower equipment, location of exits, etc.)

Each student must sign a statement that he or she has had proper laboratory safety training for that course. The Department of Biology keeps these signatures on file for three years. Students must sign similar statements before field trips; the department also keeps these for three years.

A model safety document for biology lab courses appears in Appendix 17, pp. 14-15.

The Department of Biology provides safety training for all instructors and teaching assistants at the beginning of each semester [see Appendix 17, pp. 16-19 includes safety- training materials used by all graduate teaching assistants for BIOL 230.] The department maintains a website for the Biology Stockroom with separate presentations on hazardous materials, biohazard materials, and links to the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) website [see Appendix 17, pp. 20-21]. Many instructors refer students to Howard Hughes websites that post safety training videos including “Practicing Safe Science,” “Chemical Hazards,” “Chemical Storage Hazards,” and “Emergency Response.”

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Documents

Standard 17: Safety Procedurescool/ASTROLINKS/SFSU_SSMPP_BIOL… · Web viewSingle Subject Matter Preparation Program in Biology San Francisco State University College of Science