The 2017-2018 school year will be an exciting one! We are actively working with the Next Generation Science Standards and incorporating Common Core Math and English Literacy standards in Science. The new standards are challenging!
Students must pass one year of life science to graduate. There are only two life science courses offered at Merced High School, Life Science for ninth graders and Biology for older students. Students that do not pass Life Science as a ninth grader MUST then pass Biology in order to graduate as ONLY ninth graders may take Life Science. Students must take three years of science to graduate, failing any science class may result in a student being forced to take summer school (and science classes of any kind are rarely offered in summer school, a zero or 7th period class and/or double periods of science in their junior or senior year
resulting in the loss of electives. Life Science does not count for college, only Biology is counted for college prep students. The good news is that students who do well in Life Science should do very well in Biology as they will have had a heavy introduction to most of the Biology standards.