SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES OF ESTABLISHING A STATEWIDE CREDIT-BY-EXAM HIGH SCHOOL GEOLOGY COURSE IN MICHIGAN

To address the national shortage of geologists and to diversify the geoscience workforce we are constructing a seamless path from rigorous high school geology classes taught by well-trained teachers to geoscience programs at state universities and colleges. This program is modeled on an existing high school – university collaboration that has added a significant number of students to the career pipeline.

Mattox designed a test that includes 60 multiple choice, 10 essay questions, a map test with skills and landforms, and a rock and mineral exam. This exam is reviewed and administered by geology department faculty. About 70-80% of students from a local high school regularly pass but a second high school had no students pass.

With NSF support significant accomplishments were made and include:

• At least 7 of 10 state universities with B.S. geology degree programs will have signed agreements (Memorandums of Understanding) to award credits to students that pass an approved high school advanced geology exam. Recruiting targeted high schools with underrepresented groups throughout Michigan has been initiated. Rutherford received MOUs from school districts, including the Detroit Public school district with just under 30 high schools. We plan to support existing highly trained teachers that are ready to offer the course.
• Developed a flyer to be used by school counselors to advertise the class at high schools where the course and exam are being offered.
• Many faculty were unaware that credit-by-exam was already available at their university. This mechanism made establishing a high school credit-by-exam easier. After reviewing the existing exam most faculty immediately embraced the idea of giving credit to students that pass the exam.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of establishing a statewide network of universities to award college credit for passing a credit by exam during a high school geology course.

Dual credit or credit-by-exam are options that many schools are starting to consider and administrators are surprisingly receptive to this path for their students. They are supportive of a rigorous high school geology courses. If funded, we would help teachers to obtain a Master’s in Earth Science Education and teachers are excited at the prospect of becoming better prepared to teach the geology credit-by-exam course.