1

Beyond the Basics:

Integrating Honors Biology into the
District 112 Curriculum

Table of Contents
Introduction. 3
> Description and Thesis
Executive Summary. 4
Problem Statement.. 6
>Research and Statistics
Actions/Solutions.. 11
>Methods and Resources
Works Cited.. 16
Bibliography. 17
Contacts.18

Beyond the Basics: Integrating Honors Biology into the District 112 Curriculum

Introduction
As long as the art of education has been around, finding a balance and collection of material that appeals to each individual has
been a challenge. The issue of Education continues to be even more
prevalent in our society today as doctors and researchers discover
new ways in which people learn and process. Thus, we are stuck in a
situation where we need to please every individual without having
the time or resources to make that truly feasible. Fortunately, this issue can be slightly resolved within the walls of Chanhassen High
School through an integration of an Honors Biology program into the
offered curriculum. A Honors Biology Course can be put into place at
Chanhassen High School by understanding how kids can best function in a classroom and learn to the utmost of their ability, creating
an individualized curriculum for the class and the effect of such a
class can lead to further integration of other classes while also being
life changing.

Beyond the Basics: Integrating Honors Biology into the District 112 Curriculum

Executive Summary
This project could be viewed as having a rather narrow scope
and limited impact upon the issue of Education. This is true, but only
to an extent where the effect of the project is viewed for the first year
or two. Integrating an Honors Biology Course at Chanhassen High
School course will add another path for students to take for the
chance to get the intermediate level of instruction. This will be viewed
by colleges and improve a resume if the student is able to do well in
the Honors course, as well as improving a students knowledge. Yet
beyond this narrow scope, the greatest impact this project could potentially have is helping students understanding individual parts of
the science of biology and discovers which parts they enjoy and which
they do not. In turn, this project then gives kids the mindset to know
if they want to continue on the field biology. The advantage comes
from the individualized learning that would be a part of the course.
Allowing the students to select certain topics to study in depth with
no penalty for not studying others as closely, the students will thrive
on enjoyment and stimulation from the learning material while also
seeing if they would like to continue this field in college or wherever
they go next.
Through the impact of this project after a few years of testing
out and getting feedback, we can conclude that, in a way, this project
could be life-changing by perhaps showing students the true ins-andouts of biology so they can know whether or not they would like to

Beyond the Basics: Integrating Honors Biology into the District 112 Curriculum

Executive Summary (cont.)

to continue with this field in their studies. It cannot change the whole
realm of college prep or the way biology is taught at a state or national level, but it can affect the lives of perhaps a few students who
choose to take this newly offered course that needs to be included in
the curriculum in District 112. Thus, this summary consists of realizing we can take advantage of opportunities to promote more spread
with our classes and ultimately start a hopeful snowball effect hat will
spread to other classes across the district.

Beyond the Basics: Integrating Honors Biology into the District 112 Curriculum

Problem Statement
In our schools young history along with a split for high school
students in District112, we have failed to keep a variety of course
offering among the plethora of curriculum that our district has.
This is important because many students could benefit from having
more options to learn in and could thrive more heavily through
creativity if they were in classes that appealed to them. There
have been arguments ranging from all around on the concept of AP
classes offerings versus simple honors classes. Chanhassen could
easily be considered a part of this argument as we offer a program
that almost completely neglects a honors class approach. Luckily,
there is work that can be done to integrate Chanhassen from being
in the middle of things to be a very successful school that promotes even more equality and learning for all students.
It may be the opinion of the school board that the offering of
AP Biology in the district is satisfactory and gives kids a chance to
improve their biology knowledge in a great way while also receiving college credit. Yet this is the wrong thinking because of the
middle ground that is quite heavily populated amongst student in
the district. The AP program receives some students who want advanced learning, but do not want to take a massive test that can
be overwhelming and scary while also having the expectation to
complete about an hour of work each night at home. The regular
course has many students who are satisfied and challenged an appropriate amount, but also has kids who it is way too easy for and
want more, but are scared of the AP possibility. This is quite simply
the situation students face when looking to sign up for biology.

Beyond the Basics: Integrating Honors Biology into the District 112 Curriculum

Problem Statement (cont.)

The destabilizing moment comes from my personal experience with this situation and how I wished I had the opportunity to
take an honors biology course. Also, based on some asking around
of at least 30 people in the school, all but two of those believed my
capstone was interesting and that we should have that third path
of course offering in the district. This was quite a revelation for
myself because realized something needed to be done and we
could hopefully quite easily make a change, especially with the experience of our AP Biology teacher, Mrs. Hammann.
The consequences of not addressing this issue within our
school under the realm of education are not severe or life altering,
but they can fix a simple problem that we have here. Some kids
may not understand what they enjoy about the subject of biology
if following the path of AP and may throw that option off if they
had a bad experience. Also, kids in the regular course may not find
any interest on the course or field because they were stimulated to
learn in a way that really showed the power of the subject.
The resolution for this problem is to simply offer a course that
is labeled Honors Biology. By doing so, the district will attract those
kids, myself included, who want something advanced but not the
AP version of it while also grabbing some of those kids who believe
the standard course will be too simplistic or not stimulating to an
extent where they will be interested. The two AP Biology teachers
in the district could run the process of forming a course that offers
that much needed intermediate for this subject. It could consist of
a highly individualized learning curve so students can pick some
of the topics that are studied and researched in the school.

Beyond the Basics: Integrating Honors Biology into the District 112 Curriculum

Problem Statement (cont.)

This allows for a lot of interaction and a broken-up lecture
format class that some students do no t work well with, especially
with a difficult subject like biology. This is a simple, but ideal solution that will make Chanhassen High School an even better place
to learn and study for students.

I took biology in high school

and didn't like it at all. It was
focused on memorization. ... I
didn't appreciate that biology
also had principles and logic ...
[rather than dealing with a]
messy thing called life. It just
wasn't organized, and I wanted
to stick with the nice pristine
sciences of chemistry and
physics, where everything made
sense. I wish I had learned
sooner that biology could be fun
as well.
-Frances S. Collins, director of
National Institutes of Health and
noted in his discoveries of
disease genes

Beyond the Basics: Integrating Honors Biology into the District 112 Curriculum

Minnetonka HS AP Biology Scores(1-5) from

2010-2014
MHS Scores

.95
Passing
Percentage

.91

State Scores

.68

.69

Chanhassen HS AP Biology Scores(1-5) from

2010-2014
AP Biology

May 2013 May 2014

May 2015

Exams Taken

21

89

148

Exams Passed
(3+)

16

61

???

Passing Percentage

.76

.685

Beyond the Basics: Integrating Honors Biology into the District 112 Curriculum

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The above information may be difficult to understand with two

separate table and slightest blurry data. But when analyzed, it is plain
to see that Minnetonka High School has a far superior standard at the
AP Biology level. Eden Prairie High School did not release the information specifically to me, but they informed me that their passing scores
(3+) over the past 3 years has been about 86%. These numbers are
from a rather small sample, but it can only be expected that years
dating back a dozen or so are not much different for MHS and EPHS.
Chanhassen on the other hand has had much lower numbers along
with much fewer tests taken.
It is the goal of the district to hype up the number of AP tests that
are being taken by students, since it improves the schools profile as
well as helps kids push themselves academically. The district also does
not wan to look solely at passing percentages. But without some sort of
change in the biology program, our numbers are likely to stay lower
around 70% and barely above the Minnesota passing percentage, while
other prestigious schools in the state float in the 80 and 90% range.

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Actions and Solutions

A)

Current Actions and Solutions

Simply put, there is very little action going into this area. On a

world scale, it does not belong there, but that does not mean
things do not need to be changed. One study that has been done
trying to measure the effect of honors classes throughout secondary and post-secondary high school is that of Current Issues in
Education, an abstract research paper performed by Selma Testa of
Pennsylvania State University. By comparing what colleges separately look for in admissions as well as how well teachers and students react to honors program learning simulations, Testa has been
seeing how effective classes of such caliber can be.
B)

Proposed Solutions
Offer an Honors Biology Course in District 112 that consists of

a individualized learning curriculum that the teacher can advise and

monitor
C)

Description
The origin for this project actually took a long time to develop.

It started out as a process about learning how to improve a college

application. With this, the idea of having honors classes improving
an application bounced to the forefront and then transformed into a
project designated for specifically changing District 112 curriculum
through the addition of Honors Biology.

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D)

Problem Statement
See Page 5 above.

The problem statement consists mostly of an argument that Chanhassen and then additionally District 112 needs to have an Honors Biology program that can be offered to students who look for that intermediate.

E)

Driving Question
How can I solve the gap in learning between general level classes

and AP level in District 112 and then convince the school board precisely why it is possible and necessary?

F)

SMART Goal

S-Specific: Get an Honors Biology Course set in the curriculum

In District 112

M Measurable: If the District complies, the goal has been measured

as completed so the intermediate path is available
for students to pick from

A Attainable: This goal is attainable by researching the positive

effects of possibly having this course and
convincing the board to add the class

R Reportable: It is hard to explain what I am writing right now with

out calling it a report. I can report whether it is
successful or not, but still supply my research
either way

T Time-Based: I had one semester to gather research and then

propose a change in curriculum to the board

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G)

Action Plan
The action plan for how to solve this issue started out by thinking

about my own personal needs and desires within our education. I

thought to my AP Biology class and how I wish things could be changed
with that. What I wanted was a different course that was still honors,
but not AP, so not as strenuous and tedious towards the test. In a study
by the National Research Center for the Gifted and Talented, Universities of Connecticut and Virginia along with Yale University reported that
AP Biology experiences have not been top-quality due to teachers using
a predominantly lecture format, fast pace of instruction and failing to
respond to students interests because of the need to cover material
(Connecticut). Further, the report found that 1/3 of teachers interviewed in the study believed AP Biology to be too fast-paced and would
switch to an honors course option if possible (Connecticut). Now it is
not my goal to eliminate AP Biology because it certainly has its advantages, but these numbers are worth noting and need to be taken into
account. This study continued with reporting that the Commission of
Life Sciences is concerned that AP Biology is modeled on courses that
provide poor educational experiences (Connecticut).
In Testas previously mentioned study of Perceptions of Teachers
and Students on Honors Programs, students who chose the honors program were significantly more stimulated and led to more creativity
within the class, giving even the teacher an opportunity to learn
(Testa). More was found on how the students in honors classes were
more independent and self-expressive with their work while the teachers of these classes were simply more motivated to prepare for these

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Action Plan (cont.)

classes because they knew improvement would occur (Testa). These
same teachers further support honors programs due to the need to
challenge students who need and want the challenge of an honors
class, but are not ready for the rigor of AP (Testa).
This is a part of my action plan because it is my belief that schools
need to provide opportunities for students to become passionate about
academic interests and impacted by the courses they participate in. My
ultimate plan, then, would be to offer a terminal Honors Biology Course
that does not have an AP label on it and deals with an individualized
learning structure with more experimental design and solving while focusing on fewer topics so students can delve deep into topics that peak
their interest.
Again, the district wants to focus on stacking the AP program with
as many course and test takers as possible, but this is a selfish and
honestly less effective action to try to carry out. I think a third option
would allow for much expansion for students with choice and growth of
what they want to learn and by sectioning students off, they can be
more successful. Another study conducted by the Institute for Research
on Poverty out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison explains that if
acquisition of knowledge and skills is a central goal of schooling, then
the division of students according to capacities relevant for learning is a
feature of rational organization (Madison).

Beyond the Basics: Integrating Honors Biology into the District 112 Curriculum

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Action Plan (cont.)

My action plan is to convince the school board that these studies
provide convincing argument to support an integration of an Honors Biology Course. It was reported that AP Biology creates a serious false
sense of preparedness for what the rigor of what a college biology class
would look like (Branch, Newsham). I think this plan can be easily
worked out and if accepted will allow CNHS to ensure an achievement
of more deep conceptual understanding of the disciplines coherent and
unifying concepts.

H)

Implementation
My presentation is likely soon to come with someone who will lis-

ten to what I have to say and then convey it onto an agenda for the upcoming years at Chanhassen and within the district. I believe I have
ample evidence and research for a strong argument that will be enough
to put this integration into serious consideration.

Beyond the Basics: Integrating Honors Biology into the District 112 Curriculum

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Works Cited
Branch, Carla, and Newsham, Rebecca. "Advanced Placement Courses
Not Always Synonymous with College Preparedness." Alexandria
a News. N.p., 2008. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Connecticut, University Of, University Of Virginia, and Yale University.

"Programs for Talented Students." NRC G/T (2003): n. page.
2003. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

Madison. "Institute News." Royal Australian Planning Institute Journal

11.3 (1973): 101. Institute for Research on Poverty. University of
Wisconsin-Madison. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.

Testa, S. (2010). Perceptions of Teachers and Students Honors

Programs. Current Issues in Education, 13(2).

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Bibliography
Footpath. "Helpful High School Classes: Honors, AP & IB." College
Degree Programs Online Schools Career Profiles MyFootpath
com Helpful High School Classes Honors AP IB Comments. My
Footpath, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

Gelb, Alan. "The Benefits of Taking Honors Courses." COLLEGEdata.

N.p., 11 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

Matthews, Jay. "AP vs. IB Debate." Washington Post. The Washing

ton Post, 9 Dec. 2004. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

Saracino, Daniel. "Honors & AP Classes." College Board. N.p., 22

Oct. 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.

Scott, Schrum. "College Admissions: Is Your GPA or SAT Score More

Important?" Veritas Prep Blog RSS. N.p., 25 Sept. 2012. Web.
11 Feb. 2015.

Williams, Tyler. "SAT vs. GPA." PowerScore. N.p., 16 July 2014. Web.
11 Feb. 2015.

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Contacts
Mr. Chris Lenius - Gifted and Talented Services Coordinator, District 112

Mrs. Ann SwansonAP,HP and IB coordinator; High Potential Teacher

Minnetonka High School

Mr. Steve Urbanski Director of Curriculum and Instruction,

Minnetonka Public Schools

Ms. Neeley HagenStudent Counselor and Adviser, Chanhassen High

School

Mrs. Krista HammannAP Biology/Biology Teacher, Chanhassen High

School

Mr. Steve RollinGifted and Talented Services Coordinator, Eden Prairie

High School

Mrs. Martha NordmannAdministrative Assistant, Eden Prairie High

School

Mrs. Naomi DeLorenzoAP Statistics/FTS Teacher, Chanhassen High

School

Beyond the Basics: Integrating Honors Biology into the District 112 Curriculum