North Gaston Science Department

High school science courses are designed and implemented in accordance with the standard course of study defined by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In 2010, North Carolina adopted the North Carolina Essential Standards for Science (NCES) as the standard course of study for all science courses in all grades, kindergarten through twelfth grade. The standards specify the science content and skills that all students should study to be college and career ready. 

The North Carolina Essential Standards for Science emphasize the integration of science content with scientific inquiry, experimentation and technological design. Traditional laboratory experiences provide opportunities to demonstrate how science is constant, historic, probabilistic, and replicable. Although there are no fixed steps that all scientists follow, scientific investigations usually involve collections of relevant evidence, the use of logical reasoning, the application of imagination to devise hypotheses, and explanations to make sense of collected evidence. Student engagement in scientific investigation provides background for understanding the nature of scientific inquiry. In addition, the science process skills necessary for inquiry are acquired through active experience. The process skills support development of reasoning and problem-solving ability and are the core of scientific methodologies.  For more information on the NC Standard Course of Study for Science, please visit - http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/science/