Science
News & Announcements
Review of the 2018 Science Standards of Learning
On December 11, 2025, the Virginia Board of Education approved the 2025 Expanded High School Science Standards of Learning on final review. The 2025 Expanded High School Science Standards of Learning describe the Commonwealth’s expectations for student learning and achievement in eleven high school science courses that are approved by the Board but do not have current academic standards. This includes Environmental Science, Biology II: Anatomy and Physiology, Biology II: Ecology, Biology II: Genetics, Biology II: Advanced Survey of Biology Topics, Earth Science II: Astronomy, Earth Science II: Geology, Earth Science II: Oceanography, Earth Science II: Advanced Survey of Earth Science Topics, Chemistry II: Advanced Survey of Chemistry Topics; Physics II: Advanced Survey of Physics Topics. The expansion of the standards to include these eleven new courses will provide for access and rigorous expectations and opportunities across the Commonwealth in all Board-approved science courses. The 2018 Science Standards of Learning for Kindergarten - Physics remain unchanged in content and practices. Science instructional guides are being developed to support the Standards and will include structures to increase specificity and provide clarity about performance expectations of the Standards.
See Review and Revision of 2018 Science Standards of Learning for more information.
Resources
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Science Standards of Learning: Scientific and Engineering Practices
The Scientific and Engineering Practices reflected in the 2018 Science Standards of Learning describe behaviors that scientists engage in as they investigate the natural world and the practices that engineers use as they design and build models and systems.
The 2018 Science Standards of Learning Curriculum Framework includes scientific and engineering practices that are directly connected to science concepts. They are located within the Essential Knowledge and Practices and identified with a leaf bullet (). By utilizing both scientific and engineering practices in the science classroom, students develop a deeper understanding and competences with techniques at the heart of each discipline.
Clarification on the use of Computer Science courses to meet Science Graduation Requirements
In March 2023, the Board of Education approved the updated Board of Education Approved Courses to Satisfy Graduation Requirements for the Standard and Advanced Studies Diploma in Virginia Public Schools. The BOE approved science courses section within this document indicates that AP Computer Science A (10157) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Computer Science (10159) may be used to meet a science coursework requirement for Standard and Advanced diplomas.
Although these two computer science courses can be used to meet the science coursework requirements for these two diplomas, neither course can be used to meet the discipline requirements for science. Standard diploma graduation requirements indicate that students must have three BOE approved science courses that represent a minimum of two science disciplines (Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics). Advanced diploma graduation requirements indicate that students must have four BOE approved courses that represent a minimum of three disciplines. Since Computer Science is not a discipline of science, it cannot be used to meet the discipline requirements in science for Standard or Advanced diploma in Virginia.
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