Cellular Processes Biology EOC EOC Review for Cellular Processes Biology. By: Marajo Kellihan … Continue reading →

Starting with the class of 2017, high school students must pass the state exam to graduate By Lauren Linhard llinhard@eveningsun.com @linhardreports on Twitter Hanover High School Principal Rina Houck said a high school performance profile is based on three main things: graduation rates, attendance rates and Keystone exam scores. As part of the high school's focus plan, district administration and school staff have made some drastic changes bring the school's low biology Keystone and performance profile scores up-to-par with other area schools. "For the class of 2017 and above, the Keystone is a graduation requirement so we have to make sure the kids have every opportunity to score proficient," Houck said. "All the changes we are making are just to help the kids learn better and learn more." The Keystone is given at the completion of the algebra I, English II and biology courses. It acts as a comprehensive final to measure each student's understanding of information the state deems necessary to pass each course. While more than 70 percent of students passed the literature and algebra one Keystones last year, Hanover High students earned a 20.75 percent passing rate in biology, a test that can be taken freshmen or … Continue reading →

Posted on behalf of Barbara Casassus. Synthetic biology, heralded by some as the next biotechnology revolution, could be seriously undermined if the public is not informed about its potential benefits early on, according to an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report today. The field, which emerged more than 15 years ago, allows researchers to engineer biological systems or parts in a complex way. It pushes the boundaries of biology, for example, even challenging the rule that the DNA alphabet consists of four letters. Fears are that public opposition on a scale comparable to that now facing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Europe and Japan could be a major hurdle, says biologist Jim Philp, the lead author of Emerging Policy Issues in Synthetic Biology and a policy analyst in the OECDs Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry. A public debate should be launched immediately if synthetic biology known as synbio is to be accepted, he urges. You cant just say you have developed a new technology and tell people to go away and use the products it has helped create, says Philp. Governments should promote discussion between scientists, policy-makers and the public harnessing social media and, to spark young … Continue reading →

Updated: 06/04/2014 6:48 PM Created: 06/04/2014 4:47 PM WNYT.com By: Benita Zahn The advanced placement biology class at Shaker High was anything but routine, on Wednesday. Thanks to technology, the students watched knee surgery in real time. It's the fifth year the school has collaborated with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Max Alley of the Bone and Joint Center. "This young lady has injured her leg on a trampoline," explainsorthopedic surgeon Dr. Max Alley from the Bone and Joint Center - as hebegins repairing the torn ligament in a patient's knee in front ofa special audience. Kathy Hoffman's biology class at Shaker High School is watching via closed circuit TV. It's the fifth year for this collaboration. "It's been a really great opportunity for the students," says Hoffman. "Because most of the students want to go into the medical field or into a field of biology or some sort and this helps them make a connection between what we've learned in class this year in biology and the actual, real thing." "He explains to us what's happening while he does it which is a really cool opportunity," saysstudent Michela Schillinger. "It's really interesting to be able to learn that way. It's different … Continue reading →

DALLAS (AP) Texas high school students showed improvements on end-of-course standardized tests in biology and algebra, and posted strong passing rates on a history exam administered statewide for the first time but lagged in English, figures released Wednesday by the state education agency show. The results for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, also revealed that if the final standards for the exams were already in place, the passing rates in all subjects would only be about half. "If the passing standards were fully phased in, we would not have strong results," said Debbie Ratcliffe, a Texas Education Agency spokeswoman. "We have a lot of work to do to get the students and schools ready before the final passing standards go into effect." In order to get a high school diploma, students are required to pass five end-of course exams: Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology and U.S. History. In preliminary statewide results for first-time testers, students had a 93 percent passing rate in biology, up 6 percent from last year. Algebra scores improved by 4 percent from last year to an 86 percent passing rate. The history exam had a 92 percent passing rate. … Continue reading →