The Bromfield School’s science curriculum has been enlarged and strengthened significantly over the last few years, reported Science Department leader and biology teacher Deb Pierce at Monday evening’s School Committee meeting, giving students more opportunity to take college-level courses.

Years ago, the less academically inclined Bromfield students took earth science in the ninth grade, nonhonors biology in tenth grade, and often no science classes at all after that. The stronger students took earth science, and then honors biology, chemistry, and perhaps physics. The first advanced placement (AP) course at Bromfield, AP biology, was introduced about 15 years ago.

Bromfield now offers two AP science courses, in biology and chemistry. The AP chemistry class, which began this school year, has proved to be so popular that two sections have been provided, Pierce said. Bromfield also plans to offer AP physics, and has submitted the planned course syllabus for approval from the College Board, which certifies such college-level courses as being rigorous enough to meet AP standards. The College Board also audited Bromfield’s two current AP courses to ensure that they met the board’s standards; both courses did pass muster, Pierce said.

Last May, the 20 Bromfield students who took the AP biology exam scored an average of 4 out of 5 points; the national average is 3.05, Pierce said. Nine pupils scored a 5, four scored a 4, five scored a 3, and two students scored a 2. Students must attain a grade of 3 or higher on the test to receive advanced college credit for the course.

New courses are being introduced for less academically advanced students as well. This school year, for the first time, Bromfield offered a course in forensic science, complete with visits from Harvard police officers, who showed the students how to gather evidence from a crime scene for scientific study. “Thirty-five kids have signed up for that class next year,” Pierce said.

In addition, the school will introduce an anatomy and physiology course for juniors and seniors who may not want the challenge of taking chemistry or physics. The new course would be helpful for students interested in health careers such as nursing, Pierce noted.

Pierce thanked the town for recently approving the second Proposition 2½ override for the schools, allowing the school to hire enough science teachers to offer the new course and to keep class sizes down. For example, she said, there will be six sections instead of five for the 125 students in ninth-grade science classes.

The eight Bromfield science teachers have been reviewing the curriculum to make sure it is aligned with state standards, reported Pierce. Currently, sixth-graders take earth and space science, seventh-graders take life science, and eighth-graders have physical science I, an introduction to chemistry. The ninth-graders then take physical science II, an introduction to physics. Tenth-grade students take either molecular biology or environmental biology. Some tenth-graders double up in science and also take chemistry so they can fit in extra science courses, such as the AP offerings, in their junior and senior years. Juniors and seniors generally take chemistry, physics, AP biology, and/or AP chemistry.

Students in the current ninth grade will be the first to have to pass an MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) test in science, along with the English and math MCAS tests, to graduate from high school. Pierce told the School Committee that students will have to pass either a physical science or a biology MCAS test to receive a diploma. Bromfield plans to give students the physical science test at the end of ninth grade; if a pupil fails that, he or she could then take the biology MCAS test at the end of the tenth-grade year. Most Bromfield students will likely have little difficulty in passing the tests, however: when pilot exams were given last year in these subjects, Bromfield students out-performed the state average by a wide margin. Bromfield pupils scored an average of 44.8 points out of 60 on the pilot physical science MCAS; the state average was only 29.7 points. In biology, Harvard students scored an average of 45.15 points; the state’s average score was 33.6, said Pierce.

In fact, Bromfield ranked first among 458 schools on the eighth-grade MCAS science test last year. None of Harvard’s students had a failing grade on the test, Pierce noted. This year’s eighth- and tenth-graders are currently reviewing material for the MCAS tests to be given later this month. Although Bromfield has been aligning its teaching to make sure students have covered what is on the state tests, the science courses are not driven by MCAS tests, Pierce explained: “You have to teach to a curriculum anyway. We don’t feel we teach for a test.”