Science Laboratory Information and Requirements

Science Laboratory Information and Requirements

All science courses that count toward credit for graduation must include a laboratory component. In some elective courses, the laboratory component is incorporated into the regularly-scheduled daily class. For most science courses, however, including ALL science courses based on the New York State Core Curricula, the laboratory component of the course is provided through an additionally scheduled class every other day throughout the school year. The laboratory experience in a science class is integral to successful completion of the course. For this reason, New York State requires that before a student can take a written Science Regents Examination, they must show proof of the completion of the laboratory component of the course. This proof must be in the form of written lab reports that document successful completion of at least 1200 minutes of hands-on laboratory experiences. The teacher is required to keep these lab reports on file to show that every student who sits for a Science Regents Examination is eligible to do so based on the lab requirement. Students who do not complete the lab requirement must repeat the course during the regular school year before they are able to sit for the Regents exam in that subject.