Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics

Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics

City	Oklahoma City, OK
Year Opened	1990
Founders	State Sen. Bernice Shedrick State Sen. Penny Williams
Chair, Board of Trustees	Dan Little
President	Dr. Edna M. Manning
Vice President for Academic Services	Dr. Kenneth Lease
Vice President for Administrative Services	Lynn Morgan
Dean of Students	Prof. Jack Gleason
Vice President for Institutional Advancement	Gen. Ben Robinson
Type	Public Residential
Grades	11 & 12
Maximum Enrollment	144
Website	www.ossm.edu

The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (OSSM) is a prestigious two-year residential public high school located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Established by the Oklahoma legislature in 1983,^[1] the school was designed to educate academically gifted high school students in advanced mathematics and science. OSSM opened its doors in 1990 to its inaugural class, the class of 1992. It is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology.

General

Of approximately 300 applicants each year, 125 are selected for interviews and about 75 high school sophomores from across the state are admitted. The whole application process consists of six short essays, submission of high school transcripts and standardized test scores (such as the ACT), recommendations from teachers and counselors, personal questionnaires of the student, a statement from the student's parents, and an on-campus interview.^[2][3] However, about 30% of admitted students do not go on to graduate from OSSM.

Students are accepted from all over the State of Oklahoma, and students from each of Oklahoma's 77 counties have been selected to attend.^[4] Because students hail from across the state, all are required to live on campus during the week, though students living nearby often go home on weekends. Classes are held five days a week, with the earliest classes starting at 8am and the latest ending at 5:30pm, although some classes are held at night. Most students have breaks throughout the day depending on their individual, college-style schedule, but on some occasions a student has no gaps in their schedule and is given a sack lunch of their choice. Students are not allowed in the dorm during their breaks in the academic day, but are to stay academically engaged during these periods. Required physical education classes are held in the afternoon with each student participating in 45 minutes of supervised physical activity twice a week. Fine arts classes (two semesters are required for graduation) are also held in the evenings. On alternate Saturday mornings, students are required to take a three-hour test in math, physics, literature, history, or a national standardized test (ACT, SAT, or PSAT). One weekend a month is called an open weekend, with the students allowed to either go home or stay in the dorms, and the other Saturday is an extended weekend with everyone required to go home with an extra day of rest.

To study at OSSM, students have to give up some luxuries of the outside world, such as cell phones, in-room television, DVDs, and video games; students are also not allowed to keep appliances in their rooms. Two hours of study are required each weeknight from 8-10pm, with students on academic probation (resulting from unsatisfactory grades) required to study for an additional hour each night, beginning at 7pm. On Fridays there is no early study, only regular study. Lights out is at 11pm every night of the week.

OSSM fulfills its educational mission at no charge to its students; tuition, as well as room and board, is provided by the State of Oklahoma.^[5] It is also listed as one of the best public high schools by Newsweek, in a list of schools which weren't included in their list of Best High Schools because the average OSSM ACT score put it in a completely different category that could not be fairly compared.^[6]

Many OSSM graduates earn distinction that allows them a greater choice of potential colleges to attend. Nearly 100% of OSSM graduates are college-bound, and approximately 60% of OSSM graduates choose to remain in-state for college. Of the 1084 (as of May 2009) graduates since the school's inception, 290 students have been named National Merit Scholars, and an additional 160 students have been selected as National Merit Commended Scholars.^[7] Graduates also show exemplary performance in other national scholarship programs, with 214 graduates selected as Robert C. Byrd Scholars, and 105 students nominated for the Presidential Scholars Program, of whom ten were named semifinalists and four selected as Presidential Scholars.^[8] Graduates excel in statewide scholarship programs, with 506 students receiving Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Scholarships and 83 students named Academic All-Staters by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.^[9] Twice, in 1998 and again in 2000, the school had the highest ACT composite scores of any high school in the United States.^[10][11] In its 2006 "Advanced Placement Report to the Nation", released 2006-02-06, the College Board named the OSSM's Physics C - Electricity and Magnetism course "the strongest of its kind in the world". This was based on OSSM's Spring 2005 AP Physics-C exam performance, in which 20 OSSM students scored three or higher. In no other high school in the world did a greater percentage of students succeed at such a high level of excellence.^[12] (It should be noted that strictly speaking OSSM does not offer AP courses).

Academic Requirements

OSSM's graduation requirements include four semesters of History, four semesters of Literature, two years of the same foreign language (unless this was completed at the student's previous high school), one semester of computer science, four semesters of mathematics including math through calculus II, three semesters of physics including physics through Electricity and Magnetism, two semesters of chemistry, two semesters of biology, four semesters of physical education, two semesters of fine arts(one each year),and two semesters of science, math, or computer science electives.^[13]

Course Offerings

OSSM regularly offers the following classes^[14]:

Biology: Vertebrate Zoology, Invertebrate Zoology, Botany, Genetics, Anatomy and Physiology (A&P), Endocrinology, Embryology, Microbiology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Biochemistry (also listed as a chemistry class).

Chemistry: General Chemistry I, General Chemistry II, Organic Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry II, and Biochemistry (also listed as a biology class).

Computer Science: Introduction to Computer Science, Object Oriented Programming with Java, Data Structures I, Data Structures II, Computer Architecture, and Operating Systems.

Foreign Languages: Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish.

Geoscience: Exploration Geoscience, Geoscience Seminar

Humanities: American Literature, World Literature, American History, East Asian History, Arab Civilization, and Western Civilization

Physics: General Physics, Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism (E&M), Thermal Physics Waves and Optics (TWO), Astronomy, Introduction to Modern Physics, Modern Physics II, and Electronic Circuits (EC).

Mathematics: Pre-Calculus II, Pre-Calculus III, Calculus I, Calculus II, Multivariate Calculus, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, and Probability and Statistics.

Abstract Algebra (mathematics), Chemical Thermodynamics (chemistry), Real Analysis (mathematics), Foundations of Mathematics (mathematics), and other classes have also sometimes been offered. Additionally, students may arrange to take directed studies with faculty members and may participate in the mentorship program, in which students do research with a mentor who may be a faculty member or an off campus expert.

Class Scheduling and Course Structure

OSSM uses a college style schedule for classes, in which classes generally have three hours of lecture divided into either one hour each on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or one and one half hours each on Tuesday and Thursday, in addition to any laboratory component the class may have. Labs for Physics, Chemistry, and Biology classes generally meet in the afternoon for two to three hours one day a week. Some upper level classes in these fields however, such as Genetics, Chemical Thermodynamics, and Modern Physics II do not have a lab component.

The American Literature class contains a writing lab component, generally taught by a separate teacher, which meets an additional three hours per week as if it were a separate lecture class. Mathematics classes at and below the level of Calculus II are accompanied by a one and one half hour 'math lab' that meets once per week. These 'math labs' are essentially sessions that give students a chance to work problems and ask questions. It is not uncommon for a student to have a separate teacher for math lab than they have for their lecture course, and it is likewise not uncommon to have students from multiple classes in a single math lab. General chemistry I and II are each accompanied by a one hour chemistry practicum which may either be similar to the math lab or may be used as an extra hour of lecture, depending on the professor. The students in chemistry practicums are always from the same level of chemistry, though they may be from different sections.

Foreign Language classes are always offered in two 45 minute sections that meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with each section overlapping with roughly half of the lunch period. It is assumed that the students will be able to eat lunch in the half of the period during which they do not have foreign language. Physical education is divided into four blocks, meeting either 4:30-5:15pm or 5:15-6:00pm on either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday. Every six weeks students sign up for the block that best fits their schedules and choose from a range of activities chosen by the instructors (of which there are generally two). Special arrangements can be made if none of these four blocks are compatible with a student's schedule. All students are required to be enrolled in PE for their entire time at OSSM. Fine arts classes meet from 6:30 to 7:30 one night a week. A student may enroll in multiple fine art classes if they choose provided they are in good academic standing.

During the week and on Saturdays (the meal schedule differs slightly on Sunday) lunch is offered from 11:20am to 1:00pm, though students will usually have class during part of this time. It is possible for a student's schedule to work out so that on certain days the student has no opportunity to eat lunch during the normal lunch period. If this is the case the school provides the student with a sack lunch to be eaten during the students off time. Students are not permitted to eat in the classrooms.

Roughly every other Saturday morning, Students are required to take a three hour examination in either History, Literature, or Mathematics. In some instances students in upper level mathematics classes are exempt from the mathematics exams, due to the large instance among upper level math students of taking multiple math courses simultaneously. During the final week of the semester, and possibly the Friday and Saturday before, Students take a three hour final exam for each class in which they are enrolled, except in the case of some upper level classes in which the professor chooses to give an exam ahead of time for convenience. A student will have up to two of these exams per day. Occasionally a student will have a conflict between two exams, in which case special arrangements are made.

Campus

OSSM is located on a sprawling thirty-two acres of beautiful landscaping at the corner of 10th Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard near downtown Oklahoma City, just across the street from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Its main academic building, Lincoln School (recently renamed as Manning Academic Center), was built in 1903, having been an elementary school in the Oklahoma City Public Schools until the 1980s. Lincoln houses the computer lab (in the renovated boiler room), the campus auditorium, ten classrooms, six labs, a student lounge, a sun-bathed study area, and faculty and administrative offices. The Dan Little Residence Hall, with a capacity of 144 students and six faculty families, was completed in 1998, located at the center of campus, complete with a basement with table games and a TV for students to use during their nightly freetime. The Gymnasium, opened in March 1999, provides a full-size basketball court, a weight room, and a dance floor, among other amenities. The Samson Science and Discovery Center was completed in 2001 and houses three chemistry (complete with hoods for chemical reaction labs), four physics labs, and one demonstration/lecture room as well as many personal research labs. Finally, in Fall 2003, the Senator Bernice Shedrick Library opened, with an eventual capacity of 50,000 books and 10 computers for student use.^[15]

Demographics

• Student Body: 144
• Average Class Size: 15-18, though most upper-level classes (such as math above Multivariate Calculus, or computer science classes above Data Structures I) are far smaller, occasionally as small as 2 students.
• Male-Female Ratio: 1:1

Dormitory Expansion

In April of 2010, OSSM broke ground on a new dormitory expansion designed to eventually double the maximum student population, increasing it from 144 to 288. ^[16] As of fall 2011 it appears that this expansion has not opened, seeing that OSSM accepted only 75 students in the class of 2013. ^[17]

Regional Centers

OSSM currently has 14 branches in local areas of Oklahoma. These branches are located on CareerTech campuses, affiliated with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. The primary focus in these regional centers are the Calculus BC and Physics C: Mechanics AP Exams.

The regional centers are:

• Afton, Oklahoma
• Alva, Oklahoma
• Ardmore, Oklahoma
• Burns Flat, Oklahoma
• Drumright, Oklahoma
• Enid, Oklahoma
• Muskogee, Oklahoma
• Okmulgee, Oklahoma
• Ponca City, Oklahoma
• Poteau, Oklahoma
• Pryor, Oklahoma/Kansas, Oklahoma
• Shawnee, Oklahoma
• Stilwell, Oklahoma
• Sallisaw, Oklahoma
• Tahlequah, Oklahoma
• Wayne, Oklahoma

References

1. ^ Oral History Interview with Bernice Shedrick
2. ^ Admission information
3. ^ Class of 2012 Application
4. ^ OSSM Awesome Facts
5. ^ OSSM Student Costs
6. ^ Best High Schools: The Public Elites - Newsweek America's Best High Schools - MSNBC.com
7. ^ OSSM Awesome Facts
8. ^ OSSM Awesome Facts
9. ^ OSSM Awesome Facts
10. ^ OSSM Student Accomplishments, 1992-2005
11. ^ Class of 2006 Graduates
12. ^ Press Release on 2006 AP Report
13. ^ Course Descriptions
14. ^ Course Descriptions
15. ^ Campus and Facilities
16. ^ Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics plus donations equal new dorm
17. ^ Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics selects class of 2013

External links

• Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
• OSSM Society (webpage and forums for alumni, parents, professors and supporters.)
• NCSSSMST
• The OSSM Parent's Association
• The OSSM Foundation
• SupportOSSM.org
• Article VII: Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics

Regional Centers

• / OSSM/WTC
• [1]
• Oklahoma Department of Career and Technical Education
• Afton, OK: (Northeast Technology Center - Afton Campus)
• Ardmore, OK: (Southern Oklahoma Technology Center)
• Drumright, OK: (Central Technology Center - Drumright Campus)
• Enid, OK: (Autry Technology Center)
• Muskogee: (Indian Capital Technology Center - Muskogee Campus)
• Okmulgee, OK: (Green Country Technology Center)
• Ponca City, OK: (Pioneer Technnology Center)
• Pryor, OK/Kansas, OK: (Northeast Technology Center - Pryor Campus/Kansas Campus)
• Shawnee, OK: (Gordon Cooper Technology Center)
• Stillwell, OK: (Indian Capital Technology Center - Stilwell Campus)
• Sallisaw, OK: (Indian Capital Technology Center - Sallisaw Campus)
• Tahlequah, OK: (Indian Capital Technology Center - Talequah Campus)
• Wayne, OK: (Mid-America Technology Center)