Fewer than one-third of American 8th-graders are proficient in science, but most students are improving, and achievement gaps are closing between students who are black or Hispanic and their white peers, a special administration of the test known as “the nation’s report card” shows.
The National Assessment Governing Board released findings Thursday on earth, life, and physical sciences mastery on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP. The average 8th-grade score rose from 150 in 2009 to 152 in 2011; that’s a statistically significant increase, but still well below 170, science proficiency on the test’s 300-point scale. Maine’s score rose from 158 to 160 during that period.
NAEP tested a nationally representative sample of 122,000 students in 8th grade from 7,290 public and private schools.
“I’m disappointed,” said Gerry Wheeler, the interim executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, in Arlington, Va., in an interview. “Two points is certainly nothing to cheer about. If these kids can’t do better in science, our nation is in trouble.”
If students’ overall science expertise remains lackluster, there was at least minimal improvement across most student groups. The scores of students in the bottom quarter rose faster than those of other groups, though students at all ability levels except for the most advanced improved. Likewise, students in poverty improved faster than their wealthier peers, with average scores rising from 133 to 137 from 2009 to 2011. That gain still leaves a gap of 27 points between poor and wealthier students.
White students’ average score rose by a point, to 163, while black students’ performance increased by 3 points, to 129, and Hispanic students’ grew by 5 points, to 137.
“Five points in general on NAEP is meaningful, but when you are talking about getting that much closer to the governing board’s ‘basic’ level, that’s particularly relevant,” Sean P. “Jack” Buckley, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers NAEP, said in a conference call with reporters.
To put the scores into perspective, the average white 8th-grader performs at the high end of basic knowledge on the assessment, which categorizes student performance as “basic,” “proficient,” or “advanced” based on the numerical score. He or she can probably draw a conclusion from fossil evidence and recognize factors that contribute to the success of one species over another, but that student likely can’t understand the magnetic properties of common objects or analyze data to describe the behavior of an animal.
The average black or Hispanic 8th-grader performs below basic achievement. Students below basic would not be likely to correctly answer questions about the concepts just cited for white students, but they would be able to recognize, for example, how plants use sunlight.
For 8th-graders with disabilities and English-language learners, the picture was gloomier: Neither group saw any growth between 2009 and 2011. Last year, the average score for 8th-graders with disabilities was 124, and for ELLs, it was 106—that is farther below basic science competency than “basic” is below the NAEP cutoff for proficiency.
“We would like to see more students in the proficient and advanced levels,” Cornelia Orr, the executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board, the independent board that sets policy for NAEP, said in the briefing on Tuesday. “I think there is still a lot of work to be done, but it’s good to see the needle moving in the right direction.”
She noted that Hispanic students, for example, have shown improvement in other NAEP tests, such as mathematics and reading, which could suggest achievement gaps are narrowing all around for that population group.
State improvements
This 2011 administration was the first time all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the schools administered by the Department of Defense Education Activity took part in the science NAEP.
In the states “where there has been change, it has been uniformly good news,” said Mr. Buckley, the NCES commissioner. Average scores increased from 2009 to last year for 16 states — Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming — and no state saw its average score decrease.
The NAEP results come on the eve of the release of a draft set of voluntary state science standards, developed by 26 states based on a framework set out by the National Research Council last summer.
A study released in December by Change the Equation, a Washington-based science education coalition, concluded that state science standards were “all over the map,” and that 15 states had set their proficiency standards at a level of rigor found to be below NAEP’s cutoff for basic science knowledge.
The national assessment itself beefed up the rigor of its science content for the 2009 administration of NAEP. It now asks students to identify and use science principles, and to use scientific inquiry and technological design.
An analysis of characteristics of schools participating in the 2011 NAEP shows that students who did hands-on science activities at least once a week in class scored 5 to 14 points higher than those who did fewer hands-on experiments.
“For me, a teacher, the more important aspect of these data is how students are engaged in doing hands-on activities in class,” said Hector Ibarra, a member of the NAEP governing board and a middle school science teacher at the Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, located at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
“There are many ways students can be exposed to science; some are more effective than others,” he said. “The question we need to ask is, ‘Are we creating a learning environment that truly challenges students’ skills and boosts achievement?’ ”
Results of a separate NAEP science test of students’ skills in hands-on experiments and computer-based simulations will be released next month, Mr. Buckley said.
“We’re very, very interested in tasks that look more like real science,” he said.
International comparisons
The national assessment typically tests science in grades 4, 8, and 12 every four years, but the off-year testing is part of a study linking NAEP to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or TIMSS, which tested 8th grade students in 48 countries. The National Center for Education Statistics plans to use the linkage study to give individual states international comparisons to accompany future NAEP scores.
The TIMSS results and the findings from the alignment project will be released in December, and NAEP and TIMSS for science will be administered on the same cycle from now on.
“It will be an interesting comparison, and maybe it will be a wake-up call, but we’ve had these wake-up calls before, and nobody’s really doing anything about science education,” Mr. Wheeler of the science teachers’ association said. “If we don’t do anything different, we shouldn’t expect different results.”
(c)2012 Education Week (Bethesda, Md.)
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Maybe Maine should expand the Limestone school concept by developing satellite sites closer to population centers. Maybe Department of Education should hire scientists instead of academic educators to develop appropriate science standards. The solution should be based on approach instead of spending more money without any logic.
Are they willing to pay scientist’s wages and benefits?I strongly doubt that.
Limestone hires scientists who are unaccredited and not in the union, and at low wages.
The only obstacle to having LIMESTONE broadcast its classes to the rest of the state is the NEA; which does not want to displace teachers using IP based video conferencing.
….Who knows, the next thing some kid on an island will be taking classes from MIT and STANFORD…we can’t have that, only home schoolers and private schools do that.
Science education has been cut for years. When the US started the space program years ago, there was an amazing support of science in education. As the years rolled on, budget cuts, and money were directed to Math and Reading. Science along with Social Studies were the last two subject areas to have comprehensive test to test students knowledge. How could we judge our student in science if there weren’t any really appropriate tests. Even the tests developed were more of a read a science paragraph and answer questions about it, emphasizing reading, and not the scientific content.
We are paying the price for that now. Students aren’t interested in Science because they haven’t been taught how very important it is. We lag scientifically in the US. Most of our new quasi-scientific students are in the IT startup business.
I am not surprised, it will take a decade to get the US back on the track to make science as important as it was in the 1960’s. It’s been 50 years since science education was really considered important.
Budget cuts???
That’s a good one! Can you throw in a bridge with that?
When all of your teaching is focused on preparing for a standardized test in writing, reading and math, all of the other subjects cannot be taught in a meaningful way. Many school seldom teach science because there is no time with all of the test preparation. Social studies also suffers.
“education week ” is a basically a internet blog with few subscribers why the BDN is giving it the time of day is beyond me .They should VET their press releases and validate the validity of the source, before printing them.
I work in education, and this does not surprise me at all. Proficiency in the core subjects should be most important. Everything else should take a back seat to that. There is too much clutter that has been introduced into school curriculum over the years that have nothing to do with teaching our kids the core curriculum (math, science, English, social studies).
What is this clutter you speak of?
My daughters course description from her current progress report reads…. (2) Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, Band and Spanish.
If that is not your core curriculum I have no clue what is.
Until schools ban indoctrination and divert there resources to education the most important thing we all loose. Kids have classes for everything these days. We need to teach the basics before we start the other stuff like sports and art or music. All of those to are pointless without first learning the basics.
To me “other stuff” is video games, too much TV, smart phones, and poor parenting. Sports, art and music are not extras in my opinion-but I respect your view.
I have hired quite a few people in my life for various jobs. I must admit I have never been concerned if they had experience with sports arts or Music. I did want them to be able to read and write do math and have understanding basic science. I could care less if they play a game. I want them to understand things every driver should know like how the interstate system works. Something sadly most adults have no understanding of.
It’s called being “well rounded.” I too have hired hundreds of people over the years. Everyone brings something different to the table. Some students stay in school and complete their education just because of band, art or football. It all has value.
Teaching ‘the basics’ is indoctrination. Teaching that sports, arts, music are not important is indoctrination. They are important. It’s been proven time and time again that young folks who focus on creativity are successful with the core sorts of curriculum. Music opens young folk up to being successful and focused. They can then take this success and self confidence and apply it to other areas of their lives. Teaching only reading and math reach only those kids who are open to those 2 things, leaving the vast majority just bored to death.
AHHH you are correct. The problem is that the basics reading, writing, math, science and history are no longer the core of education. Thus my point. Only when these things are taught will kids get back to learning.
Wanna prove me wrong. I give you this challenge. Ask 10 high school kids ( without looking at a map ) where Alaska and Hawaii are I know what most of them will tell you cause I have done this allot this used to be one question I asked before I would hire a driver.
Interestingly, it is Asian newcomers to Maine who have picked up the scores; and as usual, private schools are ahead of government ones; and at the top of the heap are those with a religious affiliation.
Private schools only have students that have parents that can afford the tuition, or students that have school choice. Many Public schools are burden with more students that have no home support.
Not surprising considering that a major candidate for the POTUS had a major platform saying that he actually believe in evolution. The fact that a candidate had to say they believe in evolution be a big deal in the national election speaks dividends why we are so far behind.