- U.S. schools show slight improvement on science test, By Greg Toppo, May 8, 2012, USA Today: “Despite years of educators’ complaints that reading and math are crowding out other school subjects, new findings from the federal government show that USA middle-schoolers’ basic knowledge of science is improving – at least a bit. Test results from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress show that eighth-graders’ knowledge of basic science rose slightly from 2009 to 2011, with average scores on the latest NAEP assessment rising from 150 points to 152 – a small but statistically significant difference. The percentage of students rated ‘at or above proficient’ also rose slightly…”
- Most 8th graders fall short on NAEP science test, By Sarah D. Spoke, May 10, 2012, Education Week: “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 morning 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 last year; that’s a statistically significant increase, but still well below 170, science proficiency on the test’s 300-point scale…”
- National science test shows only slight improvement, By Lyndsey Layton, May 9, 2012, Washington Post: “National tests to measure science knowledge among eighth-graders show slight improvement compared with two years ago, but one-third of all students still lack a basic understanding of the physical, life and earth sciences, according to a federal study made public Thursday. The tests showed that black and Hispanic students had made slightly more progress than white students, making a small dent in persistent achievement gaps between the racial groups. The gender gap also has proved stubborn, with boys continuing to outperform girls in the science test, a trend consistent with results from 2009, the last year the science test was given…”
- 8th-grade students in US see slight gains on science test, but most still below proficiency, Associated Press, May 10, 2012, Washington Post: “Eighth-graders in the U.S. are doing better in science than they were two years ago, but seven out of 10 still are not considered proficient, the federal government said Thursday. What’s more, just 2 percent have the advanced skills that could lead to careers in the field. That’s from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, released by the U.S. Department of Education. The average score was 152, up from 150 in 2009…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty