E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSEighth-graders across the country slightly improved their basic science skills over the past two years, but about seven out of 10 still were not considered “proficient” on a national test, and experts worried about what the results said about American competitiveness.
Two-thirds of eighth-grade students performed at or above a "basic" achievement level on a national science assessment test, suggesting at least a "partial mastery of the knowledge and skills needed for proficient work," according to The National Assessment of Educational Progress.
"We didn't know what to expect with a test like this," said Stephaan Harris, spokesman for the National Assessment Governing Board, the independent board that sets NAEP policy. "Overall, there was improvement and gains."
The average eighth-grade score increased two points, from 150 in 2009 to 152 in 2011, according to the NAEP. The test is scored on a 300-point scale. The assessment was released Thursday.
Among assessment findings:
- 32 percent of students performed at or above "proficient" and 2 percent performed at an "advanced" level, Harris said. The NAEP defines "proficient" as showing "solid academic performance.”
- Black and Hispanic students showed more improvement than white students, narrowing but not eliminating the achievement gap, Harris said. Hispanic students scored a five-point gain, while black students scored three points higher compared to 2009 results.
- The gender gap remained unchanged, with male students scoring five points higher on average than female students.
Read the NAEP's complete Science 2011 findings
"The gains are encouraging, but the racial and gender gaps show a cause for concern," David Driscoll, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, said in a statement. "In order to compete in globally competitive and expanding fields like technology and medicine, we must make sure we give our students the tools necessary to excel in an important subject area."
Gerry Wheeler, interim head of the National Science Teachers Association, described the gains as "minuscule," according to The Associated Press.
"When you consider the importance of being scientifically literate in today's global economy, these scores are simply unacceptable," the AP quoted Wheeler as saying Thursday.
Watch the Top Videos on msnbc.com
More than 120,000 eighth-graders from 7,300 schools nationwide participated in the exam last year. According to the assessment analysis, of the 47 states that participated, 16 showed a small increase in their science scores over 2009's results. Most states stayed flat, the study showed.
The assessment also found that students who performed daily hands-on science activities scored higher on average than students who performed them less frequently. The 2011 science assessment test measured knowledge and abilities in physical science, life science, and earth and space sciences.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Leave a Comment:
We're the richest, most technologically advanced society on earth.
I'm just so proud of what our professional educators have accomplished.
Not!
only to be expected from a country where a large minority think the Earth is actually 6000 years old. if you can believe that as factual, then you can't understand any scientific principle
Wow, I am not surprised by the above article. I am one of those educators from the most technologically advanced society that LETUSREASON is NOT proud of. As an educator in an American public school, this is what I see. I see a small group of students who work diligently and hard. However, sad to say, I see the majority of public school students who want to put out as little effort as possible. They receive little support from home. If you assign homework, the parents get upset because it interferes with something they want to do. I have students who get to school late because their parents were out the night before partying and could not get them to school on time. I see students being raised by tired grandparents because the parents are dysfunctional. I see students who are being raised in homes where books and education is not important. I have taught for 35 years and been selected as Teacher of the Year several times. I work very hard. I am at school every weekend catching up on work, trying to find ways to motivate students who would rather play games on their phones. I have had it. I am retiring. Maybe Letusreason can take over my job and fix everything, since he/she seems to be so very aware of what is going on. We may be the most advanced society there is, but our schools are simply a mirror of what is going on in America. Wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In this case, it takes more than a village. It will take a miracle!
P.S. I want to thank the minority of parents out there who are really still stressing the importance of education to their children!!! Thank you!!!!!
That's an unfair statement. Until his retirement my husband taught science for 38 years. During that time all this money was being pumped into science education, but by the time it got to the classroom, they saw 10 cent of every dollar. The science teachers do the best they can with what they get, which is no supplies, no equipment and no help.
@!$%# you
Yeah blame the educators... Bunch of slackers.. Putting in more time than ever.. Trying to keep up with technology.. Societal behavioral problems and every other piece of baggage that the students bring.. Shame on them teachers for not making the students learn what is most important to everyone else when most of the students hardly even have a home to go to when the bell rings.. When the free or reduced lunch is the only food in their belly all day.. Shame on the teachers that can't just teach the kids that want to learn... Shame on the teachers that are asked every day to do more with less.. Shame on those self-centered, ego-maniacal teachers.. They are just so damn selfish... Shame on the teachers that put their workb efore their personal lives.. Shame on the teachers that don't feel like they can get married and have kids because their students will suffer if they can't plan or grade papers for 3 hours a night.. Same on the teachers... Get bent... John q public.... Until ou step into a classroom you have no idea the struggle that goes on... Same on the teachers that try to stop the bullying when it's clearly ok in the "real" world... Same on the teachers... Shame on the teachers that get 4 months off in the summer so they can go to seminars and back to school so they can learn how to better reach their increasingly distant students.. Shame on the teachers that work through their lunch with students that's don't get it...
No... Shame on our society for putting more emphasis on sports stars than scholars.... Shame on the public for placing the blame on teachers at every fricken turn... Shame on the public for blaming it all on the teachers...
But that's fine.. I will take your kid into my class with a smile.. And I know that more than likely they will learn more from me than they ever could from their low life scum for a parent....
Oh, please, stop your whining. Maybe you should try working a private sector job where 50-60 hour weeks (or more) are required and you are actually held accountable for your performance instead of having the union shield you. If it's not the educators fault, then why don't you tell us then why the U.S. if falling behind other countries? What are other countries doing that we're not? Are you telling me we have more students that just don't want to learn? That we have more societal problems? Or are those just handy excuses for you?
Yep typical response.... I've been in the private sector and that place sucks more that the public... And I'm sorry but there is no union protecting me.. Stop buying the propaganda that you're being sold and actually step into our classrooms.. In the ime I have spent in the public schools I have seen people working harder than when I was in t he"private sector" I'm not whining about my job.. I'm just calling it like I see it.. People talking sh!t about things hey know nothing about.. I actually have 140 people hat I have to impress daily with my skills... And I do just fine... Thank you very much... As a matter of fact your kids like their teachers more than they love you... And no I don't "envy" you... You're a piece of sh!t CEO of a piece of sh!t greedy ass company selling sh!t that nobody needs... Crawl back to your hole and do something productive with your life... And yes we do blame society.. But we know we are the ones that have to fix societies f!ckups...
Hey, based on how and what you've written above, you've just demonstrated what is wrong with the education system in this country. Looks like we need to have more stringent standards before hiring someone to put at the front of the classroom. You are clearly part of the problem.
CEO lets look at the facts...I get heated about this because I work my ass off in my career as an educator... I get reviewed twice a year.. Plus half of my review is based on test scores so no I don't hide behind a union... Our tests are administered to all kids.. Including students with disabilities.... This will clearly adjust our scores.. Public schools must take in all kids that are in the area.. We can't just deny an education.. Kids come to us with all different skill types and past experience... This also effects our scores.. Now... In other countries not all students are tested not all students must go to school... If you were o dig a little deeper you would find that the scores are comparable.. The problem with standardized testing is that the only thing that is standardized is the test.. Yes all educators are different.. And some even suck at their job.. And they do eventually get weeded out of teaching.. And as the CEO that you are you must understand the rule of diminishing returns...
The factors that must be included in these tests are vast.. And as with all statistics need to be handled carefully.. The bottom line is this, if you have a problem with how the youths of his country are being educated, get off your ass and do a better job yourself... Change it.. Fix it.. If you want. I'll even put in a good word for ya, so maybe you could get a subs license to see what all t he fuss is about... But until you step foot in our schools and take on he role as a teacher you will have no idea what t his profession is all about... I hope your company does well this year and you make a ton of money and that you're happy with your product.. But as for me.. As soon as we have our last bell on our last day I will be busy preparing for the next batch of learners that will walk through my door.. And I, knowing all to well what their parents and other people in their lives think about teachers, will welcome them to our classroom and I will awaken them to the world that society and religion doesn't want them to see... Science.. Evolution... DNA... And above all else that they can do better than their parents....
The problem is, I know TOO MUCH about what goes on in public schools through direct involvement. When my kids were in public schools, we were VERY involved, not only with the school system, but our community as a whole. I have held three elected offices in my town not to mention being a member of several committees. On average, my wife and I each donated at least 20 hours a week to our schools and community.....on top of our involvement with youth sports and pursuing our careers. So please, don't lecture me about parental involvement. It was our direct involvement in the school system that led us to put our kids into a private school when high school came around. We aren't alone. By the time children in our community reach high school age, almost 25% of the students LEAVE the system for private school or home schooling arrangements. How else could we prepare them for college? We certainly couldn't count on the $80,000 a year teachers and $200,000 a year administrators to get them there, that was readily apparent.
One of my old neighbors was a school teacher with about 20 years tenure, making in the low six figures. He'd leave his house at 7:30 AM and be home by 2:00 PM. So much for helping kids after school, eh? Because of his seniority, he could arrange his class schedule pretty much as he wanted.....and that was the shortest day possible. He'd complain to the rest of us about how tough his job was and how little he was being paid trying to raise his own five kids. When another neighbor who was a general contractor offered him $20/hour to swing a hammer over the summer instead of sitting by the pool, he refused. A real ball of fire. He'd rather complain that over $100K a year was like being poverty stricken.
Unfortunately, from what I've directly observed, over 50% of our educators are just like him. The union encourages it. One of our high school math teachers wanted to hold Saturday tutoring sessions for kids that were at risk of not graduating. He was shut down by his fellow teachers and the union because he wasn't demanding extra pay for it. An example of a good teacher being discouraged by a corrupt system. Would you like to hear about how the public middle school failed my kid with A.D.D. because they wouldn't implement a state-mandated plan for him? They just don't care. Private school was worth every penny. That's where the TRUE professionals were.
Who's fault is it? Student=90%, Parents=5%, Education System=5%
Why? Well who should care the most? Who would most benefit from the education?
Ignorant/Religious/just generally bad parents don't help.
education systems that put sports and religion above science and math go along with those parents I mentioned above.
As far as education goes you get what you pay for. This is what you get when you don't supprt public education enough. BTW, they are not being persecuted for their political beliefs, they are being prosecuted for their alleged crimes. Firing into a dwelling while under the influence of hate.
what can one expect from a country where nutcases actively promote anti-science as "gods word"?
Why do we need a test to tell us that not all students will become scientists? Howard Gardner never said we could all do well in everything. In fact he said the opposite, we can all be good at something. It should be the schools job to help find what students are good at and nurture those skills. Instead we say that if students can't pass standardized tests in everything, they are failures at everything.
Rubbish. That's the last thing this country needs, is our poor excuse for educators telling us what our kids are good at...or not. The reason for standardized tests is to ensure that kids have the bare minimum knowledge to survive in this world. Instead, we have kids dropping out of school or graduating without the knowledge to hold down a minimum wage job. I just love it when the products of our current education system can't even figure out how much change to give me back at the grocery store......and the register even spells it out for them. Meantime, I've calculated it my head in less than second. Pathetic.
How about a middle ground? Schools should indeed "help find what students are good at and nurture those skills," but should also require at least basic proficiency in skills like math, and should teach students to be realistic about the job market (for example, there are more jobs requiring technical skills than there are jobs for arts or philosophy majors).
Now for the $64,000 question, how well do 8th grade teachers score on this test?
I'm willing to wager that if teachers had to take the test, they would score little, if any, better than their students do.
The US spends twice as much per pupil on public education as the next 3 highest spending industrialized nations combined, but US students perform 38th on the list of industrialized nations. Now some of that can be laid on the poor quality of US students, inner city Negros, non-English speaking illegal alien Hispanics, girls pushed into classes other than homemaking, etc. But a lot of the problem has to be laid at the feet of teachers. Have you listened when teachers speak? Many can't form a standard English sentence, much less have a rational thought. Oh, sure, some private school teachers are excellent. There are even a few in the public system. But mostly any adult who has actually mastered science and technology is working in a science and technology career, not in teaching. As the old saying goes, those who can, do, those who can't, teach.
So John, how do you think you would do on the test?
I haven't had to take a standardized test since the 1950s, but I was a National Merit Scholar then. I have made an effort to keep up with the broad trends in science and technology since then. I would hope I would score quite high on the 8th grade science test, and obviously would expect to score extremely high on a test in my own specialty field.
John, we have teachers in my state than can't pass an English proficiency test, can barely speak intelligible broken English and yet they get to keep their jobs. You don't have to go far or look hard to see what is wrong with our current system. The dopes in education wonder why more and more parents are taking their kids out of public schools and choosing private schools or home schooling on top of spending record amounts of tax money on the failed public system. That's why school choice/vouchers is the way to go. Let's spend the money where we get the best results.....and that isn't the public schools in far too many communities.
Well we could ask my son who was recently in HS. That a majority of teachers should not be teaching or need more education in the areas they are currently teaching.
ceo, my private, middle-school wasn't all that great. but my public high school was excellent. although I must also add that that school consistently scores in the top 1% of public high schools nationally, even after thirty years. so, I got lucky
I am wondering why I have not seen a solution posted? Everyone has done a great job of pointing the blame but no one has offered a solution. We are all affected by education in America. Teachers, students, parents, administrators should all be vested in a solution for poor performance. Over generalizations about who is to blame does nothing to resolve this issue.
Although private schools and school choice/vouchers offer alternatives they are not a long term solution for everyone. I think this raises more questions about the divided nature of the argument. We all share a portion of the blame. Dedicated parents do feel frustrated after hours of volunteering, teachers feel frustrated after hours of reteaching/tutoring students who still don't understand, and employees/employers feel frustrated that the pool of talent seems to be less educated and more demanding ($).
I am all for better teacher preparation. Teachers should be able to easily pass the state standardized tests for the grade level and subject they teach. Maybe teachers should be required to major in the subject area with an education minor. Have we looked at the college classes required to become a teacher? I am uncomfortable with my child learning physics from a teacher who has fewer college level physics courses than I was required to complete for my degree.
I am also all for parents who support and respect the teachers/administrators in their local schools. Why is teacher bashing an acceptable practice? What you say in front of your children about teachers affects their opinions about teachers at school. Children should be respectful at all times. Traveling through Europe and China I have never heard the amount of negativity about teacher performance as I have here in the USA.
A solution is needed. We are all responsible for the success and failure of education in OUR country. If you think you can do a better job than your child's teacher...get certified. If you think teaching is a pain...find a new career. We are each others peers. We should have a vested interest in each others success and failure. We were once our parents future, and our children are our future. Don't we have a responsibility to do the right thing, stop arguing, stop picking on each other, and work together towards finding a solution? There may not be one way to educate all of our children...but there certainly is a wrong way--not working together.
By the way, I spent over 12 years as a professional scientist before I became a junior high science teacher. My own children are in high school. I spent many days working in the field cleaning up environmental disasters/superfund sites created by people who work for huge corporations. I have traveled all over the world trying to make the world a better place. I found out...I needed to help my own piece of the world be a better place.
The problem with scores across the board is teachers and curriculum. Another thing they forget to consider is that all children are not great testers BUT can do their assigned work with A's...when you start putting test pressures on them, it just gets lost. I think the whole system needs to be restructured and geared towards CAREERS! We are always trying to "keep up" with other countries but I'll bet they are teaching their children something that will be useful in a career choice, not just basic bullsh*t that's been taught for decades. That's just my opinion.
Interesting, lots of finger pointing. For what it is worth from a parent who put three kids through school including college. It takes a combination of good parents being actively involved with your kids in school. Motivated, kids who understand the importance of education and the benefits of this.Finally, teachers, administrator's etc.. whose goal is not the status quo but preparing our kids for a technical future. My wife and I have at one point or another have:1. Home schooled when our kids where young 2. Sent our kids to charter schools. 3. Been in the public sector. I can tell you from personal experience numbers 1 & 2 generally turn out kids who score higher on college entrance exams, , are more motivated and are more prepared for college. Results may vary - lol Just our experience