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Digest of Education Statistics
2007 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 132. Average science scale scores and percentage of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-graders attaining science achievement levels, by selected student characteristics and percentile: 1996, 2000, and 2005
Selected characteristic, percentile,
and achievement level
4th-graders 8th-graders 12th-graders
19961 2000 2005 19961 2000 2005 19961 2000 2005
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
All students 147 (1.1) 147 (0.9) 151 (0.3) 149 (0.8) 149 (1.0) 149 (0.3) 150 (0.7) 146 (0.9) 147 (0.6)
Sex                                    
Male 148 (1.3) 149 (1.1) 153 (0.3) 150 (0.9) 153 (1.1) 150 (0.4) 154 (1.0) 148 (1.1) 149 (0.7)
Female 146 (1.1) 145 (1.0) 149 (0.3) 148 (0.9) 146 (1.1) 147 (0.3) 147 (0.8) 145 (1.0) 145 (0.6)
Race/ethnicity                                    
White 158 (0.9) 159 (0.7) 162 (0.3) 159 (0.8) 161 (0.8) 160 (0.2) 159 (0.9) 153 (1.2) 156 (0.6)
Black 120 (1.3) 122 (1.0) 129 (0.6) 121 (0.9) 121 (1.4) 124 (0.4) 123 (1.1) 122 (1.7) 120 (0.9)
Hispanic 124 (3.0) 122 (2.3) 133 (0.5) 128 (2.7) 127 (1.4) 129 (0.5) 131 (2.2) 128 (1.7) 128 (1.3)
Asian/Pacific Islander 144 (3.7) (†) 158 (1.0) 151 (4.2) 153 (2.9) 156 (0.9) 147 (3.3) 149 (3.6) 153 (1.7)
American Indian 129 (11.9) 135 (6.9) 138 (1.9) 148 (3.5) 147 (6.7) 128 (4.0) 144 (7.5) 151 (3.6) 139 (5.3)
Parents' education                                    
Less than high school (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) 128 (0.5) (†) (†) 125 (1.4)
High school diploma or equivalent (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) 138 (0.5) (†) (†) 136 (0.9)
Some college (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) 151 (0.4) (†) (†) 148 (0.7)
Bachelor's degree or higher (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) 159 (0.3) (†) (†) 157 (0.6)
Eligible for free or reduced-
  price lunch
                                   
Eligible 129 (1.7) 127 (1.3) 135 (0.3) 129 (1.6) 127 (1.1) 130 (0.3) (†) (†) (†)
Not eligible 159 (0.9) 158 (1.1) 162 (0.3) 156 (0.9) 159 (1.0) 159 (0.3) (†) (†) (†)
Information not available 151 (3.9) 160 (1.5) 160 (0.9) 157 (2.3) 155 (1.7) 160 (1.5) (†) (†) (†)
Percentile2                                     
10th 99 (2.1) 99 (1.7) 109 (0.5) 103 (1.5) 101 (1.2) 101 (0.6) 105 (1.4) 101 (1.4) 101 (1.2)
25th 125 (1.6) 125 (1.4) 130 (0.4) 127 (1.2) 126 (1.3) 126 (0.4) 128 (1.1) 124 (1.0) 125 (0.8)
50th 150 (1.2) 150 (0.9) 153 (0.4) 152 (0.7) 152 (0.9) 151 (0.3) 152 (1.2) 148 (1.0) 149 (0.8)
75th 172 (1.0) 172 (0.7) 173 (0.3) 174 (0.8) 175 (0.8) 174 (0.3) 174 (0.8) 170 (1.2) 171 (0.8)
90th 190 (0.8) 190 (1.0) 189 (0.3) 192 (0.8) 194 (1.0) 192 (0.3) 192 (0.9) 189 (1.2) 189 (1.2)
  Percents attaining science achievement levels
Achievement level                                    
Below Basic 37 (1.4) 37 (1.2) 32 (0.4) 40 (1.0) 41 (1.2) 41 (0.4) 43 (1.0) 48 (1.2) 46 (0.8)
At or above Basic3  63 (1.4) 63 (1.2) 68 (0.4) 60 (1.0) 59 (1.2) 59 (0.4) 57 (1.0) 52 (1.2) 54 (0.8)
At or above Proficient4  28 (1.0) 27 (0.9) 29 (0.4) 29 (0.9) 30 (1.0) 29 (0.3) 21 (0.8) 18 (0.9) 18 (0.6)
At Advanced5  3 (0.3) 3 (0.4) 3 (0.1) 3 (0.3) 4 (0.3) 3 (0.1) 3 (0.3) 2 (0.3) 2 (0.2)
— Not available.
† Not applicable.
‡ Reporting standards not met.
1 Testing accommodations (e.g., extended time, small group testing) for children with disabilities and limited-English-proficient students were not permitted on the 1996 science assessment.
2 The percentile represents a specific point on the percentage distribution of all students ranked by their science score from low to high. For example, 10 percent of students scored at or below the 10th percentile score, while 90 percent of students scored above it.
3 Basic denotes partial mastery of the knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work.
4 Proficient represents solid academic performance. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter.
5 Advanced signifies superior performance.
NOTE: The NAEP science scale ranges from 0 to 300. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Standard errors appear in parentheses.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), NAEP Data Explorer (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/), retrieved November 2006. (This table was prepared November 2006.)

2007 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest