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Dr. Gary W. Phillips
Acting Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics
The Release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) The Nations' Report Card: Science 2000
November 20, 2001
The NAEP 2000 Science assessment was based upon a framework developed by the National Assessment Governing Board. This framework was originally developed for the 1996 assessment. The 2000 data are comparable with the 1996 assessment data.
The NAEP 2000 Science assessment provides results for subgroups of students defined by various background and contextual characteristics. This assessment also provides results for a second sample in which testing accommodations were provided to students with special needs (students with disabilities and/or limited English proficient students). The number of students assessed in 2000 totaled approximately 240,000 students. These included about 49,000 in the national samples at grades 4, 8, and 12, while the state samples total about 191,000 for grades 4 and 8 combined. In the national sample, 16,749 fourth-graders from 777 schools, 16,837 eighth-graders from 751 schools, and 15,879 twelfth-graders from 550 schools were assessed. Approximately 2,000 students from about 100 schools in each jurisdiction participated, at each grade.
A Cautionary Note on Interpreting the Results
Please note that because NAEP scores are based on samples, there is a margin of error associated with each score. When we make comparisons between scores, or compare the percentages of students at the various achievement levels, we must test the differences to see if they are larger than the margin of error involved-differences that we call statistically significant. NCES only discusses statistically significant differences.
Content of the 2000 Science Assessment
The NAEP science framework is organized according to two major dimensions: Fields of Science and Knowing and Doing Science. The Fields of Science includes earth, physical, and life sciences. The elements of Knowing and Doing Science include conceptual understanding, scientific investigation, and practical reasoning. In addition to the two major dimensions, the framework includes two other categories, the Nature of Science and Themes.
Students answered both multiple-choice and constructed-response questions in these areas. Constructed-response questions required students to provide written responses that explained their answers. About half of all students were given hands-on tasks, which required them to perform experiments, make observations, and write up their conclusions.
Results Reported from the 2000 Science Assessment
Science performance of students is reported in two ways: 1) as average scale scores, and 2) as percents of students performing at or above various achievement levels. An average scale score reflects the overall science performance of a particular group or subgroup of students. There are three science achievement levels that are established by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which establishes policy for NAEP. These achievement levels are intended to describe standards for what students should know and be able to do. The three achievement levels are defined as advanced, proficient, and basic. NAGB believes that all students should be performing at or above the proficient level.
National Scale Score Results Across Years
The NAEP science scales run from 0 to 300. There are separate scales for each grade. In 1996, when the assessment was first given, the average scale score for each grade was set at 150. In 2000, neither the fourth- nor the eighth-grade score showed any real change. However, the average score for twelfth-graders fell from 150 in 1996 to 147 in 2000. NAEP is not designed to indicate the reasons for such changes. NAEP is like a thermometer. It tells what the temperature is, but does not tell why the temperature changes.
National Scale Score Percentiles Across Years
In addition to presenting average scores, the results are presented for students at various levels of performance, or percentiles. The report indicates performance trends for students scoring at the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles in each grade. In grade 4, none of the scores for the five different percentile levels showed a change in 2000 as compared to 1996. In grade 8, only students at the 90th percentile showed a change-an increase from 192 in 1996 to 195 in 2000. At the twelfth grade, only students at the 50th percentile showed a change-a decrease from 152 to 148.
National Science Achievement Level Results Across Years
The percentages of fourth-grade students attaining the advanced, proficient, and basic achievement levels showed no changes from 1996 to 2000. The corresponding percentages for eighth-graders attaining advanced and proficient achievement levels did not change either. However, the percentage of eighth graders at the basic level decreased from 32 percent to 29 percent and the combined "At or Above proficient" category (both proficient and advanced) showed an increase, from 29 percent in 1996 to 32 percent in 2000 for grade 8.
The percentages of twelfth-grade students attaining the advanced, proficient, and basic achievement levels showed no changes from 1996 to 2000. However, the combined percentage of students at all three levels did change, falling from 57 percent in 1996 to 53 percent in 2000. Correspondingly, the percentage of twelfth-graders who were "Below basic" increased from 43 percent to 47 percent.
National Science Scale Scores Across Years by Gender
Average performance patterns for male and female students did not show change at the fourth-grade. Among eighth-graders, male scores increased, from 151 in 1996 to 154 in 2000, while scores for females did not show a change. At the twelfth-grade, scores for males declined, from 152 to 148, while, once more, scores for females did not show a change. In 2000, male students had higher scores than females at both the fourth- and eighth-grade. At the twelfth grade, the 3-point difference in favor of males was not significant.
Gender Gaps in National Science Scale Scores Across Year
s
Gaps in scores for males and females increased at the fourth-grade from 2 scale score points in favor of males in 1996 to 5 points in favor of males in 2000. At the eighth-grade, the gap favoring males increased from 2 to 7 scale score points. At the twelfth-grade, there was no real change.
Average Scale Scores Across Years by Race/Ethnicity
Scores for the three major subgroups-Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics-show only one change, a decline for twelfth-grade Whites from 159 in 1996 to 154 in 2000. No other scores showed a change. We are not reporting scores for Asians-Pacific Islanders and American Indians because the number of students sampled did not meet NCES's standards for reporting.
Racial/Ethnic Gaps in Average Scale Scores Across Years
The NAEP 2000 Science assessment revealed gaps in scores between Whites and Blacks, and between Whites and Hispanics. The gaps are substantial. The White-Black gap ranges from 31 to 40 points in 2000 across the three grades. The White-Hispanic gap ranges from 26 to 33 points. These gaps have not changed significantly across the past two assessments for any of the grades.
Regional Performance by Grade
NAEP divides the United States into four geographical regions-the Northeast, Southeast, Central, and West-and provides data on average scale scores by region. There were no changes in average scale scores for the Northeast, Southeast, or West regions at grade 4 or grade 8 for 1996 to 2000. The Central region was the only region to show a decline for twelfth-graders from 1996 to 2000. In 1996, the average scale score for twelfth-graders in the Central region was 158, higher than the average scores for both the Southeast and West regions (142 and 147, respectively). In 2000, the average score for the Central region was 150, still higher than the scores for both the Southeast and West regions, but lower than in 1996.
It appears that the overall national decline for twelfth graders, from 150 in 1996 to 147 in 2000, was associated with declines for a number of subgroups, specifically, students who had well-educated parents, or were economically advantaged, or who were white, or male, or in public schools. These declines were most evident in the Central region. However, the Central region was above the national average in 1996 and at the national average in 2000.
State Results: Grade 4
Forty-five states and other jurisdictions participated in the NAEP 2000 Science Assessment for the fourth grade. Forty-four states and other jurisdictions met requirements to report results. Twenty of the 44 jurisdictions scored higher than the national average score of 150 and 13 scored below it.
State Results: Grade 8
Forty-four states and other jurisdictions participated in the NAEP 2000 Science Assessment for the eighth grade. Forty-two states and other jurisdictions met requirements to report results. Eighteen of the 42 jurisdictions scored higher than the national average score of 151 and 13 scored below it. When the results for each state are considered in the context of all jurisdictions that participated in both 1996 and 2000, only eighth-graders in Missouri, and U.S. Department of Defense domestic and overseas school systems showed an increase in performance. However, when each state is considered separately, two additional states-Kentucky and Vermont, showed an increase and two states-California and Maine showed a decline for the 8th grade.
Background Factors
In addition to assessing performance in science, data are collected in NAEP on student, teacher, and school characteristics that may be related to performance. Some of those factors that showed an association with performance are discussed below.
Teacher's undergraduate major
The NAEP data indicate that at the fourth-grade, there were no relationships between students' performance on the NAEP 2000 Science Assessment and their teachers' undergraduate major. However, at the eighth-grade, students whose science teachers had majored in science education had higher scores than students whose science teachers had not done so. NAEP did not collect data for the twelfth grade because many students do not take science in their senior year.
Current Science Course: Grade 8
Eighth-grade students take a variety of science courses. Students who were not taking science and students who were taking Life Science had lower scores than students taking Earth, Integrated, Physical, or General Science.
Science Courses Taken: Grade 12
The results showed the relationships between twelfth-graders' performance on the NAEP 2000 Science Assessment and past coursework. Students who had taken the subjects of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics did better than students who had not taken these courses. In contrast, students who had taken General Science did not have higher scores than students who had not taken it.
Type of Computer Use: Grade 4 & 8
At the fourth grade, students who used computers to play learning games had higher scores than those who did not. However, the results showed that students who said they did not use computers had higher scores, on average, than those who said they did use them.
Among eighth-graders, students who reported using computers for simulations and models, and for science and data analysis, had higher scores than those who said they did not.
Type of Computer Use, Students Taking Science: Grade 12
At the twelfth grade, the results showed that the more students use computers to collect and to analyze data, and to download data, the higher their scores. Students who never used the computer for these purposes had lower scores than those who did. There were no differences in scores for students based on the frequency with which they used computers to exchange information on the Internet.
Use of the Internet at Home: Grades 4, 8, & 12
At the fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth- grades, students who reported using the Internet at home had higher scores than those who said they did not.
Television/Videos Watching: Grades 4, 8, & 12
At the fourth-grade, students who reported watching television/videos 6 hours or more on a school day had lower scores, on average, than students who reported watching television/videos less frequently (between 1 hour or less and 5 hours). However, there was no difference in scores for students who reported watching television/videos for 6 hours or more and students who reported watching no television/videos. At the eighth-grade, students who reported watching television/videos 6 or more hours per day had lower scores, on average, than students who reported watching less frequently or not at all.
Accommodations Permitted in the 2000 Science Assessment
NCES has been studying the impact of providing testing accommodations to students with disabilities and/or limited-English-proficient students. In a few instances, including accommodated students has led to lower average scores. However, NCES has concluded that providing accommodations has only a minor impact on statistical results overall.
Complete results for the Nation's Report Card: Science 2000 are available on the web at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/science/results/.
