High-school science scores skid

High-school science scores skid

By Ben Feller
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Elementary-school children are getting better in science, but middle- and high-school students are not, a blow for a nation worried about losing its competitive edge.

Federal test scores released Wednesday indicate that fourth-grade students posted small gains in the past five years, mostly through improvement by the lowest-performing children.

The progress was interpreted by education officials as a sign that greater attention to elementary students' math and reading skills — as required by the No Child Left Behind law — also may be helping in science.

The test found students in grades eight and 12 failed to improve since 2000 in their knowledge of earth, physical and life sciences.

High-school seniors did worse in science when compared with scores of a decade ago. Almost half of 12th-graders taking the test in 2005 fell short of showing basic science skills.

"We need to get busy. And that starts with ensuring that all students have access to a strong science curriculum and the teachers with the skills and knowledge to teach science well," said Kati Haycock, director of the Education Trust, which advocates for poor and minority children.

The science scores are from the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress, a federal test given periodically on a range of topics. It is considered the best yardstick of how U.S. students perform over time and of how states compare.

On the test, most students in each grade could not handle challenging subject matter. At that skill level, known as proficient, a fourth-grade student can explain what can be learned from fossils. An eighth-grader can identify the location of a cell's genetic material, and a 12th-grader can design an experiment to compare various heating times.

Nationwide, 29 percent of students in grades four and eight scored proficient or better; 18 percent of 12th-graders did.

In Washington state public schools, 28 percent of fourth-graders scored proficient, while 71 percent had mastered basic science skills.

For eighth-graders, 33 percent were proficient and 66 percent mastered basic skills. No breakdown by state was available for 12th-graders.

Science skills have become critical in a range of jobs, and they form the foundation of engineering, technology, medicine and other leading fields.

The lackluster performance by older students highlights a deep concern among business and political leaders, who see eroding science achievement as a threat to the U.S. economy.