No increase in latest national science test scores
American 4th-graders saw a slight dip in science scores on the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress assessment, scores released today show. Middle and high school students, however, showed no significant changes compared to the last results available from 2015 and 2009.
The science assessment is administered to a nationally representative sample of 4th, 8th and 12th grade students and measures their knowledge in three scientific domains — Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth and Space Sciences.
The pre-pandemic data shows that among 12th-grade students nationwide, only 22% scored proficient or above, and scores have changed little in the last decade. About 41% of 12th-grade students did not meet the “basic” level in science, up 1% since 2015, and 69% of Black students and 56% of Hispanic students performed below “basic.”
About 35% of 8th-grade students scored proficient or above, similar to 2015. And 36% of 4th grade students met proficiency, down from 37% in 2015.
Scores declined across 4th grade student groups, including both boys and girls, and white and Black students. At the 8th grade level, scores increased among Black and Hispanic students since 2015, narrowing the scores gap between those student groups and their white peers. But wide gaps continue to persist: 46% of white students scored proficient or higher in 2019, compared to 21% of Hispanic students and 13% of Black students.
“As we have seen so clearly during the Covid-19 crisis, science literacy matters now more than ever. Not every child will grow up to be a scientist, but every child deserves access to a high-quality science education that provides them the skills and knowledge they need to be well-informed citizens,” said Erika Shugart, executive director of the National Science Teaching Association. “Unfortunately, until we begin the serious work of addressing equity for all students and ensuring that science is a higher priority for many of our nation’s schools, starting at the elementary level, we can anticipate that lackluster NAEP scores will continue for many years to come.”