EA 2.3

SCIENCE PROFICIENCY (AGES 9, 13, 17)

One the National Education Goals for the year 2000, adopted by Congress, is to improve the relative standing of U.S. students in science achievement.²⁶ In a 1995 comparison of American eighth graders to 40 other countries, the Third International Math and Science Study showed that U.S. students had significantly lower overall science proficiency scores than students in 9 countries, had similar scores to students in 16 countries, and had higher scores than students in 15 countries.²⁷ Levels of science achievement, both in the U.S. and internationally, will help measure the extent to which these goals are being met.

In order to present time trends in science proficiency levels, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports five different proficiency levels, ranging from Level 150 (knows everyday science facts) to Level 350 (integrates specialized scientific information).²⁸ The following tables (Tables EA 2.3.A, EA 2.3.B, and EA 2.3.C) report the average science proficiency scores of students in three age groups (9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds).

Trends in Science Proficiency Levels. Average science proficiency scores have increased among all age groups since 1977. Among 9-year-olds, average science proficiency scores increased between 1977 (219.9) and 1994 (231.0) (see Table EA 2.3.A). Among 13-year-olds, average scores increased between 1977 (247.4) and 1994 (256.8) (see Table EA 2.3.B). Among 17-year-olds, average science proficiency scores declined between 1977 (289.5) and 1982 (283.3), after which they increased to 294.0 in 1994. Thus, gains in science proficiency levels among 17-year-olds were not as great as gains for the other two age groups.

Differences by Gender. In 1994, females scored slightly lower than males on average science proficiency scores among 13-year-olds and 17-year-olds.

Differences by Race and Ethnicity.²⁹ There are large differences in science proficiency scores by race and ethnicity among all age groups. For example, among 17-year-olds in 1994, whites had higher average science proficiency scores (306.0) than blacks (256.8) or Hispanics (261.4) (see Table EA 2.3.C). However, black 17-year-olds had especially high gains in achievement since 1977 (see Figure 2.3). Black 9-year-olds and 13-year-olds also showed high gains in science achievement over time.

Differences by Parent’s Education. Average science proficiency levels vary dramatically by parent’s education level.³⁰ For example, among 13-year-olds and 17-year-olds in 1994, the lowest average science proficiency scores were among teens whose parents did not have a high school education, while the highest scores were among teens who had a parent who had graduated from college. In fact, in 1994 the average science proficiency score among 13-year-old children of parents with a college education (268.8) was substantially higher than the average score among 17-year-old children of parents without a high school degree (255.8) (see Tables EA 2.3.B and EA 2.3.C).

Differences by School Type. Average science proficiency scores have been consistently higher among students attending non-public schools than among students attending public schools. This is true for every age group and every year reported.
 

Figure EA 2.3   Science Proficiency — Age 17, Average Proficiency of Students, by Race/Ethnicity: 1977-1994

Note: The science proficiency scale ranges from 0 to 500.
Level 150: Knows everyday science facts
Level 200: Understands simple scientific principles
Level 250: Applies general scientific information
Level 300: Analyzes scientific procedures and data
Level 350: Integrates specialized scientific information

Source: U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1994 Trends in Academic Progress.
 

Table EA 2.3.A  Science Proficiency — Age 9, Average Proficiency of Students, by Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Type of School: 1977-1994
					1977	1982	1986	1990	1992	1994
					———	———	———	———	———	———
Total					219.9	220.8	224.3	228.7	230.6	231
	Gender
		Male			221.1	221	227.3	230.3	234.7	232.2
		Female			217.6	220.7	221.3	227.1	226.7	230
	Race/Ethnicity
		White, non-Hispanic			229.6	229	231.9	237.5	239.1	240.3
		Black, non-Hispanic			174.8	187	196.2	196.4	200.3	201.4
		Hispanic			191.9	189	199.4	206.2	204.7	201
	Type of School
		Public			218	219.7	226.6	227.7	229.1	229.5
		Non-Public			234.6	231.5	233	236.8	240.2	242.2
Note: The science proficiency scale ranges from 0 to 500:
	Level 150: Knows everyday science facts						Level 300: Analyzes scientific procedures and data
	Level 200: Understands simple scientific principles						Level 350: Integrates specialized scientific information
	Level 250: Applies general scientific information
Source: U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1994 Trends in Academic Progress.

 
 

Table EA 2.3.B  Science Proficiency — Age 13, Average Proficiency of Students, by Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Parent’s Education, and Type of School: 1977-1994
					1977	1982			1986	1990	1992	1994
					———	———			———	———	———	———
Total					247.4	250.1			251.4	255.2	258	256.8
	Gender
		Male			251.1	255.6			256.1	258.5	260.1	259.4
		Female			243.7	245			246.9	251.8	256	254.3
	Race/Ethnicity
		White, non-Hispanic			256.1	257.3			259.2	264.1	267.1	266.5
		Black, non Hispanic			208.1	217.1			221.6	225.7	224.2	223.9
		Hispanic			213.4	225.5			226.1	231.6	237.5	232.1
	Parent’s Education
		Less than high school			223.5	225.3			229.4	232.9	233.8	234.3
		Graduated high school			245.3	243.1			244.8	247.3	246.4	247.1
		Some education after HS			260.3	258.8			257.8	262.8	265.9	260.4
		Graduated college			266.4	263.5			264.4	267.5	269.2	268.8
	Type of School
		Public			245.2	248.5			250.9	253.6	257.2	255.4
		Non-Public			267.7	263.7			263.1	269	264.5	267.6
Note: The science proficiency scale ranges from 0 to 500:
	Level 150: Knows everyday science facts							Level 300: Analyzes scientific procedures and data
	Level 200: Understands simple scientific principles							Level 350: Integrates specialized scientific information
	Level 250: Applies general scientific information
Source: U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1994 Trends in Academic Progress.

 
 

Table EA 2.3.C  Science Proficiency — Age 17, Average Proficiency of Students, by Gender,  Race/Ethnicity, Parent’s Education, and Type of School: 1977-1994
					1977	1982			1986	1990	1992	1994
					———	———			———	———	———	———
Total					289.5	283.3			288.5	290.4	294.1	294
	Gender
		Male			297	291.9			294.9	295.6	299.1	299.5
		Female			282.2	275.2			282.3	285.4	289	288.9
	Race/Ethnicity
		White, non-Hispanic			297.7	293.1			297.5	300.9	304.2	306
		Black, non Hispanic			240.2	234.7			252.8	253	256.2	256.8
		Hispanic			262.3	248.7			259.3	261.5	270.2	261.4
	Parent’s Education
		Less than high school			265.3	258.5			257.5	261.4	262	255.8
		Graduated high school			284.4	275.2			277	276.3	280.2	279.2
		Some education after HS			295.6	290.1			295.1	296.5	295.9	294.8
		Graduated college			309.3	300.2			303.8	305.5	308.3	310.6
	Type of School
		Public			288.2	282.3			287.1	289	292.2	291.7
		Non-Public			308.4	292			321.3	307.8	311.7	310.4
Note: The science proficiency scale ranges from 0 to 500:
	Level 150: Knows everyday science facts							Level 300: Analyzes scientific procedures and data
	Level 200: Understands simple scientific principles							Level 350: Integrates specialized scientific information
	Level 250: Applies general scientific information
Source: U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1994 Trends in Academic Progress.

²⁷ U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, Pursuing Excellence, No. 97-198. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

²⁸ NAEP has regularly been conducting assessments of U.S. students in public and private schools in order to monitor trends in academic achievement in core curriculum areas since the 1970s. NAEP uses proficiency scales that range from 0 to 500. To give meaning to the results, students’ performance is characterized at five levels along the proficiency scales (150, 200, 250, 300, 350).

²⁹ Estimates for whites and blacks exclude Hispanics of those races.

³⁰ Parent’s education is not reported at age 9 because approximately a third of these students did not know their parent’s education level.
 

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