(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – Kentucky’s 4th- and 8th-graders continue to outperform their peers nationally in science, according to data from the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), released Oct. 27 by the Kentucky Department of Education.
While Kentucky’s scores remain relatively flat from the last administration of the NAEP science tests, Kentucky students still perform significantly above the national average.
Kentucky and National Scale Scores for NAEP Science, 2015
| 4th-Grade | 5th-Grade | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | National Average | Kentucky | National Average | |
| 2009 | 161 | 149 | 156 | 149 |
| 2011 | * | * | 157 | 151 |
| 2015 | 160 | 153 | 157 | 153 |
“These scores are based on early implementation of Kentucky’s Academic Standards in
Science,” Commissioner of Education Stephen Pruitt said. “I believe the next time we see NAEP science scores reported, we will see significant improvement, since Kentucky teachers will have had more time to align their teaching methods and materials with the standards and students will have had time to build a stronger foundation of learning based on the standards and what they demand.”
Pruitt said despite the overall good news that Kentucky performance remains strong in science as compared with the rest of the nation, the state cannot overlook the ongoing issue of achievement gaps between various groups of students.
“We see it on our state tests and this assessment is no different,” Pruitt said. “We have got to take action to close the achievement gap and eliminate what I believe is its root cause – the opportunity gap – for every student.”
The good news is that in Kentucky there is not a significant difference in science performance between male and female students.
NAEP Science Scores by Student Groups, 2015
| 4th Grade | 8th Grade | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Score | Percent at or Above Basic | Percent at or Above Proficient | Average Score | Percent at or Above Basic | Percent at or Above Proficient | |
| White | 164 | 87 | 48 | 160 | 76 | 38 |
| Black | 138 | 60 | 22 | 134 | 45 | 10 |
| Hispanic | 149 | 73 | 30 | 155 | 72 | 30 |
| Asian | # | # | # | # | # | # |
| Two or More Races | 159 | 81 | 41 | # | # | # |
| Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Meal | 152 | 77 | 34 | 149 | 63 | 23 |
| Not Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Meal | 172 | 93 | 61 | 168 | 84 | 49 |
| Male | 161 | 84 | 46 | 159 | 74 | 38 |
| Female | 159 | 83 | 43 | 155 | 71 | 30 |
For more than 30 years, NAEP, also known as the nation’s Report Card, has been the country’s only nationally representative and continuing survey of students’ educational achievement.
The assessment is authorized by Congress, directed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and developed by Educational Testing Service of Princeton, N.J.
Not all students in the designated grades or in every school take NAEP tests, only a sampling. Westat Inc. of Rockville, Md., conducts sample selection and data collection. Because the national NAEP samples were not designed to support the reporting of state-level results, state NAEP samples were introduced in 1990 to provide participating states reliable data concerning the achievement of their students.
NAEP protects the confidentiality of students, teachers and schools that participate by not reporting individual student, teacher, school or district data.
KEY FINDINGS FOR 2015 NAEP SCIENCE – 4th grade
- In 2015, the average science score for 4th-grade students in Kentucky was 160. This was higher than the average score (153) for public school students in the nation.
- The average score for 4th-grade students in Kentucky in 2015 (160) was not significantly different from that in 2009 (161).
- In 2015, the percentage of 4th-grade students in Kentucky who performed at or above Proficient was 44 percent. This was greater than that for the nation’s public schools (37 percent).
- The percentage of 4th-grade students in Kentucky who performed at or above Proficient in 2015 (44 percent) was not significantly different from that in 2009 (45 percent).
- In 2015, the percentage of 4th-grade students in Kentucky who performed at or above Basic was 83 percent. This was greater than that for the nation’s public schools (76 percent).
- The percentage of 4th-grade students in Kentucky who performed at or above Basic in 2015 (83 percent) was not significantly different from that in 2009 (83 percent).
KEY FINDINGS FOR 2015 NAEP SCIENCE – 8th grade
- In 2015, the average science score for 8th-grade students in Kentucky was 157. This was higher than that of the nation’s public schools (153).
- The average score for 8th-grade students in Kentucky in 2015 (157) was not significantly different from that in 2011 (157) or in 2009 (156).
- In 2015, the percentage of 8th-grade students in Kentucky who performed at or above Proficient was 35 percent. This was greater than that for the nation’s public schools (33 percent).
- The percentage of 8th-grade students in Kentucky who performed at or above Proficient in 2015 (35 percent) was not significantly different from that in 2011 (34 percent) or in 2009 (34 percent).
- In 2015, the percentage of 8th-grade students in Kentucky who performed at or above Basic was 73 percent. This was greater than that for the nation’s public schools (67 percent).
- The percentage of 8th-grade students in Kentucky who performed at or above Basic in 2015 (73 percent) was not significantly different from that in 2011 (72 percent) or in 2009 (71 percent).
Leave A Comment