Science tests fall from 1996 scores

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Schools must recruit more experienced science teachers and toughen up their science programs if students are to learn more than just the basics, officials said Tuesday.

American 12th-graders who took the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress scored, on average, three points lower than those taking the test in 1996.

Only 18 percent correctly answered challenging science questions, down from 21 percent in 1996. Those who knew just the basics dropped slightly to 53 percent.

"As these latest results indicate, the vast majority of our students today are learning very little science," said former astronaut George Nelson, who now directs the K-12 school program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Education Secretary Rod Paige called the decline "morally significant," adding, "If our graduates know less about science than their predecessors four years ago, then our hopes for a strong 21st-century workforce are dimming just when we need them most."

Nelson and others said schools must be given enough resources to lure teachers away from jobs in private industry. They must also design better, more coherent science programs that take students beyond basic ideas.

"They are taught to memorize some facts and vocabulary, but almost never to connect the knowledge into a coherent picture of how the world works and how we have come to know it," Nelson said. "They do not understand either science or the scientific enterprise."

Gerry Wheeler, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, said he’s not surprised at the poor results, considering that schools have increasingly focused on reading and math.

"Our nation continues to shortchange our students in science," he said.

Many science teachers complain that they can’t persuade school officials to give them the time or money required for training, he said.

Fourth- and eighth-graders who understand science at their grade level held steady — 29 percent of fourth-graders and 32 percent of eight-graders.

Sixty-six percent of fourth-graders and 61 percent of eighth-graders have a basic understanding of science and fundamental skills.

Among fourth-grade public school students, those in Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana and North Dakota scored highest; students in California and Mississippi scored lowest.

Among eighth-grade public school students, those in Massachusetts, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio and Vermont scored highest; students in California, Hawaii and Mississippi scored lowest.

Washington state did not participate in the assessment.