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May 24, 2006

Washington Earns Excellent Scores on Science NAEP
Students outscore national average

OLYMPIA – May 24, 2006–Results released today from the science National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) administered in 2005 show Washington’s fourth- and eighth-grade students achieving higher scores than the national average and those of many states.

The average scale score for Washington fourth-grade students is 153 points, four points higher than the nation’s fourth-graders enrolled in public schools. The percentage of students who performed at or above the basic level – 71 percent – is five points higher than the nation. This marked the first time Washington students participated in NAEP science testing in grade four.

Eighth graders in Washington took the science NAEP in 1996 and again in 2005. Scale scores improved four points to 154 in 2005. This score is significantly higher than the national score of 147 for public school students. A greater percent of Washington's eighth-grade students scored at or above basic in comparison to the national average: 66 percent and 57 percent, respectively. The results for Washington in 2005 also marked a significant improvement over those earned in 1996.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson said results from the NAEP provide additional information the state can use to gauge the academic progress Washington students are making.

“NAEP is widely recognized as setting a very tough measure of what students should know and be able to do,” she continued. “I want our students, their parents and teachers to know how proud I am of their performance on the NAEP. It isn’t an easy test, and they did very well.”

“In our own state, we have high expectations for the kind of scientific skills and knowledge we believe are critical for students to be able to apply to the world around them,” Bergeson said. “The NAEP results help validate the information we get back from our own classroom and state assessments in science. We have a ways to go to ensure every student has the scientific awareness they need, but we are definitely on the right track.”

Known as the Nation’s Report Card, the NAEP is given in reading and math every other year as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Other subjects such as science are assessed on a less regular basis.

The science NAEP was given to a small sample of students in each state and in United States territories and Department of Defense schools in early 2005. The National Assessment Governing Board recently approved the results from the 2005 test and approved their release to the participating states and the public.

The assessment is considered a “survey” because it measures the performance of a small number of students – generally 3,000 per grade level in Washington– and each student is only tested on a portion of the entire assessment. The performance of all students is then aggregated at the state level to provide an overall score for the state.

As a result, there are no individual student or district results available.

OSPI has created a report for both fourth- and eighth-grade results with additional detail about the performance of students by racial group and inclusion in special programs. To access these reports, visit OSPI’s Web page about NAEP. 

• View more results from the Nation’s Report Card