The Nation's Report Card: Science 2011- National Assessment of Educational Progress at Grade 8
Abstract
"A representative sample of 122,000 eighth-graders participated in the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment, which is designed to measure students' knowledge and abilities in the areas of physical science, life science, and Earth and space sciences."Points addressed in the national 2011 Science at Grade 8 report include:
- 2011 scores are higher than 2009 scores for all but the highest-performing students
- Race/ethnic gaps narrower in 2011 than in 2009
- Race/ethnic group reporting is refined to include more information
- Public school scores are higher in 2011 than in 2009; but scores are higher for private schools than public schools
- Hands-on class projects are linked to higher scores
- Students who experience science-related activities out-of-class tend to score higher
The report also includes a science items list and examples of science content assessment questions.