Report: Va 8th-graders outperform peers

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's eighth-graders outperform their peers nationwide in science, but only 40 percent show a solid grasp of the subject, according to a national report released Thursday.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress results showed that 38 percent of Virginia's public school eighth-graders achieved "proficient" science scores in 2011, compared with 34 percent in 2009. Two percent scored at the "advanced" level, unchanged from 2009.

Nationally, 29 percent scored at the proficient level and 2 percent at the advanced level. Nine other states had a higher percentage of students achieving at least "proficient" scores than Virginia, but none exceeded 44 percent proficiency.

"Virginia schools are fortunate to have many outstanding science teachers and nationally recognized science standards that stress inquiry-based learning as well as content knowledge," Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright said Thursday of the four-point increase in the percentage of proficient scores. "The implementation of even more rigorous science standards in 2012 will provide a foundation for even higher achievement."

Thirty-three percent of Virginia's eighth-graders performed at "basic" level, and 27 percent scored "below basic." That's compared with 34 percent basic and 30 percent below basic in 2009, according to the report. The exam measured content knowledge in physical science, life science, and earth and space sciences.

Nationally, 34 percent of students scored at the basic level in 2011, and 36 percent were below basic.

Proficiency is defined as solid academic performance at grade level, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations, and analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter. "Advanced" represents superior performance, and "basic" is defined as partial mastery of fundamental knowledge and skills for proficient grade-level work.

Achievement gaps remain among Virginia's racial and socioeconomic groups. Among white students, 51 percent scored at proficient level, compared with 55 percent of those identifying themselves as Asian, 15 percent of black students and 24 percent of Hispanic students. Among eighth-graders eligible for the federal school lunch program, 22 percent scored at proficient levels. The program is a measure of low family income.

Also known as the Nation's Report Card, NAEP is the only nationally representative measure of what U.S. students know and can do in various subject areas.

About 2,300 students in 110 Virginia schools participated in the national science assessment as a representative sample of Virginia's eighth grades, according to the Virginia Department of Education. The next NAEP science assessment will take place in 2015, with both fourth-grade and eighth-grade students taking the exam.

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The Nation's Report Card: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/