Georgia Science Test Scores Improve, Near National Average

ATLANTA, GA — Georgia fourth-graders are showing significant improvement in science testing, with new national test results showing the state's students have closed the gap with their peers across the country. Georgia's eighth-graders also closed the gap, but improved at a slower pace and continue to fall below proficiency standards, according to new results released Thursday from The Nation's Report Card.

In the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) testing, students were quizzed in three content areas: physical science, life science, and Earth and space sciences.

In 2015, results from 35 percent of fourth-graders in Georgia showed a proficient understanding of science principles, compared to 37 percent of fourth-graders nationally. Overall, Georgia students had an average score of 152, up 8 points from 2009, but still below a proficient score of 167.

Among eighth-graders, 31 percent in Georgia had scores rated proficient, compared to 33 percent nationally. Again, Georgia students had an average score of 152, up 5 points from 2009, but still below a proficient score of 170.

• More: Students Struggling With Science Nationally

U.S. Education Secretary John King Jr. told the The New York Times that he was heartened by progress in the results, but that it also shows there is significant work to do. "We still are not at a place as a country where we are preparing the future STEM workforce that we need," King said.

Nationally, black and Hispanic students have made progress in narrowing the gaps when compared to white students, but still fall far behind. In Georgia, there was no significant improvement in bridging those gaps in the six-year period.

However, girls in Georgia were part of a national trend of fourth-graders erasing the gender gap in test results. Eighth-grade female students in the state also had test scores on par with male students.

More at Patch:

• 10 Georgia Schools Among 2016 National Blue Ribbon Winners
• Newsweek's Top Public High Schools 2016: 10 Georgia Schools Listed
• U.S. News & World Report College Rankings 2017: Georgia's Top Schools

Average science scores at grades four and eight increased significantly in 13 other states: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. Scores also increased at Department of Defense education sites.

State-level results were not available for high school seniors. Data was not available for six states: Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

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