Virginia Science Test Scores Among the Best, But Show Limited Improvement

WASHINGTON, DC — Students in grades four and eight have shown modest progress in science testing nationally and in Virginia. Results for students in the commonwealth were among the best in the country, but 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 50 percent of fourth-graders in Virginia showed a proficient understanding of science principles, compared to 37 percent of fourth-graders nationally. Overall, Virginia students had an average score of 165, up 3 points from 2009, but still below a proficient score of 167.

Among eighth-graders, 39 percent in Virginia had scores rated proficient, compared to 33 percent nationally. Again, Virginia students had an average score of 160, up 4 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 Virginia, there was no significant improvement in bridging those gaps in the six-year period.

However, girls in Virginia 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:

• US News & World Report College Rankings 2017: Virginia's Top Schools
• Newsweek's Top Public High Schools 2016: 4 Virginia Schools Make List
• 7 Virginia Schools Among 2016 National Blue Ribbon Winners

Average science scores at grades four and eight increased significantly in 14 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, 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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