Jack Buckley Commissioner National Center for Education Statistics May 10, 2012

Administered January–March 2011 National sample 122,000 eighth-graders Results available for Nation 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense school system Performance reported as Average scale scores (0–300 scale) Achievement levels ( Basic, Proficient, Advanced ) Results compared to

Science Content Areas 30% Physical science 30% Life science 40% Earth and space sciences 3

Scores higher than in 2009 Eighth-graders score 2 points higher than in 2009 Scores higher for all but the 90th percentile * Significantly different (p <.05) from

Higher percentages of students perform at or above Basic and Proficient in 2011 * Significantly different (p <.05) from

White and Asian students score higher than other racial/ethnic groups # Rounds to zero. NOTE: Black includes African American and Hispanic includes Latino. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 6

White – Black score gap narrows from * Significantly different (p <.05) from NOTE: Black includes African American, and Hispanic includes Latino. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Score gaps are calculated based on differences between unrounded average scores. White – Hispanic score gap narrows from 2009Racial/ethnic gaps narrow from 2009

Male students score 5 points higher than female students in * Significantly different (p <.05) from 2011.

Students across income levels score higher than in * Significantly different (p <.05) from NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because results are not shown for the “Information not available” category.

Public school students score higher than in 2009 but private – public gap persists 10 * Significantly different (p <.05) from NOTE: Private schools include Catholic, other religious, and nonsectarian private schools. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

Students in 16 states score higher in 2011 than in Department of Defense Education Activity (overseas and domestic schools).

Students in 29 states and jurisdictions score higher than the nation in Department of Defense Education Activity (overseas and domestic schools).

Students doing hands-on projects in class more frequently score higher 13 NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

Students who report doing science-related activities that are not for schoolwork score higher NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 14

Earth and space sciences question 15 72% of eighth-graders were able to predict a geological consequence from the collision of two tectonic plates NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

Physical science question 54% of eighth-graders were able to identify what atoms combine to make up a molecule of water # Rounds to zero. NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 16

Life science question 17

Life science question 18 15% of eighth-graders demonstrated a “Complete” understanding of the behavior of a mosquito larva and pupa NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because the percentage of responses rated as “Off-task” is not shown. Off-task responses are those that do not provide any information related to the assessment task.

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