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SCHOOLS

Maine students do well on national science test

Fourth- and eighth-graders excel

By Matthew Stone mstone@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

Maine's fourth- and eighth-graders posted scores above the national average on a 2009 national test that evaluated science skills.

The state's fourth-graders tied for the fifth highest score on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, whose results were released Tuesday. The state's eighth-graders tied for eighth of the 46 states whose students participated in the exam.

Still, more than half of the random sample of Maine students tested fell short of earning a "proficient" rating or better on the exam, which tested skills in the physical, life, earth and space sciences.

Some 42 percent of Maine fourth-graders earned proficient scores or better on the exam, compared to 33 percent nationally. At the eighth-grade level, 35 percent of the state's students were proficient or better, compared to 29 percent nationally.

The national test results differed sharply from results on the most recent Maine Educational Assessment, which the state's fifth- and eighth-graders took last spring. On that exam, 63 percent of fifth-graders earned proficient scores or better, and 71 percent of eighth-graders made the mark.

"We're very glad to be near the top, and this is certainly good news, but it's also not nearly good enough," said David Connerty-Marin, spokesman for the Maine Department of Education.

Science scores could be helped, Connerty-Marin said, if science teachers across the state had greater access to professional development opportunities.

Generally, students have received less instruction time in science in the nine years since the federal No Child Left Behind law mandated additional testing in math and reading, said Janice Mokros, executive director of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance.

"I think we're seeing a turnaround with that now that NAEP is testing science in a significant way," she said. But the test results still aren't promising, she added.

High school seniors also took the exam, though their scores weren't reported by the state. Just 21 percent of those students met or exceeded the "proficient" level.

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, ext. 435
mstone@centralmaine.com

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the correct percentage of eighth-grade students nationally achieving a "proficient" score or better.