This report presents results of the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in science at grade 8. National results are based on representative samples of public and private school students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Department of Defense schools. State results are reported separately for public-school students from these states and jurisdictions. Student performance is reported as average scale scores and as percentages of students performing at or above three achievement levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Results for student demographic groups defined by various characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, and type of school) are included, as well as sample assessment questions with examples of student responses. Results from the 2011 assessment are compared to those from 2009. The Technical Notes provide information on NAEP samples, school and student participation rates, and the exclusion and accommodation of students with disabilities and English language learners.
The overall average score for the nation at grade 8 was 2 points higher in 2011 than in 2009. Score gaps between White and Black students and White and Hispanic students narrowed from 2009 to 2011. Sixty-five percent of eighth-graders performed at or above the Basic level in 2011, 32 percent performed at or above Proficient, and 2 percent performed at the Advanced level. The percentages of students at or above Basic and at or above Proficient were higher in 2011 than in 2009.
Of the 47 states/jurisdictions that participated in 2009 and 2011, public-school students in 16 states scored higher in 2011 than in 2009. In 2011, students in 29 states scored higher than the national average, and in 16 states they scored lower.
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