This month’s topic focuses on the NAEP results and the fact that while the results from the eighth graders knowledge of basic science test increased from 30% to 32% being rated “at or above proficient” the science education community does not feel that is nearly enough progress. Personally I agree, this means just about one-third of the eighth grade students in this country are “at or above proficiency” on the NAEP test meaning two-thirds are below proficient. Now I know what the statement will be – tests don’t measure everything, we can’t continue to compare ourselves to each other using a single measure, tests are not authentic assessments that show application of knowledge. Personally, I agree with all of those statements as well. However, the reality of the situation is tests are here and we are going to use them for comparison – so with that in mind – it is at least positive that our scores are moving in the right direction – UP! What are your thoughts on this? Do you think the development of the Next Generation Science Standards will help our students? Do you think the NAEP test will adopt the content found in the NGSS once completed?
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Recent comments
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- Sharon Long, Oakmont Elementary School on Science and families
- Peggy Ashbrook on Flatten the Classroom with the iGo Microscope
- Gail Laubenthal on Flatten the Classroom with the iGo Microscope
- Carole Hayward on Open-Ended Everyday Science Mysteries
- Stephanie Stensland on Open-Ended Everyday Science Mysteries
Hi. I’m currently a teacher in training. I will be certified to teach biology and chemistry at the secondary level. So far I have recieved little experience in the field of education. Despite this, I have been told numerous times that public education needs good science teachers. I read your post and agree that knowing that 1/3 of students are at proficiency or above is inadequate. In my classes I’ve been learning that there is a push for teaching science through the process of inquiry. If this is true do the next generation standards promote this idea. I could see how it would promote a greater understanding of scientific concepts. Maybe teaching through inquiry will help to boost scores on the NAEP.
Lucien
Thank you for your post. The Next Generation of Science Standards discuss the scientiic practices. In a recent discussion about the Frameworks (since that is the only finished document out at this point) at the NSELA/NSTA Summer Leadership Institute – this exact question came up. One of the quotes that we were directed to from the Frameworks stated that: “the committee concludes that K–12 science and engineering education should focus on a limited number of disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts, be designed so that students continually build on and revise their knowledge and abilities over multiple years, and support the integration of such knowledge and abilities with the practices needed to engage in scientific
inquiry and engineering design.”