Nevada students still fall short in science scores, but eighth-graders post gains
Nevada fourth- and eighth-grade students still fall below the national average in science proficiency levels, nearing the bottom of the 46-state list in the 2015 Science Assessment of the Nation’s Report Card.
Yet the latest results also show an improvement in average eighth-grade science scores, which jumped from 141 to 149 since 2009.
That achievement makes Nevada one of three in the nation to receive a “Star State” status for an eighth-grade gain that was higher than the rest of the nation, according to the state Department of Education.
“This is an excellent indicator that more of our students are prepared for high school, and that Nevada is on track to become the fastest-improving state in the nation in education,” Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction Steve Canavero said in a statement.
Results from fourth grade saw no significant improvement, remaining near the average 141 score from 2009.
Of the 2,200 fourth-graders who took the assessment statewide, only 24 percent were proficient or higher.
Of the 2,300 eighth-graders, that number reached 27 percent.
That’s below the national proficiency levels of 37 percent and 33 percent for fourth and eighth grade, respectively.
The results leave Nevada in the bottom of the nation, grouped among states that include California and West Virginia.
Yet fourth-grade results show some progress toward narrowing the achievement gap, with Hispanic students scoring an average of six points higher since 2009, according to the state.
Canavero credited that improvement to the state’s $50 million appropriation for the creation of the Zoom school initiative, which aids English Language Learners.
The assessment, conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is graded on a scale to 300.
Nationwide, average scores for both fourth and eighth grades increased since 2009.
Peggy Carr, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics that oversees the assessment, said the center cares about progress, not just status.
“We have to monitor where states are and how much progress they make over time,” she said.
Contact Amelia Pak-Harvey at 702-383-4630 or apak-harvey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AmeliaPakHarvey on Twitter.
