Michigan State University Extension
Diversity and Pluralism - D4110133
12/95/
ERIC TITLE NUMBER: ED342683 AUTHOR: Jones, Lee R.; And Others
TITLE: The 1990 Science Report Card. NAEP'S Assessment of
Fourth, Eighth, and Twelfth Graders.
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1992
NOTE: 176 p.
ABSTRACT: This report from The Nation's Report Card
provides further information about students' lack of
preparation in science, their apparent disinclination to
enroll in challenging science courses, and the
comparatively low achievement of Back and Hispanic
students, females, economically disadvantaged students, and
non-college bound students. These Science Report Card
results are based on a national survey of nearly 20,000
students in grades 4, 8, and 12, conducted during the
winter and spring of 1990 by the National Assessment of
Education Progress (NAEP). The results from the 1990
science assessment were analyzed using item response theory
(IRT) methods, allowing NAEP to describe performance across
the grades and subpopulations on a 0 to 500 scale. Along
this continuum, four levels of proficiency were defined:
Level 200: Understands Simple Scientific Principles; Level
250: Applies General Scientific Information; Level 300:
Analyzes Scientific Procedures and Data; and Level 350:
Integrates Specialized Scientific Information. Overall
science proficiency by race/ethnicity, gender, region, type
of community, type of school, parents' highest level of
education, additional home factors, types of high school
programs, and plans after high school was determined.
Chapters include: (1) "Overall Science Proficiency for the
Nation and Demographic Subpopulations"; (2) "Levels of
Science Proficiency for the National and Demographic
Subpopulations"; (3) "Science Proficiency by Content Areas
for the Nation, Subpopulations, and in Relation to High
School Course-Taking"; (4) "Attitudes toward Science
Education and Students' Experiences in Science"; (5)
"Toward Scientific Literacy for All: Instructional Goals
and Practices"; and (6) "Who Is Teaching Science? A Profile
of the Eighth-Grade Science Teaching Force." The profile
survey on teachers included data on race/ethnicity, years
of teaching experience, level and type of teaching
certification, academic training, teachers' perceptions of
their preparation to teach science topics, and teachers'
professional activities in science. An overview of the
procedures used in the 1990 science assessment, the NAEP
scale anchoring process for the 1990 science assessment and
additional example anchor items, and statistical data for
all parts of the survey are appended. (KR)
KEY DESCRIPTORS: Course-Selection-Students; Elementary
Secondary-Education; Females-; Grade-4; Grade-8; Grade-12;
Minority-Groups; National-Surveys; Noncollege-Bound
Students; Parent-Background; Socioeconomic-Status; Student
Experience; Teacher-Qualifications
KEY DESCRIPTORS: *Educational-Assessment; *Science
Curriculum; *Student-Attitudes; *Teacher-Characteristics
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This file was generated from data base DP on 06/25/02.
Data base DP was last revised on 12/95/ .
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