There’s a new report out from Battelle,an international non-profit science and technology enterprise, called “Taking the Pulse of Bio-Science Education in America: a State-by-State Analysis.” The comprehensive study looks at how well students in the U.S. are being prepared for careers in the biosciences and, more generally, in math and science; how well states are incorporating the biosciences into school curricula; and how extensively students are exposed to bioscience. Battelle used data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a test used by every state for 4th, 8th, and 12th graders, A.P. tests, S.A.T. scores, and A.C.T. scores.
Nationally, how are we doing? Says the report, “our nation is falling short.” For example, 52% of 12th graders are at or above a “basic level of achievement for the sciences” and “average scores for 12th graders in the sciences and life sciences have actually declined from 1996-2005.” On a more positive note, science achievement gap between low-income and high-income middle schoolers narrowed slightly. Their bottom line: “High schools are not preparing students to pursue college-level science.”
The report includes a state-by-state breakdown. So how are we doing in New Jersey? Not so bad, compared to other states. Here’s a few data samplings:
Grade 8 NAEP math: we rank 6th among the 50 states, 4th in reading, and 1st in writing.
Grade 8 NAEP science: we rank 20th among the states and 14th in Life Sciences.
While we rank very high (6th) for the number of kids who take the S.A.T.’s, our rank in scores is 33d for math, 42nd for reading, and 36th for writing. (Obviously there’s some correlation there.)
We’re 5th in A.P. math and English test scores above a 3, and also 5th in high school graduation rates.
We’re 2nd in A.P. science test scores above a 3 and 3d in biology scores above a 3.
We rank 8th across the states regarding science teachers with majors in assigned fields. Our numbers of certified science and biology teachers were “not available.”
So, New Jersey gleams a bit in an otherwise grim landscape. It's nice to see a bit of light.