News Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2001
Contact: Martha Deutscher
DoDEA Office of Communications
Voice: (703) 588-3265
Email: Martha.Deutscher@hq.dodea.edu

DoDEA Scores Soar on National Science Exam

ARLINGTON, VA—On November 20, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the results of the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) state-by-state science assessment administered in the spring of 2000. The assessment was conducted for the first time (2000) at Grade 4 in 40 states and in five jurisdictions, and for the second time (1996 and 2000) at Grade 8 in 39 states and five jurisdictions. Department of Defense fourth and eighth grade students, domestically and overseas, scored significantly higher than the national averages.

Major Jumps in National Rankings
      The score for fourth graders at DoD domestic schools (DDESS) was 157; for DoD overseas schools (DoDDS), it was 156. The national average for fourth graders was 148. DoD eighth graders at both DDESS and DoDDS scored 159; the national average was 149. In addition, DoD schools saw a significant increase in eighth grade scores from 1996 to 2000: DDESS jumped from the 9th ranked score in 1996 to the 4th ranked score in 2000; DoDDS jumped from the 8th ranked score to the 4th ranked score.

DoDEA Minority Students Top the Nation
      Black and Hispanic students in DoD schools continue to score high on the NAEP science assessment as compared to their minority peers across the nation. Black fourth graders in DDESS had the #1 ranked score, DoDDS fourth graders the #2 ranked score compared to their Black peers nationwide. Black eighth grade students in DoDDS had the #1 ranked score and DDESS students the #2 ranked score in 2000 compared to all other Black students. This was an improvement from the #2 and #3 ranked scores for DoDDS and DDESS, respectively, in 1996.

      DoD Hispanic students did extremely well on this year's science assessment. The average score for Hispanic fourth graders was 154 in DDESS and 151 in DoDDS. These scoresranked #1 and #2, respectively, compared to all Hispanic students--were both well above the Hispanic fourth grade average score of 127 and above the total national average score of 148. Hispanic eighth graders in DDESS scored 156, the #1 ranked score for Hispanic students; Hispanic DoDDS eighth graders scored 153, the #2 ranked score. (In the 1996 science assessment, DDESS Hispanic eighth graders ranked #1 and DoDDS Hispanic eighth graders #3.) Again, the 2000 scores were well above the Hispanic eighth grade national average of 127 and the total national eighth grade average of 149.

Free/reduced Lunch Eligible Students Excel
       NAEP collects student-reported data on eligibility for the federal program providing free or reduced price school lunches. Based on this data, fourth grade students in DDESS eligible for the program had an average science scale score of 152; the average score for DoDDS eligible fourth graders was 150. These scores ranked #2 and #3, respectively, as compared to their eligible peers, and were well above the national average for eligible fourth grade students of 129. Eighth grade eligible students also scored well as compared to their eligible peers and to the overall national average. DoDDS eligible eighth graders scored 155, the #1 ranked score, and DDESS eligible eighth graders scored 153, the #2 ranked score. (In 1996, eligible eighth graders had ranked scores of #5 in DDESS and #6 in DoDDS.) The national average score for eligible eighth grade students in 2000 was 127; the total national average was 149.

      "We're extremely pleased that DoDEA students, as measured by NAEP and other standardized tests, continue to improve in science," said Dr. Beth Middlemiss, Associate Director of DoDEA for Education. "Efforts to accelerate this achievement are underway. Since the administration of the NAEP test in the spring of 2000, we've adopted more rigorous science standards for all grade levels, and new textbooks have been distributed to all classes. Additional improvements in student performance in science have already been reflected in the scores on our most recent standardized test."

      NAEP, also known as "the Nation's Report Card,"; is the only test of academic performance administered nationally. The state NAEP provides states and the nation with an independent measure of student academic performance over time. The science assessment is organized into "fields of science" (i.e., earth, physical, and life science), and "ways of knowing and doing science" (i.e., conceptual understanding, scientific investigation, and practical reasoning). It includes both multiple-choice items and constructed-response items.