By Staci Hupp staci.hupp@indystar.com May 25, 2006

Indiana Students' Science Scores Fall

Education chief urges fresh look at efforts; some say it's only 1 test

Indiana students have lost ground in science education, a disappointing turn for a state striving to become a leader in life sciences.

The state's top education official called on schools to re-examine science education after the release Wednesday of results from a mandatory test known as the nation's report card.

"A strong understanding of the sciences is key to our students' education and our economic competitiveness as a state, so clearly these results are cause for concern," Suellen Reed, the state's superintendent of public instruction, said Wednesday. "This should send a clear signal to Indiana schools that there is a need to . . . refocus our efforts in the classroom with respect to science."

Fourth-graders fared better than eighth-graders on the science segment of the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Average scores, however, slipped in both grades from 2000 to 2005. Eighth-grade results declined over a nine-year period, data show.

The decline occurred during the period when the state put into place new science teaching standards lauded as among the toughest in the nation. When they were adopted in 2000, the Fordham Foundation, an education watchdog group that annually rates state standards, said Indiana's new expectations in English, math and science put the state in a tie for top quality with California.

Some education advocates blame the erosion of science knowledge since then on a heavy focus on math and reading tests, which are used to hold schools accountable for student progress under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The law requires states to test students in science by the 2007-08 school year, although results won't count toward annual federal benchmarks for progress.

Many schools have cut or scaled back science and other classes to save money for math and reading instruction, said Reg Weaver, president of the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union.

"How can students be expected to meet science requirements without the benefit of appropriate classroom instruction in the subject?" Weaver asked.

Others were less concerned by one batch of results in a sea of national and state tests.

Indiana's scores on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study show fourth-grade scores rival those in Singapore and other international leaders in science, said Jonathan Plucker, an educational psychologist who heads Indiana University's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy.

"With one set of numbers on one assessment, it's kind of hard to connect too many dots there," Plucker said. "I would caution people not to."

North Central High School in Marion County has found that reaching out to younger children helps ensure they are ready for tougher science classes later. The school offers a Saturday science program for elementary students.

The program covers every field of science, said Charles Russell, chairman of the school's science department, and is taught by high school teachers. He sees the payoff when students reach high school.

"They come with a great interest and enthusiasm in science," Russell said. "A couple of the seniors credited the elementary science program and said that made them decide that they wanted to take as much science as they could."

A closer look

Other portions of the national test, made public in the fall, showed improvements in math and a dip in reading scores over time.

Indiana's science scores on the national exam remained above the national average, but the state's pattern of decline matches trends elsewhere. Most states posted no gains on the mandatory national test in the fourth and eighth grades.

The science results included 12th-grade scores that weren't broken down by state. The nation's high school seniors have fared worse in science over the past decade. In 2005, 54 percent of them scored at the basic level, and 18 percent were proficient.

The nation's report card is based on representative samples of about 150,000 students. It is the only state-by-state comparison of academic progress, with an emphasis on state and national averages instead of individual students and schools.

Today, it functions largely to help federal education officials scrutinize the quality of annual state tests, which are used to hold schools accountable under No Child Left Behind.

What's being done

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed pointed to several initiatives she said will help boost Hoosiers' science skills:

• A statewide science initiative being launched this summer will give elementary teachers a chance for training in science through Purdue University.
• Toughening high school science offerings by dumping low-level courses, requiring biology for all students and adding advanced classes in the life sciences.
• Putting a higher priority on reimbursing school districts that offer middle school and high school science courses during the summer.
• The state also is moving to launch a new education resource center that would help boost teaching in areas tied to science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

What's expected

Indiana adopted new standards for teaching science in 2000. In fourth grade, for example, the standards set out six broad categories, including the environment, math, technology and scientific thinking.

Among the standards:

• Identify salt as the major difference between fresh and ocean waters.
• Describe some of the effects of the oceans on climate.
• Investigate, observe and explain that things that give off light often also give off heat.
• Explain that energy in fossil fuels comes from plants that grew long ago.

Check out the Web at http://www.doe.state.in.us/standards/welcome.html for a complete look at Indiana's teaching standards.