New report warns that student science achievement threatened by alarming state variations in measuring learning
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
By: Kathleen Manzo

Lack of consistency across states creates patchwork of "proficiency" requirements and misleading information on how well students are being prepared for high school, college and careers.

What: Release of "All Over the Map," Change the Equation's report on states' expectations for proficiency in eighth-grade science

Who: Linda Rosen, Ph.D., CEO of Change the Equation

When: Wednesday, December 7

Editors Note: Advance copies of the report (embargoed until 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, December 7) are available by contacting Stacey Mink at The Hatcher Group at 410-962-5707 or stacey@thehatchergroup.com.
DURHAM, N.C. A first-ever analysis of U.S. states' eighth-grade science proficiency standards reveals an alarming patchwork that leaves American parents and teachers with an inaccurate assessment of science achievement and students vulnerable to falling behind in high school, higher education and careers.

The surprising results and how states compare to each other are detailed in "All Over the Map," a new report issued by Change the Equation (CTEq). For the first time, state science proficiency standards for eighth-grade that is, the scores students need to pass state tests are held against a common measuring stick -- the 2009 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), a national representative test of what American students know and are able to do in core subject areas, including science.

Featuring surprising disparities between states and NAEP standards, "All Over the Map" demonstrates that what one state may deem to be "proficient" may be classified as far below standards in another. And 40 percent of the states examined (15 of the 37 with available data) set the bar for "proficiency" below NAEP's threshold for "basic" knowledge.

The report, which will be released on December 7 at the National Governors Association STEM Summit in Durham, N.C., is part of CTEq's "Vital Signs" project, which reports on the condition of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It measures state-by-state performance and digs deeper into the nation's STEM education challenges.
Change the Equation (CTEq) is a network of more than 100 CEOs dedicated to creating widespread literacy in STEM as an investment in our nation that empowers us all.
For more information about the work of Change the Equation, visit www.changetheequation.org.
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About Change the Equation (CTEq)
CTEq is a non-profit, non-partisan CEO-led initiative to solve America's innovation problem. We answer the call of President Obama's Educate to Innovate Campaign by committing to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning for every child, with a particular focus on girls and students of color, who have long been underrepresented in STEM fields.