MnSTA
Newsletter Volume 53 No. 2 A Quarterly Publication of the Minnesota Science Teachers Association Inc.
Minnesota students outscore U.S. science test average, but achievement gaps remain By Christopher Magan cmagan@pioneerpress.com Minnesota students continue to outscore their peers across the U.S. on a science test that’s part of the “Nation’s Report Card,” but students of color continue to significantly trail their white peers. Scores from the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, released Thursday show 43 percent of Minnesota’s fourth-graders and 45 percent of its eighth-graders were proficient on the science test. Nationally, just 38 percent of fourthgraders and 34 percent of eighth-graders scored proficient. Less than one-third of Minnesota students of color scored proficient. Black students struggled the most, with about 14 percent scoring proficient. Hispanic, Asian and American Indian students did marginally better, but the percentage of those students who were proficient was still 20 percentage points or more below their white classmates. Brenda Cassellius, state education commissioner, was pleased to see Minnesota students continue to outdo the national averages, but she admitted there was much more work ahead to close the state’s notorious academic achievement gap. “To ensure students perform at their best, we need to focus on more than just reading and math,” Cassellius said, noting that the Every Student Succeeds Act, which recently replaced the federal No Child Left Behind law, requires that students receive a “wellrounded educational experience.” “This includes science, art, physical education, music and civics, as well as access to school support
Winter 2016-17
services such as school counselors, nurses, social workers and school librarians,” Cassellius said. The Minnesota Department of Education is working to create a new way of measuring schools under the updated federal law. It is expected to include student proficiency on state tests, measures of students’ academic growth and graduation rates. Minnesota school officials have been working for years to address the racial achievement gap, but results have been mixed. Scores on the most recent Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, or MCAs, were mostly stagnant. Not every student takes the NAEP. Students are picked at random for the test through a process designed to represent the demographics of the state and nation. The percentage of Minnesota students who scored proficient hasn’t change much since the sci Minnesota students outscore...con’t on page 4
The Benefits of MnSTA Membership MnSTA . . . •Engages you in a community of science education professionals. •Provides services and resources that support your teaching. •Hosts quality, regional and statewide professional development. •Advocates for you through legislative action. •Keeps you updated on current trends, issues and research in science education. •Affiliates you with the greater cause of quality science education for all.