In 2005, the average science score of students was higher at grade 4 than in previous assessment years, was not measurably different at grade 8, and was lower at grade 12 than in 1996.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has assessed the science abilities of students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in both public and private schools since 1996, using a separate 0–300 scale for each grade. The national average 4th-grade science score increased from 147 in 1996 to 151 in 2005; there was no measurable change in the 8th-grade score; and the 12th-grade score decreased from 150 in 1996 to 147 in 2005 (see table 13-1).

Achievement levels (Basic, Proficient, and Advanced), which identify what students should know and be able to do at each grade, provide another measure of student performance. The percentages of 4th- and 8th-graders at or above Proficient (indicating solid academic achievement) were not measurably different from 1996 to 2005, while the percentage of 12th-graders at or above this achievement level was lower in 2005 than in 1996. In 2005, some 29 percent of 4th- and 8th-graders and 18 percent of 12th-graders were at or above Proficient.

Certain subgroups outperformed others in science in 2005. For example, males outperformed females at all three grades. Male 4th-graders had a higher average score in 2005 than in 1996, and both male and female 12th-graders had lower scores in 2005 than in 1996 (see table 13-2). White students scored higher, on average, than Black and Hispanic students at all three grades in 2005. At 4th grade, average scores were higher for White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander students in 2005 than in 1996. At 8th grade, the average score for Black students was higher in 2005 than in 1996, but the scores did not measurably change for other racial/ethnic groups. At 12th grade, there were no measurable changes in average scores for any racial/ethnic group when comparing results from 2005 with those from 1996.

NAEP results also permit state-level comparisons of the abilities of 4th- and 8th-graders (but not 12th-graders) in public schools. At grade 4, of the 36 states that participated in both the 2000 and 2005 assessments, average science scores were higher in 2005 than in 2000 in 9 states (see table 13-3). At grade 8, of the 36 states that participated in 1996 and 2005, average scores were higher in 2005 than in 1996 in 8 states and lower in 5 states.