NAEP 2009 Science Results for Idaho

The Nation's Report Card

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

Science 2009 Snapshot Reports for Idaho [ Grade 4 / Grade 8 ]

Science 2009 State Report for Idaho [ Grades 4 and 8 / Appendix ]

The Nation's Report Card [ Full Report (9 MB) /  Highlights (1 MB) ]

National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB)

The National Assessment Governing Board updated the science assessment in 2009 to keep the content current with key developments in science, curriculum standards, assessments, and research.

The new framework organizes science content into three broad content areas:
Physical science includes concepts related to properties and changes of matter, forms of energy, energy transfer and conservation, position and motion of objects, and forces affecting motion.
Life science includes concepts related to organization and development, matter and energy transformations, interdependence, heredity and reproduction, and evolution and diversity.
Earth and space sciences include concepts related to objects in the universe, the history of the Earth, properties of Earth materials, tectonics, energy in Earth systems, climate and weather, and biogeochemical cycles.

The 2009 science assessment was composed of 143 questions at grade 4, 162 at grade 8, and 179 at grade 12. Individual students responded only to a portion of the items, which included both multiple-choice questions and questions that required the student to compose a written answer.

NAEP Science 2009 [ Framework (2 MB) / Test Item Specifications (3 MB) ]

Idaho State Department of Education

NAEP 2009 Science Results in the News

State Department of Education News Release (25-Jan-11)

National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) News Release

News Stories about Idaho NAEP 2009 Science Results

Average Scale Score Results

• In 2009, the average science score for grade 4 students in Idaho was 154, which was higher than that for the nation's public schools (149).
• In 2009, the average science score for grade 8 students in Idaho was 158, which was higher than that for the nation's public schools (149).

Achievement Level Score Results

Idaho students performing "at or above NAEP Basic" are meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations.

Grade 4

• In 2009, 79 percent of Idaho's grade 4 students performed at or above NAEP Basic, which was greater than the percentage for the nation's public schools (71 percent).
• In 2009, 35 percent of Idaho's grade 4 students performed at or above NAEP Proficient, which was greater than the percentage for the nation's public schools (32 percent).

Grade 8

• In 2009, 72 percent of Idaho's grade 8 students performed at or above NAEP Basic, which was greater than the percentage for the nation's public schools (62 percent).
• In 2009, 37 percent of Idaho's grade 8 students performed at or above NAEP Proficient, which was greater than the percentage for the nation's public schools (29 percent).

Strand (Subscale) Results (Average Scale Scores)

GRADE 4	Idaho	National Public	Probability
Total Science / Composite	154	149	p < .05
Physical Science	154	149	p < .05
Life Science	153	149	p < .05
Earth and Space Science	153	149	p < .05
GRADE 8	Idaho	National Public	Probability
Total Science / Composite	158	149	p < .05
Physical Science	155	149	p < .05
Life Science	157	149	p < .05
Earth and Space Science	159	149	p < .05
Note: Scores across strands or grade levels should not be compared.  The 154 in Physical Science, for example, may or may not have the same meaning as the 154 in Life Science. Each strand is reported on a separate grade-level scale.

 

Idaho Snapshots and Fact Sheets

Idaho vs. National Average Science Score by Student Demographic Group [ Grade 4 / Grade 8 ]

Idaho Cross-State Comparisons on Average Science Score - Map [ Grade 4 / Grade 8 ]

Idaho Cross-State Comparisons on Average Science Score - Graph [ Grades 4 and 8 ]

Idaho vs. National Average Science Score by Location of School [ Grade 4 / Grade 8 ]

Simpson's Paradox in Idaho (White, Hispanic, Other, and Total) [ Grade 4 / Grade 8 ]

Idaho Cross-State Comparison Summary for NAEP 2009 Reading, Mathematics and Science [ Grades 4 and 8 ]

NAEP 2009 Science Sample Test Items with National and Idaho Results [ Grades 4 / Grade 8 ]

Noteworthy from NAEP 2009 Science

Since the NAEP 2009 Science assessment used a new framework with updated content and new performance standards, no trend results are available for NAEP 2009 science. 

In 2009, NAEP assessed reading (grades 4, 8 and 12), mathematics (grades 4, 8, and 12), and science (grades 4 and 8). It is inappropriate to compare the scale scores across the three subjects, but transforming scale score results to national percentile ranks does permit such comparisons with caution.

• For NAEP 2009, Idaho fourth-graders had a national percentile rank of 55 in science, 53 in reading, and 50 in mathematics.

• For NAEP 2009, Idaho eighth-graders had a national percentile rank of 59 for science, 56 for mathematics, and 52 for reading.

• Idaho's best performances for NAEP 2009 assessments for both grade 4 and grade 8 was in science.

Note:  Idaho's eighth grade national percentile rank of 59 in science means that Idaho's "average student" (i.e., the average science score for Idaho's eighth-graders) was the same as or higher than 59 percent of the students in the nation's public schools.

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