KENTUCKY STUDENTS BEAT INTERNATIONAL AVERAGES IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

Kentucky 8th-grade students perform better than their international counterparts, on average, in science and about equal to them in math, according to a new study released today.

            The study, U.S. States in a Global Context, links results on the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as the Nation’s Report Card, with scores on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Based on United States students’ NAEP scores, the study predicts students’ TIMSS scores and compares them with the actual TIMSS scores of students in 47 education systems around the world. In the nine U.S. states where TIMSS was given, actual scores were used to validate the study.

            “This is a good yardstick on how well Kentucky students measure up to students in other states and nations,” said Education Commissioner Terry Holliday. “That’s important not only for those who will one day be competing for jobs, but also for Kentucky as we work to build a better educated workforce that can attract higher paying jobs and new businesses that will secure the state’s economic future.” 

Science

            Kentucky’s average score of 534 in science beat not only the average of public school students in the United States (522) but also the TIMSS average score (500); that put Kentucky in 24th place among the all the state and international education systems in the study and on par with Kansas, Michigan, Indiana, Hong Kong and England.  Singapore ranked first in science with an average score of 590; Ghana was in last place with an average score of 306.  The highest scoring state was Massachusetts (567), in second place. Overall, United States public school students ranked 31st. 

            The study also reported the performance levels of students against four international benchmarks.

Nearly 80 percent of Kentucky students reached the intermediate level or above – more than 40 percent scored

high or above.

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS SCORING AT OR ABOVE EACH BENCHMARK IN SCIENCE
Education System	Average Score1	Low At or above 400	Intermediate At or above 475	High At or above 550	Advanced At or above 625
Singapore2	590	96%	87%	69%	40%
Massachusetts	567	96%	87%	61%	24%
Kentucky	534	96%	79%	43%	9%
United States4	522	93%	73%	39%	9%
Ghana3	396	22%	6%	1%	0%

¹ On a scale of 0-1,000     ² Highest scoring country     ³ Lowest scoring country     ⁴ Represents public schools only

The science benchmarks indicate what 8th graders should know and be able to do in science.

·         Low (400) – Students show some elementary knowledge of life, physical and earth sciences.

·         Intermediate (475) – Students have basic knowledge and understanding of practical situations in the sciences.

·         High (550) – Students apply their knowledge and understanding of the sciences to explain phenomena in everyday and abstract contexts.

·         Advanced (625) – Students apply knowledge and understanding of scientific processes and relationships and show some knowledge of the process of scientific inquiry.

Mathematics

            In mathematics, Kentucky’s score of 505 put it ahead of the TIMSS average score of 500, but just below the national average for public schools (507). Kentucky’s 36th place score was comparable to the scores of Hawaii, South Carolina, England, Alberta (Canada), Hungary and Australia. Five education systems – the Republic of Korea (613), Singapore (611), Chinese Taipei (609), Hong Kong (586) and Japan (570) recorded TIMSS mathematics scores that were higher than the scores for any U.S. state. Ghana, once again, was in last place in the study with a score of 331.

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS SCORING AT OR ABOVE EACH BENCHMARK IN MATHEMATICS
Education System	Average Score1		Low At or above 400	Intermediate At or above 475	High At or above 550	Advanced At or above 625
Korea, Republic of 2		590	99%	93%	77%	47%
Singapore		611	99%	92%	78%	48%
Chinese Taipei		609	96%	88%	73%	49%
Hong Kong		586	97%	89%	71%	34%
Japan		570	97%	87%	61%	27%
Massachusetts		561	98%	88%	57%	19%
United States4		507	92%	67%	29%	6%
Kentucky		505	92%	65%	27%	5%
Ghana3		331	22%	6%	1%	0%

¹ On a scale of 0-1,000     ² Highest scoring country     ³ Lowest scoring country     ⁴ Represents public schools only

           

            The math benchmarks indicate what 8th graders should know and be able to do in mathematics.

·         Low (400) – Students have some knowledge of whole numbers and decimals, operations and basic graphs.

·         Intermediate (475) – Students can apply basic mathematical knowledge in a variety of situations.

·         High (550) Students can apply their understanding and knowledge in a variety of relatively complex situations.

·         Advanced (625) Students can reason with information, draw conclusions, make generalizations and solve linear equations.

            “This study makes a good case for why we need more rigorous academic standards for our students,” said Holliday. “The Kentucky Core Academic Standards in English/language arts, mathematics and science focus on applied knowledge, critical thinking and problem solving – the same skills outlined in the international benchmarks. As our teachers become more familiar with what the standards require and build students’ mastery of them, we should see Kentucky’s performance on global studies like this improve.”

            For more than 30 years, NAEP has been the country’s only nationally representative and continuing survey of students’ educational achievement. The assessment is authorized by Congress and directed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NAEP does not report individual student, teacher, and school or district data. 

SOURCE: KDE Press release