Kentucky Department of Education

News Release 06-026 -- May 24, 2006

            (FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- The results of the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in science show that Kentucky's 4^th- and 8^th-graders made gains when compared to the state's performance in previous NAEP assessments, the Kentucky Department of Education announced today. 

            Scale scores for 4^th- and 8^th-graders in 2005 are significantly above the national average. The NAEP science grading scale ranges from 0 to 300.

                       

4^TH GRADE SCALE SCORES

2000 - Kentucky: 152

2000 - Nation: 145

 

2005 - Kentucky: 158

2005 - Nation: 149

 

8^TH GRADE SCALE SCORES                       

2000 - Kentucky: 150

2000 - Nation: 148                       

 

2005 - Kentucky: 153

2005 - Nation: 147

 

From 2000 to 2005, Kentucky was one of nine states or jurisdictions that had a significant score increase at the 4^th-grade level, and one of eleven that had a significant score increase at the 8^th-grade level.

Students' performance on the 2005 Science NAEP fits into one of four categories: Below Basic, Basic, Proficient or Advanced. In Kentucky, 76 percent of 4^th-graders and 64 percent of 8^th-graders scored at or above Basic. At the national level, 66 percent of 4^th-graders and 57 percent of 8^th-graders scored at or above Basic.

2003 marked the first year NAEP was administered under NCLB. States applying for Title I funds must indicate that they plan to participate in NAEP.  

            Of the 44 states and one jurisdiction that participated in the 2005 4^th-grade assessment, students' average scale score in Kentucky was higher than those in 28 jurisdictions, not significantly different from those in 13 jurisdictions and lower than those in 3 jurisdictions. In the 8^th-grade assessment, students' average scale score in Kentucky was higher than those in 20 jurisdictions, not significantly different from those in 12 jurisdictions and lower than those in 12 jurisdictions.

           

SCIENCE SCALE SCORES BY FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH ELIGIBILITY (* = significant difference)

4^TH GRADE
ELIGIBLE- KENTUCKY (NATION)
2000 --     141 (126)
2005 --     151* (135)*

4^TH GRADE

NOT ELIGIBLE - KENTUCKY (NATION)

2000 -- 162 (158)

2005 -- 166* (162)*

 

8^TH GRADE

ELIGIBLE- KENTUCKY (NATION)

2000 --     135 (127)

2005 --     145* (130)*

8^TH GRADE

NOT ELIGIBLE - KENTUCKY (NATION)

2000 -- 159 (158)

2005 -- 159 (158)

 

SCIENCE SCALE SCORES BY GENDER (* = significant difference)

4^TH GRADE

MALE- KENTUCKY (NATION)

2000 -- 154 (147) 

2005 --  159* (151)*

 

4^TH GRADE

FEMALE - KENTUCKY (NATION)

2000 -- 150 (143)

2005 -- 156* (147)*     

                  

8^TH GRADE

MALE- KENTUCKY (NATION)

2000 -- 153 (151)

2005 -- 154 (149)

 

8^TH GRADE

FEMALE - KENTUCKY (NATION)

2000 -- 146 (145)

2005 -- 151* (145)

 

SCIENCE SCALE SCORES BY RACE (* = significant difference)

4^TH GRADE

WHITE- KENTUCKY (NATION)

2000 -- 154 (158)

2005 -- 160* (161)*

 

4^TH GRADE

AFRICAN AMERICAN - KENTUCKY (NATION)

2000 -- 129 (121)

2005 -- 138* (128)*

 

8^TH GRADE

WHITE- KENTUCKY (NATION)

2000 -- 152 (159)

2005 -- 155 (159)

 

8^TH GRADE

AFRICAN AMERICAN - KENTUCKY (NATION)

2000 -- 125 (120)

2005 -- 130 (123)

 

NAEP reports data based on whether accommodations were allowed in the testing process, meaning that students with disabilities and those considered to have limited English proficiency (LEP) can have special assistance in order to complete the test. Certain students may be excluded from the test, based on teacher recommendations and using students' Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

            Until recently, Kentucky was one of the few states that included students with disabilities in statewide assessments. Since 1990, Kentucky has tested nearly every public school student in the state, regardless of disability. Under newly-required federal regulations, other states are beginning to add students with disabilities to their statewide testing rosters.

Some of the accommodations that Kentucky provides for students on its state test are not accepted by NAEP. NAEP also does not provide an alternate assessment, as Kentucky and other states do. While NAEP did allow some accommodations in 2005, two percent of Kentucky 4^th-graders and three percent of 8^th-graders who were selected to be in the sample were excluded from the science test.

At the 4^th-grade level, one jurisdiction had a lower rate of exclusion than Kentucky's, and 43 states had equal or higher rates. The range was from 1 percent (South Dakota) to 7 percent (Texas). The average nationwide was 3 percent.

            At the 8^th-grade level, 11 states and jurisdictions had lower rates of exclusion than Kentucky's, and 33 had equal or higher rates. The range was from 2 percent (Department of Defense Education Activity Schools) to 7 percent (Delaware). The average nationwide was 3 percent.

For more than 30 years, NAEP has been the country's only nationally representative and continuing survey of students' educational achievement.  Because the national NAEP samples were not designed to support the reporting of state-level results, state NAEP samples were introduced in 1990 to provide participating states reliable data concerning the achievement of their students. The assessment is authorized by Congress, directed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and developed by Educational Testing Service of Princeton, New Jersey. Westat, Inc. of Rockville, Maryland, conducts sample selection and data collection.

NAEP protects the confidentiality of students, teachers and schools that participate by not reporting individual student, teacher or school data. NAEP provides results for major demographic groups, and states that meet NAEP reporting criteria are able to compare their results with both national results and the results of other states.

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