When it comes to science, Colorado’s eighth-graders vaulted ahead of most of their peers nationwide in the , an apples-to-apples look at how students stack up against those from other states.
The test, administered to 1,900 students from 102 schools to a demographically representative sample of Colorado, showed an overall leap in average score from 156 in 2009 to 161 last year. The 2011 showing ranked 10 points higher than the national average.
Colorado’s score trailed only North Dakota, was higher than 36 states or jurisdictions and did not vary significantly from 14 others. The testing encompassed all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Department of Defense schools.
“There was only one state that performed higher than Colorado, so we’re glad about that,” said Pam Sandoval, the NAEP coordinator at the Colorado Department of Education. “In 2009, there were seven states. So we’re moving up.”
On a national level, eighth-graders improved their average score on the test from 149 to 151 and narrowed some achievement gaps since 2009. Although the overall numbers showed gains for both black and Hispanic students relative to white students, the gender gap remained statistically unchanged.
“The improvements in Colorado’s eighth grade students from 2009 to 2011 is great news, and I hope to see equally impressive results in the future,” said Sen. Michael Bennet, the former superintendent of Denver Public Schools.
In Colorado, the gender gap closed to a statistical dead heat between male and female students, but the performance gap relative to race and poverty did not change significantly.
Although black students, who had scored 32 points lower than white students in 2009, had an average score that was only 22 points lower in 2011, the sample size of black students in the state was too small to label those results significant.
Hispanic students score 30 points lower than white students, on average, in 2011, compared to 29 points lower in 2009.
Scores for economically disadvantaged students, identified by participation in the free or reduced price lunch program, also lagged — by 27 points in 2011 compared to 24 points in 2009 — but not significantly.
“As a nation, we still have a long way to go to ensure that all kids are prepared for 21st-century jobs,” said U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, “but we now have strong evidence that Colorado’s excellent record of reforms, including a groundbreaking growth model, stronger standards, and teachers and principal evaluations, are working.”
Colorado also was one of eight states selected to participate in testing that will compare performance of U.S. students with the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Results of that study, which will include data from 60 other countries, are expected to be released in December.
Kevin Simpson: 303-954-1739 or ksimpson@denverpost.com
