Dismal ranking may send students to science class
| • | Poor scores highlight U.S. disadvantage |
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By Alice Keesing
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hawai'i students may end up taking more science classes as the Department of Education figures out how to combat dismal test scores released yesterday that showed nearly two-thirds of eighth-graders scoring below basic proficiency in science.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress also showed nearly half of the state's fourth-graders scoring below basic levels.
That puts Hawai'i near the bottom of states that took the NAEP science test in 2000, sending a clear message that more needs to be done to improve science education.
It also sends Hawai'i a warning as the federal government works on a sweeping reform that would use an annual test similar to the NAEP to determine which schools to reward and punish.
Hawai'i students traditionally have struggled on NAEP tests in reading, writing and math.
Education officials called yesterday's results "disappointing," but said the groundwork has been laid for improvement in a multi-pronged approach that includes laying out standards for what students are to have learned, and preparing teachers to teach science in new and exciting ways.
"The NAEP science test scores sound an alert in Hawai'i, like Sputnik did in the U.S. in the 1950s," said interim schools chief Pat Hamamoto. "The students of these islands cannot and must not fall behind in science. Our Hawai'i standards for science are solid and challenging. Student improvement in science will depend on how well they achieve those standards."
After years of stagnant scores and unsuccessful reforms, educators say the new standards offer hope for improvement. The department is working on new standards that outline what students will learn, grade by grade. Once those are in place, board member Denise Matsumoto believes parents will begin to see small improvements in about a year.
Experts say more will have to be done. Department science specialist Justin Mew said the eighth-grade scores are not surprising, given that students need only one credit of science to advance to high school. A 1996 survey showed that only about 30 percent of Hawai'i middle-school students were taking science, compared with about 90 percent nationally.
"That says a lot right there," Mew said.
Discussions are under way to require science in both the seventh and eighth grade, he said, and the test figures provide a strong argument. Mew has been pushing the idea for 10 years, but he agrees it's not a simple decision.
"It will mean students will have one less elective to take," he said. "Will it be art or band? The question is, what's important?"
Such a change would have to be approved by the Board of Education and go through a lengthy public hearing process. Matsumoto said she and other board members support the change.
The department also is working with the University of Hawai'i to better prepare science teachers. Several schools also began pilot tests of new science programs this year.
Mew believes students need to improve their "wiseness" to tests like the NAEP, which departs from the "fill-in-the-bubble" multiple-choice tests they are used to. The science NAEP, for example, asks open-ended questions and requires hands-on lab experiments.
The department is working with a Mainland company to offer schools another testing tool that will give them more immediate feedback than the NAEP, which is given every four years. The Performance Assessment of Standards-Based Science (PASS) is similar in structure to the NAEP, but costly to the schools at $16 per student.
Advertiser staff writer Mike Gordon contributed to this report. Reach Alice Keesing at akeesing@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8014.
