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2016 Statewide Science Assessment Results Released

November 2, 2016

Vermont Student Score among Best in the Nation on the National Assessment of Educational Progress

Scores on national, statewide science tests show little growth

BARRE – Vermont’s fourth and eighth-graders scored among the best of 46 states in the nation on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test of Science, the Agency announced today However, the 2015 test scores have essentially remained unchanged since the last NAEP science assessment was administered in 2011. This is contrasted by results in many other states that have seen significant increases in test scores compared to previous years.  Scores on the 2016 New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP), Vermont’s statewide science assessment, also show little improvement compared to the 2015 results.

Vermont’s 2015 NAEP science scores showed students continue to perform among the top 10 states in the nation. In fourth-grade, Vermont was among the three states with the highest scores. Compared to the rest of the country, Vermont students exceeded the national average by approximately 10 points in both fourth-grade and eighth-grade.

Vermont students demonstrated significant achievement gaps based on family income at both the fourth and eighth-grade levels.  The poverty achievement gap in Vermont was 20 points for fourth-grade science and the eighth-grade gap was 18 points. Scores for low-income eighth graders improved by two points over 2011, closing the income-based achievement gap by one point. Vermont’s lower-income students are among the highest achieving students in the nation for that demographic group.

“We are proud of how well our students are performing in science,” Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe said. “What I’m most proud of is in 2015 our students on free/reduced lunch are performing at the nearly the same level as the average student in the U.S. This is proof that strong outcomes can be achieved. I’m thankful for the hard work of our dedicated educators.”

Read the full press release