The American Electronics Association recently released a rather dismal report that analyzes the latest math and science scores for U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students.
The report is the 26th installment of AEA’s "Competitiveness Series" and is based on figures released by the Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Arkansas tied with California to rank 40th for its fourth- and eighth-grade math scores. In 2007, 37 percent of fourth-graders were proficient, compared to 26 percent in 2003 and 34 percent in 2005. Twenty-four percent of eighth-graders were proficient in 2007, compared to 19 percent in 2003 and 22 percent in 2005.
The state moves up in the science rankings to No. 31, tied with South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia. The percentage of fourth-graders who were proficient increased 1 percent from 2000 to 24 percent in 2005. Eighth-graders had the same percentage gain, moving to 23 percent proficiency in 2005.
Arkansas’ scores were below the national average.
Nationwide, only 39 percent of 4th graders and 31 percent of 8th graders tested at or above proficient in math in 2007. Between 1996 and 2005, the number of 4th grade students testing at or above proficient in science increased by only one percentage point. Over the same period, the science proficiency of 8th graders did not improve.
"America’s ability to compete in the 21st century global economy depends in large part on the math and science skills of our workforce," said Josh James, AEA’s director of research and industry analysis. "Yet the latest results show that math and science proficiency among 4th and 8th graders remains unacceptably low. These skills need to be developed at the K-12 level or students will lack the foundation to pursue math, science and engineering degrees in college. And in a world that is increasingly being driven by technology, these skills are going to continue to be in high demand regardless of the field of study."
Click here to view the full report.
Click here to read an article from Forbes about the report.