RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's eighth-graders perform better in science than their peers nationwide, but only 40 percent have a solid grasp of the subject.
According to National Assessment of Educational Progress results released Thursday, 38% of public school eighth-graders achieved "proficient" science scores in 2011, compared to 34% in 2009. Two percent scored at the "advanced" level, unchanged from 2009.
Nationally, 29 percent scored at the proficient level and 2% at the advanced level.
Proficiency is defined as solid academic performance at grade level, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations, and analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter.
Online:
The Nation's Report Card: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
