Ambitious federal goals for preparing students for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields require coordinated efforts and supports for the country's science instructors. Increased attention to the needs of science instructors and the provision of supports to address those needs are particularly important in…

Uses data on eleventh grade students from the 1983-84 National Assessment of Progress (NAEP) as a baseline for examining the effects of changing state policies on student course taking and on the relationship between course taking and student characteristics. [This document is a reissue of the September 1989 CPRE Research Report RR-013 under the…

The paper analyzes conceptualizations in the science frameworks in three large-scale assessments, Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The assessments have a shared history, but have developed different conceptualizations. The…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in science was updated in 2009 to keep the content current with key developments in science, curriculum standards, assessments, and research. Because of the recent changes to the assessment, the results from 2009 cannot be compared to those from previous assessment years; however, they provide…

Discusses what NAEP and NPAS assessments of learning about science reveal about the development of scientific awareness among the citizenry. Summarizes findings of the National Science Foundation-sponsored nationwide studies of precollege curriculums in science, mathematics, and social science dealing with the status of science in the education of…

Lays out an agenda for developing assessment tools and researching their effectiveness. Series of design tasks is proposed, with related research questions. Needed theoretical research includes studies of the effects of alternative assessment on policy and practice as well as the development of new psychometric techniques. Influences of new…

In response to criticism aimed at the quality and effectiveness of American schools, especially in the areas of mathematics and science where American students were found to take considerably fewer courses than their foreign counterparts, most states raised course work requirements for high school graduation. To examine the effects of the state…

Student attitudes toward science as measured by the 1976-1977 National Assessment of Educational Progress are discussed in terms of their effect on instruction, teacher attitudes, science careers, and science courses taken. Suggestions made to improve student attitudes include improving teacher attitudes toward science and instructional methods.…

The quality of mathematics and science education in the United States and the goal of becoming first in the world in those two disciplines are topics of concern. This study attempts to describe the current condition of mathematics and science education and to evaluate the adequacy of existing national data to provide such a description. The report…

This report presents a new synthesis of statistical indicators and research findings on the quality of science and mathematics education in the United States. In more detail than any other report, it addresses the progress made toward the U.S. national goal of ranking first in the world in mathematics and science by the year 2000. It draws on…