Mastery of Science Eludes Most Students, NAEP Scores Indicate

Fewer Than a Third Overall Deemed ‘Proficient’

The timing was surely coincidental, but only hours before President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address emphasized the importance of education—with special attention to math and science—to the nation’s economic well-being and global competitiveness, the United States received what most observers depicted as more bad news about the knowledge and skills of American young people, this time in science.

Most U.S. students at the 4th, 8th, and 12th grades are not performing at a level deemed “proficient” in the subject, based on the results issued last week on a revamped national exam. The starkest results came at the 12th grade, where only one in five were at least proficient in science on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as “the nation’s report card.”

Meanwhile, 34 percent of 4th graders and 30 percent of 8th graders were rated proficient...