Published: May 26, 2006 05:53 pm      

Top of the class: Virginia a model for science education

Students, teachers, administrators, parents and all others who contribute to the education system in the Commonwealth have moved to the top of the class — the science class, that is.

Virginia students are tops in the nation in their understanding of science, according to a national assessment report released last week.

The Commonwealth was one of only a few states that showed dramatic improvement in science performance compared to scores from five years ago, the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress study reported.

Forty percent of fourth-grade students and 35 percent of eighth-graders in Virginia’s public schools have a solid grasp of physical and life science, the NAEP reported.

Nationally, the proficiency percentage for fourth-grade students is 29 percent, and 30 percent for those in eighth grade.

West Virginia showed no significant change in test scores since 2000, with fourth grade students faring slightly better than the national average and eighth-grade students matching it.

Many of today’s high-tech jobs demand a keen understanding of science, which has led to a rallying call to improve students’ skills in the subject among universities, corporate leaders and scientific groups.

We join in this call for action.

Science is an integral component of a well-rounded education. If the up-and-coming generation of Americans are going to compete in the ever-growing global economy they must be proficient in this subject.

In Virginia, officials credited much of the improvement in the science scores to the Standards of Learning accountability program, which has now been in place for a little more than a decade.

“A state that makes that kind of gains needs to look at what it’s doing right,” Mike Padilla, president of the National Science Teachers Association, told the Associated Press. “Gains of this nature have been difficult to come by.”

Virginia’s SOL program was in place prior to the inception of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which grades schools for performances in reading and math, but not science — something President Bush is now proposing to change.

While we support endeavors aimed at improving science skills, we do caution against unfunded federal mandates.

If the federal government is going to demand better achievement in science, it must be willing to chip in with costs associated with meeting the goal.

Meanwhile, national education leaders may want to take a closer look at Virginia.

The NAEP report confirms schools in the Commonwealth “are not sacrificing or shortchanging science instruction to meet federal benchmarks for reading and mathematics,” Patricia Wright, acting superintendent of public instruction, said in a statement.

It’s clear Virginia is on the right track with its educational system, and we commend all those whose efforts and initiatives have helped earn this nationally recognized achievement.

Hard work does pay off. And in this case it is not only our students, but our nation, who will reap the rewards in the long run.