By Jarret Bencks
jbencks@eagletribune.com
September 22, 2008 02:04 am The statewide science test results are in — and they're low, but local educators said the poor scores aren't a surprise. "I expected this result for not just Londonderry, but for the whole state," Londonderry Assistant Superintendent Mark Blount said. "The science standards have not been out that long. School districts have had to scramble to meet the curriculum." More than two-thirds of students tested in the state scored below proficient on the New England Common Assessment Program's science test, taken last spring by public school students in the fourth, eighth and 11th grades. Scoring "proficient" or "proficient with distinction" means a student can become scientifically literate by the end of high school, according to the New Hampshire Department of Education. "Partially proficient" or "substantially below proficient" indicates more instruction and support are needed. The test results were most discouraging at the high school level, where 77 percent of the students tested partially proficient or lower. Of the 15,061 11th-graders tested last spring, only 188 scored as proficient with distinction — the highest mark on the test. As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, the state Department of Education adopted new curriculum standards in 2006 that ask teachers to focus more on scientific procedures and less on memorization. The test, which included an inquiry-based section, reflected those changes. "They really want to take some of the fact and theory out of it and want it to have more to do with inquiry science," said Roxanne Wilson, assistant superintendent of the Pelham School District. The Derry Cooperative School District incorporated changes in its curriculum last year to match state standards, and will look to make those adjustments permanent at a School Board meeting Tuesday, according to Superintendent Mary Ellen Hannon. "We're hopeful the scores for next year will reflect the changes in the curriculum." Hannon said. "We were aware we needed to start making a change. Now, we have a better idea of what we're looking for." The state has initiated training development programs for educators so they can adapt better to the new curriculum, said Jan McLaughlin, science curriculum and assessment consultant for the Department of Education. "We have great science teachers," she said. "But oftentimes they haven't had the training to do the fieldwork." Some of the changes to the curriculum include phasing out dinosaur and rainforest units in earlier grades, and providing less teacher-directed lessons and more application lessons in middle school and high school. "Kids really need practice at doing observations," McLaughlin said. "Learning about the forest we have here, and learning about the process of science, which wasn't happening." The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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