New state-by-state reports examine STEM learning outcomes

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New reports by Change the Equation (CTEq), find that most states have not set the bar high enough when measuring student proficiency in STEM subjects. For instance, while many states report that most students are meeting state standards, results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show only 38 percent of 4th graders and a third of 8th graders are proficient or advanced in math. The CEOs added that states must strengthen instructional supports to ensure students clear a higher bar.

National Report

State Reports

“We’re doing students, parents and America’s competitiveness a disservice by not demanding higher standards for STEM learning,” said Craig Barrett, retired CEO/Board Chairman of Intel and Change the Equation Board Chair. "Students in every state deserve the opportunity of a STEM education on par with the best in the world. America’s standing as the most innovative and prosperous nation on earth depends on our ability to boost student performance. As business leaders, we are pledging to stand with governors who commit to high achievement standards in math and science."

Despite such concerns, Linda Rosen, CTEq CEO, said the reports contain some positive trends. In most states, NAEP math scores have climbed since 1996, especially for students of color. Some states, such as Massachusetts and Missouri, have maintained high expectations for their students. Other states, such as Michigan, New York, Oregon and Tennessee, recently raised the passing scores on their state tests. Forty-three states have joined forces to create a common set of academic content standards in English and math that aim to be clearer and more rigorous than most individual state standards. All of those states are developing tests that align with those standards. Similar work is underway in science.

But real challenges lie ahead. As states implement standards and raise the bar on state tests, student pass rates will fall, and state leaders will face pressure to lower standards. CTEq and its member CEOs pledged to stand firm with state leaders as they resist such pressure and uphold the need for high expectations—and as state leaders and educators do the hard work of ensuring that teachers have the support they need to help students reach those high standards.

The national and state “Vital Signs” reports, released today at a forum in Washington, D.C., show states still have a long way to go:

* Most states set a low bar. Across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the average difference between state test results and NAEP was 37 percentage points. A handful of states break the pattern by setting higher proficiency standards.

* Achievement gaps between different groups of students remain large and widespread. In math, gaps separating white students from black and Hispanic peers narrowed substantially between 1973 and 1990 but have barely budged since then. No state has closed these gaps, and some states with the highest overall achievement also have the widest gaps.

* For most students, college is more a dream than reality. The U.S. faces a shortage of 3 million college-educated workers by 2018, yet students still attend and graduate from college at low rates:

* Only 10 percent of the class of 2010 took an Advanced Placement test in math, and 10 percent took an AP test in science. Students who take and pass an AP test are significantly more likely to graduate from college than academically similar students who do not take an AP test.

* Elementary and middle school teachers need stronger grounding in math content. Most states set passing scores on content licensure tests for elementary teachers well below the average for all test takers. Only 57 percent of the nation’s 8th graders have teachers with an undergraduate major or minor in math.

* Fifty-four percent of the nation’s 4th graders and 47 percent of its 8th graders report that they “never or hardly ever” write reports about science projects. Thirty-nine percent of 8th graders report that they “never or hardly ever” design a science experiment.

The 51 reports were generated by compiling the most recent public data on the condition of STEM learning in each state. Research has already begun for a more in-depth set of Vital Signs reports which will be the most complete examination of STEM learning in each state ever assembled. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the new reports will give key information on where each state is making gains, where it has work to do and what it can do to prepare many more of its students for life and work in the coming decades.