Science learning statistics show how eighth-graders performed on the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment. The figures below cover Alabama, California, Florida, New York, and Texas, with comparisons to 2009 and 2011 where reported. They describe state-level assessment results, not every student’s experience or a complete measure of science learning.
Contents
- At a glance
- State averages and achievement levels
- How scores changed from 2009 to 2015
- State comparisons in 2015
- Differences among student groups
- What the proficiency percentages show
At a glance
The 2015 Alabama Grade 8 Science Snapshot reported an average score of 141 for Alabama eighth-graders. The corresponding averages were 143 in California, 153 in Florida, 150 in New York, and 156 in Texas. These are NAEP scale scores for eighth-grade science in the 2015 assessment year.
Across these five states, Texas had the highest reported average, at 156, while Alabama had the lowest, at 141. Florida’s average was 153, New York’s was 150, and California’s was 143. Averages summarize performance across tested students; they do not mean that every student earned that score.
The 2015 state snapshots also reported the shares of eighth-graders scoring at or above NAEP Basic and at or above NAEP Proficient. “At or above” combines students at the named achievement level with those at higher levels, so the two percentages should be read as thresholds rather than as the share at exactly one level.
State averages and achievement levels
The following compact comparison brings together the central 2015 statistics from the five state snapshots.
| State | Average science score | At or above Basic | At or above Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 141 | 54% | 21% |
| California | 143 | 56% | 24% |
| Florida | 153 | 66% | 33% |
| New York | 150 | 63% | 30% |
| Texas | 156 | 70% | 37% |
Source labels: [2015 Alabama Grade 8 Science Snapshot], [2015 California Grade 8 Science Snapshot], [2015 Florida Grade 8 Science Snapshot], [2015 New York Grade 8 Science Snapshot], and [2015 Texas Grade 8 Science Snapshot]. No direct source URLs were supplied for these labels.
Alabama’s 2015 results included a 141 average science score, with 54% of eighth-graders at or above Basic and 21% at or above Proficient. California’s average was 143, with 56% at or above Basic and 24% at or above Proficient. The two states were close on all three reported measures, although California’s values were higher in each case.
Florida’s average was 153. Its snapshot reported 66% at or above Basic and 33% at or above Proficient. New York’s average was 150, and its corresponding percentages were 63% and 30%. Texas recorded the highest average among the five states, 156, along with the highest reported shares at or above Basic, 70%, and at or above Proficient, 37%.
The achievement-level percentages add context to the averages. For example, a state average alone does not show how many students crossed a particular performance threshold. The reported Basic percentages ranged from 54% in Alabama to 70% in Texas, while the Proficient percentages ranged from 21% to 37%.
How scores changed from 2009 to 2015
The state snapshots also included average science scores for 2009 and 2011. These historical values are reported here as legacy snapshot figures; they are not presented as independently rechecked measurements.
Alabama’s average was 139 in 2009, 140 in 2011, and 141 in 2015. California’s average was 137 in 2009, 140 in 2011, and 143 in 2015. Florida’s reported averages were 146 in 2009, 148 in 2011, and 153 in 2015.
New York’s average was 149 in 2009, 149 in 2011, and 150 in 2015. Texas reported 150 in 2009, 153 in 2011, and 156 in 2015. The measurement years are important: these figures compare assessment snapshots from three separate NAEP administrations rather than tracking the same individual students over time.
| State | 2009 average | 2011 average | 2015 average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 139 | 140 | 141 |
| California | 137 | 140 | 143 |
| Florida | 146 | 148 | 153 |
| New York | 149 | 149 | 150 |
| Texas | 150 | 153 | 156 |
The reported sequence shows a one-point increase from 2009 to 2011 in Alabama, followed by another one-point increase by 2015. California’s listed average rose from 137 to 140 and then to 143. Florida’s score rose from 146 to 148 and then to 153. New York’s value stayed at 149 across 2009 and 2011 before reaching 150 in 2015. Texas moved from 150 to 153 and then to 156.
These score histories should be kept distinct from the 2015 achievement-level percentages. The supplied snapshots reported the historical averages and the 2015 threshold percentages, but not comparable 2009 and 2011 Basic or Proficient percentages in this set of figures.
State comparisons in 2015
Each snapshot included a comparison with other states and jurisdictions. Alabama’s average science score was lower than 42 states or jurisdictions, higher than 0, and not significantly different from 4. California had the same reported comparison pattern: lower than 42, higher than 0, and not significantly different from 4.
Florida’s 2015 average was lower than 20 states or jurisdictions, higher than 9, and not significantly different from 17. New York’s average was lower than 29, higher than 5, and not significantly different from 12. Texas’s average was lower than 14, higher than 17, and not significantly different from 15.
The phrase “not significantly different” matters when interpreting these rankings. It indicates that the snapshot did not report a statistically significant difference in the comparison, so the states should not be treated as having definitively different performance for every comparison in that category. The counts also show why a simple rank order can be incomplete: the comparisons include groups whose differences were not statistically significant.
Among the five states in this article, the reported 2015 averages span 15 NAEP scale-score points, from Alabama’s 141 to Texas’s 156. The state-comparison results place the five states in different positions relative to the broader group of states and jurisdictions, with Texas reporting the strongest comparison profile in the supplied snapshots and Alabama and California the weakest.
Differences among student groups
The 2015 snapshots included selected subgroup averages. These figures are averages for the named groups within a state, not measures of every student in that group and not direct explanations for the differences.
In Alabama, White eighth-graders averaged 154 on NAEP science, while Black eighth-graders averaged 118. Male Alabama eighth-graders averaged 144. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch averaged 129.
In California, White eighth-graders averaged 164 and Hispanic eighth-graders averaged 129. Male California eighth-graders averaged 144, while students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch averaged 129.
Florida’s snapshot reported averages of 164 for White eighth-graders, 135 for Black eighth-graders, and 171 for Asian eighth-graders. Male Florida eighth-graders averaged 144, and students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch averaged 144.
New York White eighth-graders averaged 164, Black eighth-graders averaged 129, and Hispanic eighth-graders averaged 134. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch averaged 139 in New York.
Texas reported an average of 172 for White eighth-graders and 178 for Asian eighth-graders. Male Texas eighth-graders averaged 160, while students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch averaged 145.
The subgroup results vary by state and by group. For instance, the reported White-student averages ranged from 154 in Alabama to 172 in Texas among the states and groups listed. The reported free- or reduced-price-lunch averages ranged from 129 in Alabama and California to 145 in Texas. Because the supplied figures do not include every subgroup for every state, comparisons should remain limited to the categories actually reported.
What the proficiency percentages show
The percentage at or above Basic provides one view of how broadly students reached a foundational NAEP performance threshold. The percentage at or above Proficient provides a stricter threshold view. They answer different questions from the average score, so all three measures are useful when reading the 2015 state snapshots together.
Alabama’s 54% at or above Basic and 21% at or above Proficient indicate that the reported shares differed by 33 percentage points. California’s corresponding figures, 56% and 24%, differed by 32 percentage points. Florida’s figures, 66% and 33%, differed by 33 percentage points. New York’s 63% and 30% differed by 33 percentage points, while Texas’s 70% and 37% differed by 33 percentage points.
The largest reported Basic share was Texas’s 70%, and the largest reported Proficient share was also Texas’s 37%. Alabama had the smallest reported shares, at 54% and 21%. California’s 56% Basic and 24% Proficient figures were slightly above Alabama’s. Florida and New York occupied the middle of the five-state comparison, with Florida reporting 66% Basic and 33% Proficient and New York reporting 63% and 30%.
These percentages describe 2015 eighth-grade science performance in the named states. They do not establish why results differed, predict later achievement, or measure science learning outside the NAEP assessment. For child development and learning discussions, they are best used as a bounded snapshot of assessed science performance, with the assessment year, state geography, grade, and achievement threshold kept visible.