Less than 16 percent of Michigan students are proficient in science.
That’s according to results released Monday from the 2012 Michigan Educational Assessment Program.
But as The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher reports, state education officials are touting across-the-board improvements in other subjects.
The science scores are a big concern for the state Department of Education. But officials say the numbers don’t tell the whole story. They say the standards for passing that subject are higher than others.
Standards for passing the MEAP have gotten tougher in every subject in recent years. But students in all grades are doing better in math, reading, and writing.
Joseph Martineau is with the Department of Education.
“We had hoped that we would see educators rising to the occasion, and it appears we are," he says. "We’re pretty happy about that.”
Martineau says there’s still plenty of room for improvement, especially in science and math.
Students in grades three-through-nine take the standardized MEAP exam every year. It’s meant to gauge how prepared they are for college and careers.