October 29th, 2016 by WCBC Radio

In a region rich with science related jobs, Maryland's public school students scored at or slightly better than the national average on a test known as the Nation's Report Card. Fourth and eighth grade scores improved slightly last year on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a test given every other year to a sampling of students across the country. Thirty-six percent of fourth grader students scored proficient or advanced on the science test in 2015 up only slightly from 33 percent in 2009 when the test was first given. Eighth graders beat the national average and showed improvement. The percentage of students scoring proficient rose from 28 percent in 2009, to 32 percent in 2011, to 36 percent in 2015. The gaps in achievement on the test between white and black students were significant. More than half of white students passed the test in eighth grade, while 14 percent of black students did. The gap has not changed significantly since 2009. The gap is nearly as large between all students and low income students.