Jones Lang LaSalle

Researchers: New Jersey strong in science education
12/7/2005, 3:18 p.m. ET
By GEOFF MULVIHILL The Associated Press

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey's science education standards are among the best in the nation, according to a study released Wednesday by a think tank that advocates a back-to-basics approach to education.

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation gives New Jersey a "B" for its science curriculum and ranks it 10th in the nation. In similar studies in 1998 and 2000, New Jersey's science standards received "A" marks.

This year, seven states were given "A" grades while 15 received "F's." The ratings cover what students are supposed to learn, not what they do learn.
In January, the same group gave the Garden State a "D" for statewide standards in math and a "C" in English.

By contrast, the researchers looking at science standards praise New Jersey for spelling out clearly what children should learn at each grade level, offering teachers specific activities, and for not shying away from using evolution as the basis of biology classes.

State education officials did not immediately comment on the report.

Paul Gross, the main author of the study, said the good plans from across the country emphasize teaching important scientific facts rather than the process of discovering scientific information.
Educators have been paying extra attention to science in the last few years because the federal government is requiring students take standardized science tests beginning with the 2007-08 school year. Scores on those tests, like the ones required for language and math by the federal No Child Left Behind education law, will matter when it comes to federal funding for schools.