Indicators of Precollege Education in Science and Mathematics A Preliminary Review (1985) / Chapter Skim
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1. Introduction and Summary
1. Introduction and Summary
Pages 1-24
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in the report Action for Excellence views the declining exposure of students to technical subjects as a serious problem that threatens to become more so as American workers face increasing technological demands. The Report of the Twentieth Century Fund Task Force on Federal Elementary and Secondary Education Policy (1983)
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The renewed interest and investment in precollege mathematics and science education make it especially important to understand the current condition of these fields and to be able to track future changes. Two major
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had expressed concern about the status of precollege science and mathematics education and also about the facilities available for monitoring the nation's educational progress. A national convocation on precollege science and mathematics education held by the Academies drew attention not only to the problems but also to the lack of adequate information regarding teachers, enrollments, and other important issues.
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It represents a first attempt to select indicators of precollege mathematics and science education that might be constructed over the short range and presents the committee's recommendations for improving the information pertinent to the selected indicators. The report is addressed primarily to the agencies that are most likely to develop and publish education indicators for science and mathematics, the National Science Foundation, the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Institute of Education, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, as well as to state and local offices of education.
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This preliminary report deals only with a portrayal of current conditions; it does not define preferred conditions, nor does it discuss how changes leading to the preferred conditions might be brought about. When projections about conditions over the next several years are given, as in the section on teachers, they are based on extrapolations of current modes of school operation and on predictable changes such as demographic trends.
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high school graduates and High School and Beyond Study (HSB) , a survey of 1980 sophomores and seniors and 1982 seniors -- that provide information on student enrollment and achievement, although information specific to mathematics and science education is limited.
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Information systems of local education districts exhibit an even greater diversity than those of the state systems Thus, considerable data are available on precollege science and mathematics education, but they are derived from diverse sources, address similar questions differently, and leave some pertinent issues unaddressed. To begin the development of an orderly monitoring system, the committee's first task was to select a limited set of variables and measures deemed essential to portraying the .
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Using test scores as measures of student achievement assumes at least moderate test validity for the assessment of student learning. Unfortunately, it has proved difficult with current testing methodology to construct tests for widespread use that adequately asses the range of complex skills and in-depth understanding needed for proficiency in mathematical or scientific concepts and processes.
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Selection of course enrollment and instructional time in no way is intended to minimize the importance of such other process variables as teacher behaviors, student behaviors, and classroom environment, but because of the present state of knowledge about the relationships between these variables and student achievement and about how to assess them, the committee decided it would be premature to use them at this time as indicators of mathematics and science education. Input Variables In addition to outcome and process variables, a third set of variables in measuring science and mathematics education are schooling inputs.
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In spite of these difficulties in measuring the supply and quality of teachers, however, the committee decided that their importance warranted selecting them as variables. The argument for selecting content of curriculum as a variable is analogous to that for selecting instructional time/course enrollment: the subject matter actually taught is important to student achievement.
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In sum, the committee identified a minimal set of key variables that should be monitored, shown below, as a beginning set of indicators of the condition of precollege science and mathematics education. The rest of the chapter presents the committee's findings, conclusions, and recommendations about that condition using the four selected variables.
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Teachers Findings: Supply and Demand Aggregate Quantity · Forecasts of aggregate supply and demand of secondary school teachers in the physical and biological sciences and in mathematics show shortages over the next several years in mathematics and the physical sciences. A low estimate, based on little change in current trends of overall supply and demand, indicates an annual shortage of 2,800 science teachers, mostly in the physical sciences, and 3,700 mathematics teachers.
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With respect to supply, there are three major gaps in knowledge: (1) The data on the actual numbers of teachers assigned to mathematics and science classes ar inadequate.
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(4) Demand forecasts are generally based on extrapolation of current conditions, taking account of likely changes in enrollment, class size, and curriculum.
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Quality · The disparate views on teacher qualification and the variation in certification standards indicate the need to rethink the initial preparation and continuing training appropriate for teachers with instructional responsibilities in science and mathematics. Guidelines that have been prepared by professional societies need to be considered by the wider educational community, including bodies responsible for the certification of teachers and accreditation of teacher education programs.
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· At the secondary school level, and particularly in mathematics, course titles are a questionable indicator of content studied. The current practice of accepting similar course titles as representing exposure to similar
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Textbooks and Courses . At a minimum, periodic surveys should be conducted to determine the relative frequency of use of various mathematics and science textbooks at each grade level in elementary school and for science and mathematics courses in secondary school.
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Instructional Time and Course Enrollment Findings Instructional Time and Student Learning · The amount of time given to the study of a subject is consistently correlated with student performance as measured by achievement tests, at the elementary school as well as at the secondary school level. Time spent on homework is also correlated with student achievement.
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· A number of problems attend enrollment data currently available: uncertainties generated by using self-reports, differences in questions and method from survey to survey, and ambiguities created by similar course titles in mathematics that refer to different content or different levels of instruction. Conclusions and Recommendations: Elementary School Measures of Instructional Time .
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. over classes and documentation Conclusions and Recommendations: Secondary School Measures of Course Enrollment · For grades 7 to 12, enrollments in mathematics and science courses at each grade level and cumulatively for the 6 years of secondary school or for the 3 or 4
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The disparities in mathematics and ment among various population groups warrant continued monitoring, so that distributional inequities can be addressed. National data on student enrollments collected in connection with the periodic surveys recommended above may be insufficient for this purpose.
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· Analysis of the most recent NAEP mathematics assessment yields evidence that gains have been made on computational skills but that there is either no improvement or a slight decrease in scores on test items that call for a deeper level of understanding or more complex problem-solving behavior.
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Tests · Developmental work on tests is needed to ensure that they assess student learning considered useful and important. Instruments used for achievement testing should be reviewed from time to time by scientific and professional groups to ensure that they reflect contemporary knowledge deemed to be important for students to learn.
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24 · Work is needed on curriculum-referenced tests that can be used on a wider than local basis, especially for upper-level courses. This work will require careful research on the content of instruction, tests constructed with a common core of items, and alternative sections of tests to match curricular alternatives.
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