Classroom Context: Curriculum/Coursetaking

As part of the 2009 science assessment, twelfth-grade students were asked what science courses they had completed or were taking currently. Their responses were then collapsed into three categories to create the 2009 science coursetaking results presented below. The full text of the question, percentage of students whose teachers responded in each category, and scale scores of students for each response category are below.

Which courses have you taken from the eighth grade to the present?

A. Biology/chemistry/physics
B. Biology/chemistry
C. Biology only or other

Grade 4

Grade 8

Grade 12

Percentage of Students

Average Scores

Twelfth-grade students who took biology, chemistry, and physics (166) scored higher on average than students who took just biology and chemistry (148), and both groups scored higher than those who took just biology or other science courses (133).

NOTE: The NAEP science scale ranges from 0 to 300. Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant. See complete data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Science Assessment.

Browse questionnaires for the NAEP assessments.