MICHIGAN IN TOP 10 FOR MATH, SCIENCE

Using a national assessment to compare students in the United States to their international counterparts, Michigan students ranked 10th in mathematics and ninth in science, said a report released Wednesday. But the report showed none of the states could approach the performance of the top nations.

The study, Chance Favors the Prepared Mind, published by the American Institutes for Research, compared eighth graders on the National Assessment of Educational Progress math (2007) and science (2005) tests in the United States to same grade level on the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Study author Gary Phillips was able to equate scores on the TIMSS to the performance levels on the NAEP.

According to the study, the top five countries in mathematics, Singapore, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Japan, had average scores in the NAEP proficient range. Singapore and Chinese Taipei also had proficient average scores on the science test. None of the American states had average scores in that range on either test.

“Even the highest achieving states within the United States were still significantly below the highest achiev-ing countries, and the lowest performing states were still significantly higher than the lowest achieving countries,” the report said.

Michigan students had an average score of 29 on the 2007 NAEP math test, which falls in the basic range. Students in Singapore would have had average scores of 73 and those in Japan would have averaged 57.

On the science test, the score range was a little closer. Michigan students averaged 35, compared to 55 for Singapore and 52 for Chinese Taipei.