17- Year-Olds: What They Know and Can Do
T h e National Assessment of Education Progress, NAEP, a project funded by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. r e ~ o r t e din ~ n r i l t h results e of a studv that develops a profile of what students in various age groups know and can do. The profiles are, in effect, summaries of what has been learned from all previous NAEP assessments. Highlights from the study tell us that: 9-year-olds have learned much in their first years of schooling, including the basic reading and writing skills. 13-year-olds can read, write, add, subtract, multiply and divide-if told to do so. But they don't, by themselves, use these skills in solving everyday problems. 17-year-olds have mastered the basic skills and know many specific facts in all school subjects, but they have difficulty organizing and applying their skills and knowledge.
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Because 17-vear-olds include the aee eroun . encountered by more chem&ry teachers than any other, a closer look a t the NAEP results for this group should he of interest. The study reports that, "17-year-olds have some knowledge of the world of work, have thought about their futures and know what attitudes and behaviors are expected of them in our society. They know a number of facts about our aovernment andlegal system, and know a number of specif& scientific facts. They have difficulty reading long passages and have limited vocabularies in writing." They can read, write and compute in a well-structured environment, hut they have difficulty applying their knowledge to new situations. For example, they do not do well on problems that require more than one step, and they have difficulty organizing their thoughts in writing. Over the past seven years, knowledge levels of 17-year-olds have slipped slightly. Many 17-year-olds: -can
add, subtract, multiply and divide whole numbers and decimals -can multiply fractions -can calculate a simple average -can solve simple word problems requiring multiplication -can evaluate simple algebraic expressions -know the names of the oarticles that make uo an atom -unaerrtand s m v facts nbmt nutrition. illness and disease undprsrnnd 5uwe functions and l m ~ t of s the executiw and judicial branches of government c a n read and understand short, straightforward materials such as newspaper ads and telephone bills -can read and understand directions and instructions -have mastered the mechanics of writing ~
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Some 17-year-olds: -know about human reproduction -can convert decimals to common fractions -can add fractions -can organize and elaborate ideas in writing c a n make inferences after reading a long paragraph But, few 17-year-olds: -can calculate the area of a square given its perimeter
-can simplify algebraic expressions -can convert Fahrenheit to Celsius given the conversion formula -know the functionsof the legislative branch of government -know why a large amount of mineral fertilizer placed around a olant will cause it to wilt and die -haw discussed aptitude tect rezulti withan).onewhomuldadvise thpm aimit career plans -mn write excellent, unltled and focused easavs.
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Roy H. Forbes, director of National Assessment says, "Even though most 17-year-olds feel they are good readers, only half are ahle to read college freshman-level materials. They all believe in social equality and changing unfair laws, but again only half take part in school politics. A nagging doubt about 17-vear-olds is whether or not thev take time to relate their ideas and concepts to adult life." ' T o illustrate the kinds of science information sought from this group of students and their responses to questions, the following exercise was administered in both the 1969 and 1973 NAEP science assessments. Suooose . . that a rubber balloon filled with sir does not leak and that i t is taken trotn earth t o the mmn. One ran besure rhar on the muon, the balloon will haw the samp: (1) size as on earth; (2) mass as on earth; (3) weight as on earth; (4) rate of fall as on earth; (5) ability to float as on earth; (6) I don't know ~
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In 1969, 36% of 17-year-olds attending high school chose answer No. 2: in 1973.. onlv " 27% chose this answer. On both assessments most students eliminated responses 3,4, and 5, but had trouble with choice 1. In 1969.35% selected resnonse 1; in 1973,47% chose response 1. Results for various groups of students responding to this question also are interesting. In the 1973 assessment, all grouos except those living in extreme-rural communities ihowed a decline in the percentage selecting the correct response. Overall, about one-third or less of all arouos . resoonded c&ectly, and every group showed an increase in the percentage selecting incorrect response 1. In 1973, about 50% of the Northeasterners, females, whites and those living in affluent metropolitan communities chose this incorrect response. Approximately one-third of the blacks and those living in low income metropolitan communities chose response 1; another one-third chose resDonse 5. Although generalizations cannot be drawn from this single exercise about the decline in science knowledge and application of basic concepts of science, other NAEP reports document general declines on all tvoes -. of science-related items over the 1969 to 1973 period. T h e preceding facts and summaries speak for themselves. As with all such studies, the NAEP findings are not without ambiguities and uncertainties. Still, thev merit our attention and r&ection. At the very least, they raise the question: How can we as chemistrv teachers make use of this information to improve what we do and to he certain that the gap between what our students know and can do when they begin work with us and what they need to know and must he ahle to do tocope with realities of personal and professional life in the future is narrowed measurably? WTL Volume 54, Number 7, July 1977 1 397
