Science tests scores climb in Minnesota
by The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS -- The state Department of Education says Minnesota students are posting slightly higher scores in science than a year ago.

The new results are from the science portion of the MCA-II test, which was taken by about 178,500 students in grades five, eight and in high school this spring.

The test measures how well the students know the state's academic standards. It found that nearly 52 percent of high school students were proficient, up from 49.5 percent in 2009.

Eighth-graders improved to 48 percent proficient, up from 43 percent in 2009. The portion of proficient fifth-graders held about steady at 46 percent.

The federal No Child Left Behind law requires that students take the science test, but the results aren't used to determine whether schools are making adequate yearly progress.