Washington students score best national average on science test

Fourth- and eighth-grade students in Washington state scored higher than the national average on a federal science test in 2015.

The Seattle Times reports that 42 percent of fourth-graders in Washington scored at or above proficient, compared with the national average of 37 percent. For eighth-graders, 38 percent scored at or above proficient, 5 percentage points higher than the national average.

Washington's students also scored higher than they did in 2009, the last time they took the test.

The tests are part of a series known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often referred to as the Nation's Report Card. Students are rated basic, proficient or advanced. The test is given to a sample of students. It was previously administered to a sample of students in all three grades in 2009 and for eighth graders in 2011.