This National Assessment of Educational Progress report (available in Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] format only) "evaluate[s] and report[s] the educational progress of students at grades 4, 8, and 12... provid[ing]... students' science achievement at each grade and within various subgroups of the general population." For 8th graders, selected state data is also available. Major assessment findings include: 4th and 8th grade scores by gender were similar, but by 12th grade, males had higher scores; higher levels of parental education were associated with higher student performance at all grade levels; and non-public school students had higher average scores than public school students. This report has a similar format to 1996 Mathematics Report Card for the Nation and the States (discussed in the March 14, 1997 Scout Report).