Girls Take the Lead for Technology and Engineering Literacy

According to assessment results from National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), girls take the lead for technology and engineering literacy (TEL) in US eighth-graders. This same test also calculated the percentages of student proficiency by race and ethnicity.

Both white and black females scored above males in the Information and Content Technology (ICT).  The results show that “only 43 percent of eighth-grade students scored proficient or above in these tests.” They also show that more students were at “proficient or above” level for TEL than any other category. Girls also scored higher than boys in three other literacy areas: Communicating and Collaborating; Developing Solutions; and Achieving Goals.

Looking at race, 56% of whites scored  proficient or above, and 56% of Asians were at the same level. However,  28% of Hispanics reached were able to reach that level, and only 18% of black students.

The test also asked students where they had obtained knowledge about technology. Sixty three percent of 8th graders who took the test said family members taught them about fixing things and how they work, 19% said they had taught themselves, and 13% credited their teachers from their “technical skills.”

Amanda De Moraes

Boston Tutoring Services