Collaboration between NSF and CCSO to develop indicators of science and mathematics education began in 1986. The project was initiated with two goals: 1) to establish a system of education indicators that provides the capacity for national analyses and state-by-state comparisons of the condition and trends in science mathematics education, and 2) to improve the quality and usefulness of data on science and mathematics education to assist the state policymakers and program managers in making more informed decisions. The present proposal outlines four objectives for the next phase of the state science/math indicators project: 1. Collect and report biannual national and state-by-state data on selected indicators of science and math education, based on data collected by state departments of education; 2. Produce and report state-by-state analyses of data on science and math indicators from the Schools and Staffing Survey of the National Center for Education Statistics; 3. Provide assistance to 5-10 states to develop capacity for collecting and reporting data on science/math indicators; 4. Establish an "interstate consortium on alternative methods of student assessment" to assist states in reforming their assessments of student learning in science and mathematics.
