AUGUSTA – Maine’s fourth- and eighth-graders had some of the country’s highest scores in science tests according to results released Tuesday.

Maine’s fourth-graders posted the nation’s second-highest score in its science tests, just one point behind Massachusetts, according to National Assessment of Education Progress, the nation’s report card.

The average fourth-grade score in Maine was 161 on a scale of 300, which was above the national average of 148.

Eighth-graders finished sixth with an average score of 160, which was 11 points above the national average.

Education Commissioner J. Duke Albanese said Mainers should be proud of the students’ continued excellent performance.

In 1998, Maine eighth-graders were first in the nation in reading and second in writing. In 1996, Maine’s fourth- and eighth-graders shared top national honors in math, and eighth-graders led in science.

“We are not resting on our laurels, but these results show that Maine has an excellent foundation on which to build to enable all students to meet the standards of academic achievement,” he said.

The news comes a week after the U.S. Department of Education announced that Maine had the highest rate of completion of high school in the nation. Maine’s rate was 94.5 percent compared to 86.5 percent nationwide.

Based on sustained strong performance, Maine was ranked as the best elementary school education system in the nation, according to the 10th annual report of the National Education Goals Panel.

Nationwide, officials said schools must recruit more experienced science teachers and toughen up their science programs if students are to learn more than just the basics.

New national test scores show that only one in five high school seniors has a solid grasp of science – and only half can explain simple scientific principles.

The 12th-graders who took the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress scored, on average, three points lower than those taking the test in 1996.

Only 18 percent correctly answered challenging science questions, down from 21 percent in 1996. Those who knew just the basics dropped slightly to 53 percent.

“As these latest NAEP results indicate, the vast majority of our students today are learning very little science,” said former astronaut George D. Nelson, who now directs the K-12 school program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Education Secretary Rod Paige called the decline “morally significant,” adding, “If our graduates know less about science than their predecessors four years ago, then our hopes for a strong 21st century work force are dimming just when we need them most.”

Nelson and others said schools must be given enough resources to lure teachers away from jobs in private industry. They must also design better, more coherent science programs that take students beyond basic ideas.

“They are taught to memorize some facts and vocabulary, but almost never to connect the knowledge into a coherent picture of how the world works and how we have come to know it,” Nelson said. “They do not understand either science or the scientific enterprise.”

Gerry Wheeler, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, said he’s not surprised at the poor results, considering that schools have increasingly focused on reading and math.

“Our nation continues to shortchange our students in science,” he said.

Many science teachers complain that they can’t persuade school officials to give them the time or money required for training, he said.

Fourth- and eighth-graders who understand science at their grade level held steady – 29 percent of fourth-graders and 32 percent of eight-graders.

Sixty-six percent of fourth-graders and 61 percent of eighth-graders have a basic understanding of science and fundamental skills.

Among fourth-grade public school students, those in Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana and North Dakota scored highest; students in California and Mississippi scored lowest.

Among eighth-grade public school students, those in Massachusetts, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio and Vermont scored highest; students in California, Hawaii and Mississippi scored lowest.

White students continue to outperform minorities. While the percentage of white 12th-graders scoring above proficient in science dropped six points, to 62 percent in 2000, that was still nearly three times the score of their black peers – and twice that of Hispanic students.

About 46,000 students in 40 states took the tests for the national survey. The scores of an additional 200,000 students produced detailed state-by-state results, which were not included in the national figures. The national sample included public and private schools; the state-by-state sample included only public schools.