Does high-stakes testing in reading and math "crowd out" student learning in other subjects? Not if you're talking about science, and not if you're talking about Florida schools that struggle the most, according to
the latest working paper from Jay Greene and company.

Along with researchers Marcus Winters and Julie Trivitt, Greene (whose work in Florida on vouchers and retention has been both controversial and influential) took a look at FCAT science scores in F schools in 2001-02 and 2002-03. Florida began testing students in science in 2002-03, but didn’t begin factoring those scores into school grades until last year.

The conclusion: Science scores increased as much as reading scores did, perhaps because students with better mastery of basic reading and math can better learn science.

Greene's working paper
was released this morning by the Manhattan Institute, where he is a senior fellow. The technical version is under peer review at a journal, but hasn’t been cleared yet, which is a concern raised often by Greene's critics.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter