Overview

This study examined whether Oklahoma schools using STEMscopes Science had higher eighth-grade science outcomes than similar schools using other curricula.

Researchers compared 21 schools using STEMscopes Science with 21 matched comparison schools, representing 42 schools across 33 Oklahoma districts. Schools were matched using schools' prior academic achievement, school report card grade, student demographics, and the percentage of students from low-income households. The study examined schools’ average scores and the percentages of students reaching each performance level on the 2026 Oklahoma School Testing Program (OTSP) science assessment. 

What did researchers find?

Overall, eighth-grade science outcomes generally favored schools using STEMscopes Science.

• Fewer students scored Below Basic. An average of 33.1% of students in STEMscopes schools scored Below Basic, compared with 37.0% in comparison schools. This difference was statistically significant.
• More students scored Basic. An average of 28.7% of students in STEMscopes schools scored Basic, compared with 26.5% in comparison schools. This difference was also statistically significant.
• Results also favored STEMscopes at the Advanced level. STEMscopes schools averaged 9.8% Advanced, compared with 7.8% in comparison schools. While this difference was not statistically significant, it represented an educationally meaningful change in scores. An educationally meaningful change suggests that the difference is large enough to matter in real classrooms and schools, even if it may seem small when expressed as a number or percentage.
• Proficient results were nearly identical. STEMscopes schools averaged 31.0% Proficient, compared with 30.7% in comparison schools. This difference was not statistically significant.
• Average science scores were higher. STEMscopes schools had an average scale score of 293.68, compared with 291.59 in comparison schools. This difference was not statistically significant but represented an educationally meaningful change.

The big takeaway

The findings provide promising evidence that STEMscopes Science is associated with stronger eighth-grade science performance, particularly through a lower percentage of students scoring Below Basic and a higher percentage scoring Basic. The results at the Proficient and Advanced levels and average scale scores were also numerically favorable, but the study did not find statistically reliable differences in those outcomes. However, results for Advanced level and average scale scores were large enough that they represent real positive differences in schools and students' science achievement.

 

Figure 1. 2026 Main Impact of STEMscopes Science on schools’ percent of students that met benchmarks on the OTSP Science. Note. Columns with darker shading are significant at p < .05.