States rated in bioscience achievement

A breakdown of states on middle school and high school bioscience performance, as measured by a report released Monday by Battelle, the Biotechnology Industry Organization and the Biotechnology Institute:

_Leaders of the Pack: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Vermont, Wisconsin.

_Second Tier: Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington.

_Middling Performance: Alabama, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Montana, South Carolina, Wyoming.

_Lagging Performance: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia.

• States that did not participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress science test in 2005 were not rated.