Eighth grade test scores for U.S. history and civics dropped to their lowest levels since the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) first began testing those topics in the 90s.
The NAEP, frequently called the “Nation’s Report Card,” released the scores for 2022 assessment Wednesday showing steep drops in both subjects from the 2018 assessment.
Approximately 800 eighth-graders from 410 schools across the country took the NEP assessment in civics, and 8,000 eighth-graders from 410 schools took the U.S. history assessment.
Those testing scores have declined since 2018 across all performance levels in U.S. history except for the very top-performing students. In civics, scores declined for lower- and middle-performing students and did not change for higher-performing students.
“The latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress further affirms the profound impact the pandemic had on student learning in subjects beyond math and reading. It tells us that now is not the time for politicians to try to extract double-digit cuts to education funding, nor is it the time to limit what students learn in U.S. history and civics classes. We need to provide every student with rich opportunities to learn about America’s history and understand the U.S. Constitution and how our system of government works. Banning history books and censoring educators from teaching these important subjects does our students a disservice and will move America in the wrong direction,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
U.S. History Assessment
The NAEP measures students’ knowledge and understanding of everything in U.S. history from its major themes, periods, ideas, people, events, and turning points and examines their understanding of historical chronology, different perspectives across time, and their grasp of historical facts and contexts.
Eighth-grader’s U.S. history score dropped by five points on a 0-500 scale, from 263 (2018) to 258 (2022). The decline happened across all four themes: continuity in American democracy, cultures and ideas, economic and technological changes, and the changing role of America in the world.
Only 13 percent of students scored at or above NAEP Proficient level in U.S. history.
Civics Assessment
For civics, the NAEP measures students’ knowledge of American government and their ability to participate in civic activities.
Civics saw a first-ever recorded decline. The score dropped by two points on a 0-300 scale, from 153 (2018) to 150 (2022). Only 22 percent of students scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level in civics.
Scores for higher performing students, shown below in the 90th and 75th percentile, saw no significant difference in their averages.
A National Concern
States are still recovering from the learning disruptions caused by the pandemic and these scores are the latest in a continued downward trend that started long before the pandemic in 2014.
The drops in U.S. history and Civics follow NAEP scores released last fall showing drops in math and English. Tennessee students mirrored those declines including significant drops in Shelby County.
Education leaders say these results are a cause for national concern.
“Self-government depends on each generation of students leaving school with a complete understanding of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. But far too many of our students are struggling to understand and explain the importance of civic participation, how American government functions, and the historical significance of events,” said National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy G. Carr. “These results are a national concern.”
The NAEP test is typically proved every two years to a selected sample of schools that reflect the varying demographics of each state and within each school. Students are chosen at random from the 4th and 8th grade, and the test is considered the most comprehensive comparison available for cross-state comparisons of student progress.
