{"id":146613,"date":"2023-05-03T09:35:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T13:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/districtadministration.com\/?p=146613"},"modified":"2023-05-03T09:35:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T13:35:00","slug":"8th-graders-civics-u-s-history-scores-slip-nations-report-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/districtadministration.com\/8th-graders-civics-u-s-history-scores-slip-nations-report-card\/","title":{"rendered":"8th-graders are failing to grasp how democracy works, report card shows"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eighth-graders’ civics scores declined for the first time ever on the latest Nation\u2019s Report Card while their performance on U.S. history assessments continued a near 10-year slide. Digging deeper, the losses were “widespread and pervasive,” said Commissioner Peggy G. Carr<\/a> of the National Center for Education Statistics, which manages of the Nation’s Report Card.<\/p>\n

Eighth-graders have dropped 2 points on the NAEP civics assessment, which measures students\u2019 knowledge of American government and opportunities to participate in civic activities, the National Center for Education Statistics announced Wednesday in the release of the latest Nation’s Report Card results. The test is based on a 0-300 scale, and eighth-graders’ scores fell from 153 in 2018 to 150 in 2022.<\/p>\n

In 2022, only 22% of eighth-graders scored at or above proficiency in civics by demonstrating an understanding of the purpose of government, the separation of powers and “how the ideals expressed in the nation\u2019s core documents may differ from reality,” among other concepts, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.<\/p>\n

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This first-ever decline, in which the scores were not statistically significantly different from when the current version of the test was first conducted in 1998, raises alarms about students’ grasp of democratic principles and their chances of becoming “full participants in American democracy,\u201d Carr said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSelf-government depends on each generation of students leaving school with a complete understanding of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship,” Carr said. “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. These results are a national concern.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. history slumps along with civics<\/h2>\n

The 13% of eighth-graders who scored at or above proficiency in U.S. history represent the lowest proficiency level of any subject assessed by the NAEP. In fact, four in 10 eighth-graders performed below the basic level as scores declined in all four of the test’s major themes\u2014democracy, culture, technology and world role\u2014saw declines in scores.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, fewer students reported taking classes mainly focused on U.S. history. Some 68% percent of eighth-graders reported taking a U.S. history class in 2022, compared to 72% in 2018.<\/p>\n

\"(National
(National Center for Education Statistics)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NAEP’s U.S. history assessment, which also uses a 300-point scale, “measures students\u2019 knowledge and understanding of U.S. history in all its complexity\u2014its major themes, periods, events, people, ideas, and turning points,” the organization says. The history scores\u2014except for those of the very top-performing students\u2014have been dropping since 2014.<\/p>\n

Here are more key findings from the eighth-grade civics and history assessments:<\/p>\n

Civics<\/strong><\/p>\n