Eighth-grader U.S. history and civics scores dropped between 2018 and 2022, according to The Nation's Report Card from the National Center for Education Statistics. A lack of critical thinking skills was partially to blame.
Photo courtesy of The Nation's Report Card
May 3 (UPI) -- U.S. history and civics scores of eight graders declined between 2018 and 2022, according to The Nation's Report Card from the National Center for Education Statistics. A lack of critical thinking skills are partially to blame.
"A well-rounded education includes a thorough grounding in democratic principles, and these assessments challenge students to show their knowledge and skills as they prepare to become full participants in American democracy," said NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr in a statement.
"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."
Carr said that is partially due to problems with critical thinking skills. For example, to comprehend how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr,'s "I Have A Dream" speech incorporates two ideas from the U.S. Constitution or Declaration of Independence, students need more than reading skills.
"Students have to be able to read and know literacy skills, but they need critical thinking to know how to extrapolate an answer to that question," Carr said.
In U.S. history, NCES said there were declines since 2018 across all levels except for the very top performing students. In civics, scores were down for lower- and middle-performing students and were unchanged among top-performing students.
Just 13% of eighth-graders in 2022 were able to explain the significance of people, places, events, ideas and documents in American history, according to NCES. That means 87% of eighth-graders were not able to understand and demonstrate knowledge of significant political ideas and institutions and cite evidence from historical sources to support conclusions.
"Few eighth-graders are reaching higher levels of achievement," Dan McGrath, acting associate commissioner of NCES said.
"Only 13 percent of eighth-graders were at or above the National Assessment of Educational Progress proficient level for U.S. history. That's the lowest proportion of eighth-grade students reaching that level out of any subject assessed by the NAEP program. And only about a fifth of students were at or above the NAEP Proficient level in civics, which is the second-lowest proportion of students reaching that level in any subject."
In 2022, the NCES report card found 22% of eighth-graders scored at or above the proficient level in civics. Students at that level "understand and explain the purposes that governments serve; how and why legislative, executive, and judicial powers are separate, shared, and limited in American constitutional government; and the differences between government and civil society."
The NAEP civics assessment encompasses three central and interrelated components:
- knowledge and understanding of key aspects of the American political system and the principles of American democracy;
- the intellectual and participatory skills needed to apply civic knowledge for effective citizenship;
- and civic dispositions, such as understanding the rights individuals have and the responsibilities of individuals to their community.
