National History Scores Decline

 

It’s Not Just Math and Reading: U.S. History Scores for 8th Graders Plunge 

The latest test results continue a nearly decade-long decline. Try a sample quiz to test your knowledge.

and Civics.

The dip in civics performance was the first decline since the test began being administered in the late 1990s.Credit...Joseph Rushmore for The New York Times

By Sarah Mervosh

May 3, 2023Updated 7:21 a.m. ET

National test scores released on Wednesday showed a marked drop in students’ knowledge of U.S. history and a modest decline in civics, a sign of the pandemic’s alarming reach, damaging student performance in nearly every academic area.

The pandemic plunge in U.S. history accelerated a downward trend that began nearly a decade ago, hitting this recent low at a time when the subject itself has become increasingly politically divisive.

A growing number of students are falling below even the basic standards set out on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a rigorous national exam administered by the Department of Education. About 40 percent of eighth graders scored “below basic” in U.S. history last year, compared with 34 percent in 2018 and 29 percent in 2014.

Just 13 percent of eighth graders were considered proficient — demonstrating competency over challenging subject matter — down from 18 percent nearly a decade ago

this is not an endorsement of so called national standards. 

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