Eighth-graders’ test scores in U.S. history and civics fell to the lowest levels on record last year, according to Education Department data released Wednesday.
In the first release of U.S. history and civics scores since the start of the pandemic, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card, showed a decline in students’ knowledge that reversed gains made since the 1990s.
According to the data, 13% of eighth-graders met proficiency standards for U.S. history, meaning they could explain major themes, periods, events, people, ideas and turning points in the country’s history. About a fifth of students scored at or above the proficient level in civics.
Declines in students’ understanding of U.S. history that occurred before the pandemic continued, while longstanding gaps in student achievement across specific groups persisted, data show. Low-performing eighth-grade students had significant drops in civics and U.S. history scores, while high-performing students mainly held steady.
The falling federal test scores in U.S. history and civics coincide with the downward spiral seen in other subjects tested since the pandemic. Federal test results released in October revealed the largest drop in math scores ever and a nationwide drop in reading that wiped out three decades of gains.
The U.S. history scores showed the lowest proportion of eighth-grade students reaching proficiency levels out of any subject assessed by the NAEP program, with civics being the second-lowest. Federal tests show scores in U.S. history and civics have consistently lagged behind those of reading and math.
Peggy Carr, National Center for Education Statistics commissioner, said in a briefing with reporters Tuesday that she was shocked by eighth-graders’ U.S. history and civics scores, which she called “woefully low in comparison to other subjects.”
Dr. Carr added: “These data are a national concern. The health of our democracy depends on informed and engaged citizens.”
The average score in 2022 for eighth-grade students in U.S. history was 258 out of a possible 500, 5 points lower compared with 2018, and 1 point lower than the average U.S. history score in 1994, the first year the test was given.
The average civics score for eighth-grade students in 2022 was 150 out of a possible 300, 2 points lower compared with 2018 and identical to the average score in 1998, the first year that test was given.
The 2022 declines in U.S. history and civics echo previously reported drops in reading and math, Dr. Carr said. Average math scores for eighth-graders in 2022 dropped to 274 out of a possible 500, falling 8 points from 2019. Reading scores decreased 3 points, to 260.
Test scores are categorized as either below basic, basic, proficient or advanced. The percentages of students in 2022 who performed below basic levels worsened in both U.S. history and civics, with four in 10 eighth-graders scoring below basic levels in U.S. history, according to federal data. Those students were unable to correctly identify basic concepts such as the difference between indentured servants and slaves.
According to the data, 31% of eighth-graders performed below basic level in civics in 2022, indicating those students were unable to correctly answer questions asking them to identify basics such as common characteristics shared by all constitutional governments.
James Grossman, American Historical Association executive director, said the dropping scores reflect the falling quality of history and civics lessons taught in American schools, which has been fueled by political acrimony.
Fights over what should be taught in classrooms have in recent years played out in school-board elections and state legislatures across the country. At least 40 states have since 2021 adopted or introduced laws or policies that restrict teaching about “divisive concepts,” such as racism, leading to less-robust lessons than in years past, Dr. Grossman said.
Such “interference has a chilling effect on teachers,” he said. “Imagine a doctor who constantly has people walking into her office telling her how to treat patients,” said Dr. Grossman. “This is what’s happening with history teachers.”
Teachers have said controversies over the content of lessons have damped morale. These subjects are considered hard to staff in many districts, according to teachers union officials.
The debates coupled with declines in reading and writing skills in the pandemic have created headwinds for history and civics instruction, a teacher said.
Sheila Edwards, who teaches eighth-grade history at Sierra Vista Middle School in Covina, Calif., said her students’ interest in civics and history was piqued by recent events, such as the indictment of former President Donald Trump and his two impeachments while in office.
Despite her students’ engagement in current events, Ms. Edwards said, many have fallen behind in literacy as well as their ability to comprehend course materials and communicate what they have learned—skills that are critical to success in social studies.
“I want them to have high-level conversations,” she said. “But they need to have vocabulary.”
Federal education officials said the test scores released Wednesday show that access to rigorous U.S. history and civics coursework is still a major issue in American schools. About half of eighth-graders reported taking a class mainly focused on civics or U.S. government in 2022, about the same as five years ago, according to the officials.
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