The Nation’s Report Card: Civics 2010

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) releases The Nation’s Report Card: Civics 2010.

This report presents results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2010 civics assessment. National results for representative samples of students at grades 4, 8, and 12 are reported as average scale scores and as a percentage of students performing at or above three achievement levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Scores are also reported at selected percentiles, showing changes in the performance of lower-, middle-, and higher-performing students. Results for student demographic groups defined by various background characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, and students’ eligibility for free or reduced-price school lunch) are included, as well as sample assessment questions with examples of student responses.

Results from the 2010 assessment are compared to those from two previous assessments in 1998 and 2006. The Technical Notes and appendix tables provide information on NAEP samples, school and student participation rates, and the exclusion and accommodation of students with disabilities and English language learners.

In comparison to the last assessment in 2006, average scores in 2010 were higher at grade 4, not significantly different at grade 8, and lower at grade 12. Gains for Hispanic students from 1998 to 2010 contributed to a narrowing of the White–Hispanic score gaps at all three grades. The percentage of students performing at or above the Proficient level in 2010 was 27 percent at grade four, 22 percent at grade eight, and 24 percent at grade twelve.

Major findings from the 2010 report include:

• The average score for fourth-graders was higher than in previous assessments in 2006 and 1998. The average score for eighth-graders in 2010 was not significantly different from either 2006 or 1998.

• At grade 12, the average score in 2010 was lower than in the 2006 assessment, but not significantly different from the average score in 1998.

• Average scores for Hispanic students in grade 8 were higher in 2010 than in 2006; average scores for Hispanic students at all three grade levels were higher than in 1998.

• Average scores for students eligible for either free or reduced price school lunch were higher in 2010 than in 2006 at both grades 4 and 8; additionally, a higher percentage of fourth-graders eligible for free lunch performed at or above Basic than in 2006.

• The average score for female fourth-graders increased since 2006; there were no significant changes in score for male fourth-graders since 2006.

• The percentage of twelfth-grade English language learners performing at or above Basic was lower in 2010 than in 2006, but not significantly different from the percentages in 1998.