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Social Studies

Do You Know as Much as an 8th Grader About Civics? Quiz Yourself

By Marina Whiteleather — May 09, 2023 1 min read
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Recently released results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test—also known as the “Nation’s Report Card”—mark the first time that 8th grade civics scores declined in nearly 25 years.

EdWeek Staff Writer Sarah Schwartz noted in a recent article covering the results, History Achievement Falls to 1990s Levels on NAEP; Civics Scores Take First-Ever Dive, that the findings are the first national data on students’ social studies achievement since the pandemic began.

A follow-up article, Understanding the Sharp Drop in History and Civics NAEP Scores: 4 Things to Know, Schwartz unpacks the context: how these scores compare to declines in other subjects, the decades-long marginalization of the subject, and ongoing challenges of carving out intentional instructional time for civics education.

Below are some questions included in the recent NAEP test on civics. Test your knowledge and see how your results compare to the grade 8 students who took the test in spring 2022.

Then check out our other coverage of civics education, including our award-winning Citizen Z project.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2022 Civics & U.S. History Assessments at Grade 8.

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