National test scores released on Wednesday showed a marked drop in students’ knowledge of U.S. history and a modest drop in civics.
In the first release of U.S. history and civics scores since the start of the Covid-19 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. Known as the Nation’s Report Card, results showed a decline in students’ knowledge that reversed gains made since the 1990s.
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement that the results, from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, further underscore the “profound impact the pandemic had on student learning.”
Kerry Sautner, the chief learning officer at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, told NPR.org she has been bracing for these results since the reading and math results came out in the fall: “When we saw the reading scores drop, it kind of felt like, ‘well, that’s a little prelude to what you’re going to see in civics and history.”
Sautmer pointed out that the teaching of civics and history is heavily based on reading comprehension, and if that foundation isn’t solid, it’s hard to build up. Unfortunately, Sautner added, with the declines now evident across multiple subjects, the question becomes: “How are we going to mitigate this when we have significant drops in everything?”
Quit with sugar-coating the results
But let’s tell it like it is instead of sugar-coating the results to make them seem “politically correct.” The New York Times notes that the results, from a national sample of about 8,000 eighth graders in each subject, track with scores in math and reading, which also decreased during the pandemic.
The excuses for the poor showing run the gamut of reasons, from poor reading comprehension, a de-emphasis on social studies instruction, and of course, the Covid-19 pandemic.
Forget about the pandemic… Here’s a fact: In 2022, the average civics score in eighth graders decreased by 2 points compared to 2018. The average score in 2022 was not significantly different from 1998, the first year the assessment was given.
Again, in 2022, the average U.S. history score in eighth graders decreased by 5 points compared to 2018 and by 9 points compared to 2014. The average score in 2022 is not significantly different from 1994, the first year the assessment was given.
Come on all you politicians and parents, Let’s get real. – We are allowing our students to slide on all the studies that are important. A pandemic did not cause kids to become ignorant in math, reading, or history.
“It doesn’t bode well for the future of this country and for the future of democracy if we don’t start doing more instruction in social studies,” said Kristin Dutcher Mann, a history professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, who helps train middle and high school social studies teachers.
At one point, she said, older elementary school students in her community received an hour of social studies each day. Now, she said, “they will be lucky if they get 30 minutes for social studies twice a week.”
Even in her college classes, she said, she has noticed a “rapid and very significant decline” in what students know about history and geography — like the fact that Africa is a continent, not a country.
Secretary Cardona said, Now is not the time for politicians to try to extract double-digit cuts to education funding,” he said in a statement. “Nor is it the time to limit what students learn in U.S. history and civics classes.”
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