Knowledge of U.S. History
- From 2001 to 2014, eighth graders’ U.S. history achievement gradually improved, as the share scoring below the basic proficiency level fell below 30% and those scoring at or above proficient rose to 18% in 2014 (Indicator I-05a). From 2014 to 2022, however, history achievement declined substantially. By the latter year, the percentage below basic proficiency had risen to 40%, while the share demonstrating advanced proficiency had dropped to 14%.
- Fourth and 12th graders were most recently assessed in 2010, with the younger students demonstrating greater gains over the preceding nine years (Indicator I-05b). The share of fourth graders demonstrating below basic proficiency declined from over a third of students in 2001 to 27% in 2010. Twelfth graders’ performance on the assessment changed little over the time period. In both 2001 and 2010, a greater proportion of fourth-grade students demonstrated proficiency in U.S. history than did 12th graders.
- In every testing year and at every grade level, a substantial majority of children in the assessed grades failed to demonstrate proficiency in U.S. history. The absence of long-term trend data prevents a systematic evaluation of how recent a phenomenon this is, but research reveals that young people’s ignorance of U.S. history has been a source of public concern since the beginning of the 20th century.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress Data Explorer, accessed 08/25/2023. Data analyzed and presented by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Humanities Indicators (www.humanitiesindicators.org).
For an explanation of the achievement scale and detailed information about the competencies associated with each achievement level, see http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ushistory/achieve.aspx.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress Data Explorer, accessed 08/25/2023. Data analyzed and presented by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Humanities Indicators (www.humanitiesindicators.org).
For an explanation of the achievement scale and detailed information about the competencies associated with each achievement level, see http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ushistory/achieve.aspx.
