NOTE: In 2018, the digitally based NAEP civics assessment was administered for the first time. The 2018 civics report includes results from students who took the digitally based assessment (DBA) and students who took the paper-based assessment (PBA). For more information, see
the About page. The NAEP civics scale ranges from 0 to 300. Results are not shown for data points where the sample sizes are insufficient to permit a reliable estimate or where data are not available. Black includes African American, and Hispanic includes Latino. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. In compliance with new standards from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for collecting and reporting data on race/ethnicity, additional information was collected beginning in 2011 so that results could be reported separately for Asian students and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students. Students who identified with two or more of the racial/ethnic groups (e.g., White and Black) would have been classified as "other" and reported as part of the "unclassified" category prior to 2011, and classified as "Two or More Races" in 2011 and later assessment years. Results for these students are presented under the "Two or More Races" category in the graphics and tables in the report. Trend results for "White," "Black," "Hispanic," "Asian/Pacific Islander," and "Two or More Races" presented in this report are based on the 6-category race/ethnicity variable with data available starting in 1990s. For the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) eligibility category, results have been reported since 2006 when the quality of the data on students' eligibility for the program improved. Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, states could additionally categorize students as eligible for NSLP by including them in their Community Eligibility Provision; therefore, the percentage of students categorized as eligible may have increased in comparison to 2010 due in part to this provision. Readers should interpret NSLP trend results with caution. The information about “Eligibility for NSLP†variable is based on available school records. If school records were not available, the student was classified as "Information not available." If the school did not participate in the program, all students in that school were classified as “Information not available.†The category “students with disabilities†includes students identified as having either an Individualized Education Program or protection under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The results for students with disabilities and English language learners are based on students who were assessed and cannot be generalized to the total population of such students. See more information about
student group variables. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or the omission of categories. Although the estimates (e.g., average scores or percentages) are shown as rounded numbers in the charts, the positions of the data points in the graphics are based on the unrounded numbers. Unrounded numbers were used for calculating the differences between the estimates and for the statistical comparison test when the estimates were compared to each other. Not all apparent differences between estimates are statistically significant.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), various years, 1998–2018 Civics Assessments.
In 2018, about 24 percent of eighth-grade students performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level on the civics assessment, which was not significantly different from the 23 percent of students performing at this level in 2014, the previous assessment year. There was no significant change in the percentage of students performing at this level compared to 1998, the first assessment year.
Also in 2018, the percentage of eighth-grade students performing at or above the NAEP Basic level (73 percent) was not significantly different from 2014, but was higher than the 70 percent of students performing at or above this level in 1998.
There was no significant change in the percentage of eighth-grade students performing at the NAEP Advanced level in 2018 compared to either 2014 or 1998.
NAEP achievement levels are performance standards that describe what students should know and be able to do. Results are reported as percentages of students performing at or above three achievement levels (NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced). Students performing at or above the NAEP Proficient level on NAEP assessments demonstrate solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter. It should be noted that the NAEP Proficient achievement level does not represent grade-level proficiency as determined by other assessment standards (e.g., state or district assessments). NAEP achievement levels are to be used on a trial basis and should be interpreted and used with caution. Find out more about the NAEP civics achievement levels.
NAEP achievement-level setting is based on the judgments of a broadly representative panel of teachers, education specialists, and members of the general public. The authorizing legislation for NAEP requires that the achievement levels be used on a trial basis until the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) determines that the achievement levels are reasonable, valid, and informative to the public (20 USC § 9622(e)(2)(C)). The NCES Commissioner’s determination is to be based on a congressionally mandated, rigorous, and independent evaluation. The latest evaluation of the achievement levels was conducted by a committee convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2016. The evaluation concluded that further evidence should be gathered to determine whether the achievement levels are reasonable, valid, and informative. Accordingly, the NCES Commissioner determined that the trial status of the achievement levels should be maintained at this time. Read more about how NAEP achievement levels are set. In 2018 the National Assessment Governing Board issued a revised Policy Statement clarifying that the NAEP Proficient level is not intended to reflect grade-level performance expectations but is specific to performance on NAEP assessments. Read the Governing Board Policy Statement.
The chart below lists the percentages of eighth-grade students performing at each of the civics NAEP achievement levels. Click "Show NAEP achievement-level details" to see the percentage of students at each of the NAEP achievement levels. Click "Hide NAEP achievement-level details" to see the percentage of students at or above NAEP Basic or at or above NAEP Proficient. Click to set the baseline at either NAEP Basic or NAEP Proficient to see the percentages of students performing at or above NAEP Basic or at or above NAEP Proficient.