Content Area Scores

Overall Scores by Content Area
Lower scores for eighth-grade students in Space and Place and Environment and Society content areas compared to 2014

In 2018, the average geography scores for eighth-grade students were 3 points lower in the Space and Place content area and 4 points lower in the Environment and Society content area compared to 2014.

In comparison to 1994, the average geography score for eighth-grade students was 5 points lower in Environment and Society in 2018, while the average scores for the other two content areas did not change significantly.

In addition to the overall composite average score, NAEP geography results are also reported for the subscale average scores by three content areas: Space and Place, Environment and Society, and Spatial Dynamics and Connections. The NAEP geography framework provides the basis for constructing subscales in geography. The subscales are combined into a composite scale used to describe the overall attainment of students in geography. Because subscales were developed separately for each content area, comparisons cannot be made from one subscale to another. Learn more about what the geography content areas measured.

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Percentile Scores by Content Area
Scores decline for lower- and middle-performing students in two geography content areas compared to 2014

Compared to 2014, lower- and middle-performing eighth-grade students at the 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles scored lower in Space and Place and Environment and Society content areas in 2018; lower-performing students at the 10th percentile also scored lower in the Spatial Dynamics and Connections content area compared to 2014.

In comparison to 1994, eighth-grade students scored lower in 2018 in the Environment and Society content area across the performance levels except for students performing at the 90th percentile. Students performing at the 10th percentile scored higher in the Space and Place and Spatial Dynamics and Connections content areas in 2018 than in 1994, and higher-performing students (those at the 75th and 90th percentiles) scored lower in the Space and Place content area.

See percentile scores by geography content areas below.

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Student Group Content Area Scores
Dig deeper into the results for the geography content areas

Use the top drop-down menu to select a content area or practice. Use the bottom drop-down menus to compare the score gaps for selected student groups by race/ethnicity, gender, eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, parental education level, type of school, charter school, school location, region of the country, status as students with disabilities, and status as English language learners.

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