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Summary of Major Findings

 

Geography scores increase at grade 4, but not at grades 8 and 12

Trend in fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade NAEP geography average scores. Grade 4: accommodations not permitted - 1994, 206*; 2001, 209*; accommodations permitted – 2001, 208*; and 2010, 213. Grade 8: accommodations not permitted - 1994, 260; 2001, 262; accommodations permitted – 2001, 260; and 2010, 261. Grade 12: accommodations not permitted - 1994, 285*; 2001, 285*; accommodations permitted -2001, 284; and 2010, 282. * Significantly different (p < .05) from 2010.

  • The average fourth-grade geography score in 2010 was higher than in previous assessment years.  
  • The average eighth-grade geography score in 2010 was not significantly different from the scores in 2001 and 1994. 
  • The average twelfth-grade geography score in 2010 was not significantly different from the score in 2001; however, it was lower than in 1994.
See all the average scores for students in grade 4, grade 8, and grade 12.

    Fewer than 30 percent of students perform at or above the Proficient level in 2010

  • Twenty-one percent of fourth-graders, 27 percent of eighth-graders, and 20 percent of twelfth-graders performed at or above the Proficient level on the 2010 geography assessment.
  • At grades 4 and 8, the percentages of students at or above Proficient in 2010 were not significantly different from the percentages in 2001 and 1994.
  • At grade 12, the percentage of students at or above Proficient was lower in 2010 than in earlier assessment years.
See the achievement levels for grade 4, grade 8, and grade 12.

Lowest performing students make gains at all three grades

  • The score for the lowest-performing fourth-graders (at the 10th percentile) was 23 points higher in 2010 than in 1994.
  • The score for the lowest-performing eighth-graders was higher in 2010 than in previous assessment years.
  • The score for the lowest-performing twelfth-graders increased from 1994 to 2010, while scores for the middle- and higher-performing students (at the 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles) decreased.
See the percentile results for students in grade 4, grade 8, and grade 12.

Black and Hispanic fourth-graders close score gaps

  • Black students narrowed the score gap with White students by 20 points at grade 4 and by 9 points at grade 8 from 1994 to 2010.
  • Hispanic students narrowed the score gap with White students at grade 4 by 13 points from 1994 to 2010.
  • There were no significant changes in the score gap between White and Hispanic students from 1994 to 2010 at grade 8 and no significant changes in the White-Black and White-Hispanic score gaps at grade 12.
    Accommodations in NAEP Geography. No accommodations were provided in the 1994 NAEP geography assessment. Providing accommodations represented a change in testing conditions that could potentially affect the measurement of changes over time, so split samples of students were assessed in 2001. One sample permitted accommodations and the other did not. Results for both samples are shown in the tables and figures, but comparisons to 2001 in the text are based on just the accommodated samples.

Read about the geography framework and what the geography assessment measures.

Find out how to interpret NAEP geography results.

For more information, browse the report online or download a copy of the report.

 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1994, 2001, and 2010 Geography Assessments.