As our founding fathers affirmed, the well-being of America's constitutional democracy depends on an informed body of citizens who productively participate in civic affairs. However, recent research suggests that young adults have little interest in politics or activ-ism and that their knowledge of basic civics needs improvement. Accordingly, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has sought to answer the following question: How well are American youth being prepared to meet their citizenship responsibilities?

This issue of the Quarterly features the NAEP 1998 Civics Report Card for the Nation, which addresses the state of civic education in this country. Students in grades 4, 8, and 12 were assessed on their ability to demonstrate the intellectual skills and participatory skills that enable citizens to respond to the challenges of life in a constitutional democracy. They were also assessed on civic dispositions, which involve an understanding of such beliefs as the rights and responsibilities of individuals in society. As you will see in the NAEP civics article, the results provide insight into the lack of understanding and applied civic knowledge on the part of students in American schools today.

What will not be evident in this Quarterly article is the significant contribution that the NAEP 1998 Civics Assessment has made toward minimizing barriers to including and reporting on special-needs students in large-scale surveys. Including all students in appropriate instruction and state and districtwide assessment programs has become an important issue in recent years. Prior to implementation of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) in 1975, children with disabilities were not provided an equal opportunity to participate in our nation's education system. Many students with disabilities were excluded from the general curriculum, that is, the same curriculum as for nondisabled students, and the assessments available to their nondisabled classmates were not provided for these students. In 1990, the EAHCA was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA Amendments of 1997 (IDEA '97) focus on improving teaching, learning, and educational results for students with disabilities. IDEA '97 makes clear that students with disabilities must be included in general state and districtwide assessment programs, performance goals and indicators are to be developed for these students, and the performance of students with disabilities is to be included in reports to the public. For many students, participation in assessments could not occur without providing appropriate accommodations or modifications in test administration, which must be individually determined based on the needs of each disabled student. Such accommodations are necessary for many disabled students to participate in assessments such as NAEP.

In 1996, prior to IDEA '97, NAEP began to focus on criteria that facilitate inclusion rather than exclusion when there is doubt. NAEP makes every effort to ensure that all selected students, including students with disabilities and those with limited-English-proficiency, are assessed. The 1998 assessments in civics and writing mark the first time that the results of students tested with accommodations were included in the overall NAEP assessment results. This approach contrasts with that of earlier NAEP surveys, where data for these students were not included in the reported results. Accommodations and reporting of results for most of these students are the first steps toward total inclusion of those who can meaningfully participate. NAEP will continue to seek methods to appropriately accommodate as many students as possible while ensuring the psychometric validity of their scores. This goal is aligned with the fundamental mission of NCES, to "collect such statistics and facts as shall show the condition and progress of education . . ."

As Associate Commissioner for Assessment, I will continue to support such critical efforts as inclusion to ensure that NAEP is truly a national monitor of achievement for all students. Within this context, methodologies will be developed to ensure validity of assessments, comparability over time, and comparability across states at differing stages of IDEA implementation. Through assessments such as the NAEP 1998 Civics Assessment, I intend to advance NAEP's leadership role not only in monitoring students' progress in academic achievement, but also in pioneering education assessment methodology. For more information on NAEP research and development work on issues of inclusion and for an upcoming special report on inclusion in reading and mathematics, visit the NAEP Home Page at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard