• The NAEP 1998 Civics Assessment
• Sample Questions and Student Responses
• NAEP Civics Assessment Results for the Nation
• Civics Performance for Selected Student Subgroups
• School and Home Factors Related to Civics Achievement
• Reference

NAEP is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) with policy oversight by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). In 1998, NAEP administered a civics assessment to a national sample representative of all students at grades 4, 8, and 12. The results of the assessment provide information about students' civic knowledge, skills, and interests.

This article presents highlights from the NAEP 1998 Civics Assessment, describing its content and major findings, as well as students' experiences at home and school that are associated with achievement in the study of civics. Student performance is reported as an average score based on the NAEP civics scale, which ranges from 0 to 300. The average scale score reflects the overall civics performance of a particular group of students. Student civics performance is also reported in terms of three achievement levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. The achievement levels are performance standards adopted by NAGB as part of its statutory responsibilities. The levels are collective judgements of what students should know and be able to do for each grade tested. They are based on recommendations by broadly representative panels of classroom teachers, education specialists, and members of the general public.

As provided by law, the Acting Commissioner of Education Statistics, upon review of a congressionally mandated evaluation of NAEP, has determined that the achievement levels are to be considered developmental and should be interpreted and used with caution. However, both the Acting Commissioner and NAGB believe these performance standards are useful for understanding trends in student achievement. They have been widely used by national and state officials, including the National Education Goals Panel, as a common yardstick of academic performance.

The NAEP 1998 Civics Assessment

The guidelines used to develop the NAEP 1998 Civics Assessment were established in the Civics Framework for the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAGB 1996). The framework, published by NAGB, was developed through a national consensus-building process that gathered input from a variety of citizens. Educators, assessment experts, scholars, public officials, businesspeople, and other laypeople, including students, all participated in this process.

The civics framework focuses on three interrelated components: knowledge, intellectual and participatory skills, and civic dispositions. Together, these components make up the essential elements of civic education in America.

What civic knowledge should students be able to demonstrate? According to the framework, the civic knowledge that students should be able to demonstrate can be found in five fundamental areas:

• civic life, politics, and government;
• foundations of the American political system; n how the government established by the Constitution represents the purposes, values, and principles of American democracy;
• the relationship of the United States to other nations and to world affairs; and
• the roles of citizens in American democracy.

What are civic dispositions?
Civic dispositions are those ideals held by citizens, such as belief in the rights and responsibilities of individuals in society and in the advancement of the ideals of the government. These "dispositions" underlie participation in civic affairs, such as elections or community service, and the assumption of personal, political, and economic responsibilities.

The 1998 civics assessment contained a combination of multiple-choice questions and constructed-response (or open-ended) questions. Each student participating in the assessment received two 25-minute sections of questions.

Most civics questions measured both knowledge and intellectual skills. In addition, some questions also measured participatory skills and/or civic dispositions. In order to ensure that the civics assessment conformed closely to the framework, a special committee of civics teachers and other educators reviewed each question being considered for use in the assessment.

The assessment included questions that test the civic knowledge areas outlined in the framework. At grade 4, about one-quarter of the questions focused on civic life, politics, and government, while at grades 8 and 12, there was more emphasis on the Constitution. At all three grades, at least a quarter of the assessment's questions dealt with the roles of citizens in American democracy.

Sample Questions and Student Responses

The following sample questions and student responses from the NAEP 1998 Civics Assessment exemplify student performance within each of the three achievement-level ranges: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. One sample question for each achievement level is presented for each of the three grades assessed.¹

The following constructed-response question was designed to measure students' ability to tell the difference between power and authority. Although the first part of the sample response was not credited because its meaning was unclear, both reasons the student gave for being a police officer were credited. This response received a score of 3 ("Acceptable") on a 4-point scale and represents the Basic level at grade 4. The responses of 71 percent of fourth-graders at the Basic level and 67 percent of all fourth-graders were rated as "Acceptable" or better.

The following multiple-choice question measured students' understanding of international trade. While reasons A, C, and D may result when the United States trades with other countries, reason B is clearly the most important. Fourth-graders at the Proficient level were likely to choose the correct response. Thus, 70 percent of fourth-graders at the Proficient level answered this question correctly, compared with 49 percent of all fourth-graders.

The following fourth-grade question required students to interpret a cartoon about the importance of civic participation to democracy. Answering this question correctly requires students to both understand a political cartoon- a difficult task for young students-and respond to a question about a sophisticated concept. Fourth-graders at the Advanced level were likely to choose the correct response. Among all fourth-grade students, 26 percent answered the question correctly.

The following question falls within the civic knowledge category of the United States and its relationship to other countries and to world affairs. It was designed to measure students' understanding of what the United Nations can do to help resolve international conflicts. Eighth-graders who were at the Basic level were likely to choose the correct response; 84 percent of them did so. Seventy-seven percent of all eighth-grade students answered the question correctly.

The eighth-grade multiple-choice question shown below was part of a two-question set about the distribution and sharing of powers among the three branches of the federal government. It required students to demonstrate an understanding of conflicting views about the power of the Supreme Court. Eighth-grade students at the Proficient level were likely to choose the correct response. Among students at the Proficient level, 56 percent responded correctly, compared with 31 percent of all eighth-graders.

The following eighth-grade constructed-response question measured students' understanding of ways the United States Constitution limits the power of government. The sample response received a score of 3 ("Complete") on a 3-point scale because it provided two different and specific correct answers. This response represents the Advanced level at eighth grade. Only 13 percent of all eighth-graders received a rating of "Complete."

The following multiple-choice question, which measures civic knowledge about the foundations of the American political system, is the second of a two-question set based on a short statement. It deals with the idea that the Constitution upholds majority rule in certain key areas of decisionmaking, but limits the power of majorities in order to protect the rights of individuals. Twelfth-grade students at the Basic level were likely to choose the correct response. Seventy-eight percent of students at the Basic level and 72 percent of all 12th-graders answered correctly.

The following constructed-response question was designed to measure 12th-graders' understanding of how the Constitution benefits American society by limiting the power of government. The response shown received a score of 3 ("Complete") on a 3-point scale because both parts mention aspects of America's constitutional system that are designed to prevent "absolute arbitrary power" and "governing without settled laws." It represents the Proficient level at 12th grade. Fifty-one percent of 12th-graders at the Proficient level, compared with 25 percent of all 12th-graders, received a rating of "Complete."

The following 12th-grade multiple-choice question was intended to measure students' understanding of the cconstitutionallimits on the power of majorities, as well as students' ability to interpret a statement. In the assessment, this question was paired with a question that asked why the framers of the Constitution wanted to limit the power of majorities (that question is included in this article as the sample question for the grade 12 Basic level). Twelfth-grade students at the Advanced level were likely to choose the correct response to the following question. Among students at the Advanced level, 85 percent answered correctly, com-pared with 30 percent of all 12th-graders.

As shown in table A, 23 percent of 4th-graders, 22 percent of 8th-graders, and 26 percent of 12th-graders were at or above Proficient-the level identified by NAGB as the standard all students should reach.

While table A shows the cumulative percentages of students "at or above" each achievement level, figure A shows the percentage of students who fell below the Basic aachievementlevel and those within the Basic, Proficient, and Advanced levels.

Table A.-Percentage of students at or above the civics achievement levels: 1998

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1998 Civics Assessment. (Previously published on p. 8 of the NAEP 1998 Civics Report Card Highlights.)

Figure A.-Percentage of students within each civics achievement-level range: 1998

NOTE: Percentages may not add up to 100, or to the exact percentages at or above achievement levels, due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1998 Civics Assessment. (Previously published on p. 8 of the NAEP 1998 Civics Report Card Highlights.)

The NAEP civics scores at each grade (4, 8, and 12) range from 0 to 300, with a national average of 150. These scores can be used to compare various subgroups of students.

Females had higher average scores than males at grades 8 and 12, but not at grade 4. At all three grades, comparable percentages of males and females reached or exceeded the Proficient level of civics achievement.

At grade 4, white students had higher scores than Asian/ Pacific Islander students who, in turn, outscored black, Hispanic, and American Indian students. In addition, black and American Indian students scored higher, on average, than Hispanic students. At grade 8, white students scored higher, on average, than black, Hispanic, and American Indian students. Black students and Asian/Pacific Islander students also scored higher than their Hispanic peers. At grade 12, white and Asian/Pacific Islander students had higher scores than black, Hispanic, and American Indian students. At each grade, higher percentages of white students were at or above the Proficient level than black, Hispanic, or American Indian students (figure B).

Figure B.-Percentage of students at or above the Proficient achievement level in civics,by race/ethnicity:1998

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1998 Civics Assessment. (Previously published on p. 9 of the NAEP 1998 Civics Report Card Highlights.)

At all three grades, students attending nonpublic schools had higher scores than students attending public schools. Differences between the performance of students in public and nonpublic schools may be due to factors such as aadmissionstandards and the likelihood of greater parental iinvolvementat nonpublic schools.

At each grade, a higher percentage of nonpublic school students reached or exceeded the Proficient level than did public school students. Across the three grades, between 35 and 40 percent of nonpublic school students were at or above the Proficient level of performance. In comparison, between 20 and 25 percent of public school students reached or exceeded this level within each grade.

What activities are related to students' achievement in civics? Are there aspects of students' environments at home, at school, or in the community that encourage or support the development of young citizens? NAEP collects information that may help researchers, educators, and parents answer these questions. For example, it may suggest approaches to help students become more active citizens and provide a resource for parents seeking to support their children's understanding of civics.

While it is possible to study the relationship between students' performance in civics and various other factors, it cannot be established that these factors cause a higher level of achievement in civics. The relationship that exists between civics achievement and another factor may, in fact, be caused by a complex interaction of numerous factors.

Students who participated in the NAEP 1998 Civics Assessment were asked how often they discuss their school studies (in any subject) with someone at home. At all three grades, about two-thirds of students said they discussed their studies with someone at home at least once or twice a week. Those students who said that they did so "almost every day" or "once or twice a week" had higher civics scores than those who said they did so less frequently.

Is there a relationship between use of the Internet, a technology increasingly available in classrooms, and students' civics performance? Teachers of fourth- and eighth-grade students who participated in the assessment were asked how often their students accessed the Internet while in class.

As reported by their teachers, about one-quarter of fourth-graders and nearly one-half of eighth-graders used the Internet at least once or twice a month. At both grades, students who accessed the Internet in class once or twice a month had higher civics scores than those who never or hardly ever did so. Eighth-graders who used the Internet at least once a week also had higher civics scores than those students who never or hardly ever did so.

Many American high school seniors work at jobs for pay. Is there a relationship between the number of hours students work and their performance on the civics assess-assessmentth-graders taking the assessment were asked how many hours per week they work at a job for pay. Almost two-thirds of the students reported that they work at a job for pay; approximately one-fifth reported working 21 hours or more per week (figure C). Students who reported working a moderate number of hours per week (6-15 hours) had higher scores than both the students who reported working more hours and the students who reported that they did not work at a job for pay.

Figure C.-Percentage of students, average civics scale scores, and percentage at or above Proficient, by hours per week working at a job for pay, grade 12: 1998

NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1998 Civics Assessment. (Previously published on p. 11 of the NAEP 1998 Civics Report Card Highlights.)

In recent years, an increasing number of young people have been active in community service. Such service can be a key part of an individual's civic education. Consequently, 12th-grade students taking the 1998 civics assessment were asked whether they had volunteered for community service during the past year. More than half of the students said that they had done some volunteer work, either with their school or on their own (figure D). Although not shown by these percentages, some of these students may have done both types of volunteer work (each student could indicate only one type). Students who did volunteer work had higher average civics scores than students who said they had not done volunteer work in the past year.

Figure D.-Percentage of students, average civics scale scores, and percentage at or above Proficient, by volunteer work status, grade 12: 1998

NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1998 Civics Assessment. (Previously published on p. 11 of the NAEP 1998 Civics Report Card Highlights.)

¹ Over 100 questions from the 1998 civics assessment are available for viewing at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/main1998/2000457.asp.

National Assessment Governing Board. (1996). Civics Framework for the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Washington, DC: Author.