Indicator 4.5: Student Performance in U.S. History and Geography - Status and Trends in the Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives

Indicator 4.5: Student Performance in U.S. History and Geography

Figure 4.5a. Average U.S. history scale scores, by grade and selected race/ethnicity: 1994 and 2001

! Interpret data with caution.
NOTE: Accommodations were permitted. Scale score ranges from 0 to 500. For a discussion of the U.S. history scale score definitions, see http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ushistory/scale.asp.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1994 and 2001 U.S. History Assessments.

Figure 4.5b. Average geography scale scores, by grade and selected race/ethnicity: 1994 and 2001

! Interpret data with caution.
‡ Reporting standards not met.
NOTE: Accommodations were permitted. Scale score ranges from 0 to 500. For a discussion of the U.S. history scale score definitions, see http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ushistory/scale.asp.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1994 and 2001 Geography Assessments.

In 2001, American Indian/Alaska Native 4th- and 8th-grade students scored higher than their Black and Hispanic peers on the NAEP geography assessment.

NAEP's U.S. history assessment is organized around three dimensions: major themes of U.S. history, chronological periods, and ways of knowing and thinking about U.S. history. NAEP's geography assessment measures two dimensions of students' performance in geography. The first dimension measures students' capacity to know, understand, and apply geographic material. The second dimension measures students' command of three content areas: space and place, environment and society, and spatial dynamics and connections.

On the U.S. history assessment, Fifty-three percent of American Indian/Alaska Native 4th-graders, 50 percent of 8th-graders, and 34 percent of 12th-graders scored at or above the basic proficiency level in 2001. American Indian/Alaska Native students scored, on average, 190, 246, and 279 points in 1994 for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade, respectively. In 2001, American Indian/Alaska Native students scored, on average, 197, 249, and 277 points for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade, respectively. There were no measurable differences detected between 1994 and 2001 for any grade level.

In 2001, 66 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native 4th-graders, 72 percent of 8th-graders, and 74 percent of 12th-graders scored at or above the basic proficiency level on the geography assessment. In 1994, American Indian/Alaska Native students scored, on average, 193 and 248 for 4th and 8th grade, respectively. In 2001, American Indian/Alaska Native students scored, on average, 199, 261, and 288 for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade, respectively. No measurable differences were found between 1994 and 2001 for either 4th or 8th grade. In 2001, American Indian/Alaska Native 4th- and 8th-grade students scored higher, on average, than their Black and Hispanic peers, but lower than White students. In addition, American Indian/Alaska Native 4th-grade students scored lower, on average, than Asian/Pacific Islander 4th-grade students.