2018 NAEP Civics Results Reveal Uneven and Inequitable Exposure to Proven Civic Learning Practices

by Shawn P. Healy, PhD, Democracy Program Director

In April, the National Center for Education Statistics released the results of the 2018 National Assessment in Civics, administered for a second straight time to only 8^th graders. Past versions of NAEP Civics also included 4^th and 12^th grade, and this cutback itself is a sign of the extent to which civic learning has been deprioritized nationally. The 2018 8th grade results reiterate a tired narrative of static student performance with less than one-quarter (24%) of students demonstrating proficiency in civic knowledge and skills.

And underlying these lackluster results is a profound and persistent civic achievement “gap” along racial and ethnic lines. Previous analysis of NAEP results points to massive disparities in access to proven civic learning practices among students of color, those qualifying for free and reduced lunch, students with limited English language proficiency, and those whose mothers did not graduate high school or attend college. The gap is thus predictable and provides further urgency to ensuring equity in civic learning and centering students’ race, ethnicity, culture, and identity in the curriculum.

I find the most value in NAEP Civics results by digging deeper in the data, exploring correlations between specific interventions and students’ test performance. For example, as Illinois middle schools implement a semester-long civics course this fall, NAEP Civics results demonstrate that students score highest when taking a stand-along civics course in 8^th grade.

Illinois’ new middle school civics course require requires direct instruction on government institutions, current and societal issues discussions, service learning, and simulations of democratic processes. On NAEP Civics 2018, as was true in my previous analysis of high school results, I found that exposure to specific civics content was not the primary driver of student performance. Only teaching about the U.S. Constitution correlated positively with student performance, while teaching about the three branches of government and political parties, elections, and voting demonstrated no effect. Teaching how laws are made correlated negatively with scores. These results do not mean that civics content is irrelevant, but only that its delivery mechanisms are of utmost importance.

The study of political and social issues in social studies classes varied significantly among 8th grade NAEP Civics participants.

The same was true for studying the importance of paying attention to the political process and government.

Students benefited from relatively frequent participation in debates and panel discussions, with performance peaking at four-to-five experiences over the course of the school year.

NAEP Civics does not ask a specific question about service learning, but a couple of questions stand in as worthy proxies. For one, reflection is key to a successful service learning experience, and service learning may take the form of policy advocacy. However, in this vein, students are rarely asked to write their opinion on a community problem in middle school social studies classes.

Student research is also key to an effective service learning project, yet this task, too, varies significantly in middle school social studies courses.

I found a positive relationship between students’ participation in volunteer activities outside of school and their civic knowledge and skills, yet these opportunities are distributed unequally by race and ethnicity. My previous research demonstrated that students benefited equally from in- and out-of-school volunteer experiences, but this demographic question has not been included in NAEP Civics since 1998.

Finally, most students never experience simulated democratic processes like role-playing, mock trials, and dramas in middle school social studies classes.

These national results demonstrate significant room for growth in terms of students’ exposure to proven civic learning practices and their equitable distribution across our collective, diverse student body. Illinois’ new middle school civics course requirement embeds these proven practices and ensures they are taught from Waukegan to Cairo and every district in between. Stay tuned for further analysis of the 2018 NAEP Civics results with an eye towards the importance of teacher efficacy in students’ civic development.