us department of education (doed) naep history test results (2010)

8/6/2019 US Department of Education (DoEd) NAEP History Test Results (2010)

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U.S. History2010NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS AT GRADES 4, 8 , AND 12

With highlighted results from the 2009 High School Transcript Study

U.S. Department of Education

NCES 2011468

I n s t i t u t e o f E d u c a t i o n S c i e n c e s


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Contents

1 Executive Summary

4 Introduction

7 Grade 4

21 Grade 8

36 Grade 12

49 High School Transcript

Study Results

52 Technical Notes

55 Appendix Tables

What Is Te Nations Report Card?

Te Nations Report Card inorms the public about the academic achieve-ment o elementary and secondary students in the United States. Reportcards communicate the fndings o the National Assessment o EducationalProgress (NAEP), a continuing and nationally representative measure oachievement in various subjects over time.

Since 1969, NAEP assessments have been conducted periodically in reading,

mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, civics, geography, and othersubjects. NAEP collects and reports inormation on student perormance atthe national and state levels, making the assessment an integral part o ournations evaluation o the condition and progress o education. Only academicachievement data and related background inormation are collected. Teprivacy o individual students and their amilies is protected.

NAEP is a congressionally authorized project o the National Center orEducation Statistics (NCES) within the Institute o Education Sciences o theU.S. Department o Education. Te Commissioner o Education Statistics isresponsible or carrying out the NAEP project. Te National AssessmentGoverning Board oversees and sets policy or NAEP.

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Executive SummaryFor the 2010 National Assessment o Educational Progress (NAEP) in U.S. history,

students responded to questions designed to measure their knowledge o Americanhistory in the context o democracy, culture, technological and economic changes,

and Americas changing world role. Nationally representative samples o more than

7,000 ourth-graders, 11,000 eighth-graders, and 12,000 twelth-graders participated.

Lowest-perorming ourth-graders make greatest gainrom 1994Te average ourth-grade U.S. history score in 2010 washigher than in 1994 (fgureA). Some o the largest gainsrom 1994 to 2010 were made by the lowest-perorm-ing students with a 22-point increase at the 10thpercentile. Tere was no signicant change in theaverage score rom 2006 to 2010.

Average scores or eighth- andtwelth-graders increaserom 1994Te average eighth-grade U.S. history score in 2010 washigher than in previous assessment years (fgureB). Asat grade 4, scores also increased rom 1994 or lower-perorming eighth-graders. Te average twelth-gradeU.S. history score in 2010 was not signicantly difer-ent rom the score in 2006 but was higher than the scorein 1994.

Figure A. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP U.S. historyaverage scores and percentile scores

* Signicantly dierent (p< .05) rom 2010.

Figure B. Trend in eighth- and twelfth-grade NAEP U.S.history average scores

* Signicantly dierent (p< .05) rom 2010.

SOURCE: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Education Sciences, National Center or Education Statistics, National Assessment o Educational Progress (NAEP), various years, 19942010 U.S. History Assessments.

U.S. HISTORY 2010


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Percentages o ourth- andeighth-graders at or aboveBasic increase rom 1994

Te NAEPBasic level denotes partial mastery o the knowl-edge and skills undamental or procient work at eachgrade. Te percentage o ourth-graders at or above Basic didnot change signicantly rom 2006 to 2010 but was higherin 2010 than in 1994 (fgure C). Te percentage o eighth-graders at or aboveBasic in 2010 was higher than in previ-ous assessments, and the percentage o twelth-graders didnot change signicantly in comparison to earlier assessmentyears.

Figure C. Trend in fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade NAEP U.S. history achievement-level results

% at Advanced

% at or above Profcient

% at or above

*Signicantly dierent (p< .05) rom 2010.

Less than one-quarter o studentsperorm at or above the Profcientlevel in 2010Te Profcient level represents solid academic perormance.

At grades 4 and 8, the percentages o students at or aboveProfcient in 2010 were not signicantly diferent rom thepercentages in 2006, but were higher than the percentagesin the rst assessment in 1994. At grade 12, the percentageo students at or above Profcient was not signicantlydiferent rom the percentages in previous assessment years.

No signifcant changes inpercentage o students atAdvanced

TeAdvancedlevel represents superior perormance.Tere were no signicant changes in the percentages oourth-, eighth-, and twelth-graders atAdvancedincomparison to 1994 or 2006.

Basic

Examples o knowledge and skills

demonstrated by students perorming

at each achievement level

Basic

Interpret a map about the colonial economy (grade 4).

Identiy a result o Native American-European interaction

(grade 8).

Understand the context o a womens movement document(grade 12).

Profcient

Understand that canals increased trade among states(grade 4).

Identiy a domestic impact o war ( grade 8).

Understand Missouri statehood in the context o

sectionalism (grade 12).

Advanced

Explain how machines and actories changed work

(grade 4).

Explain two dierences between plantations and small

arms in antebellum South (grade 8).

Evaluate Civil War arguments (grade 12).


THE NATIONS REPORT CARDTHE NATIONS REPORT CARD


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Scores increase since 2006 orBlack and Hispanic eighth-graders

At grade 8, increases since 2006 or Black and Hispanic

students contributed to a narrowing o the score gapsbetween those groups and their White peers. Tere wereno signicant changes rom 2006 to 2010 in the averagescores or racial/ethnic groups at grades 4 and 12.

In comparison to 1994, scores were higher in 2010 orthose racial/ethnic groups with samples large enough toreport results at grades 4 and 8. At grade 12, scores orWhite, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacic Islander students werehigher in 2010 than in 1994.

Score or male eighth-gradersincreases since 2006Te average score or male students was higher in 2010

than in 2006 at grade 8, while there was no signicantchange or emale students. In comparison to 1994,average scores were higher in 2010 or male studentsat all three grades and or emale students atgrades 4 and 8.

Characteristic

Grade 4 Grade 8 Grade 12

Since 1994 Since 2006 Since 1994 Since 2006 Since 1994 Since 2006

Overall p t p p p t

Race/ethnicity

White p t p t p t

Black p t p p t t

Hispanic p t p p p t

Asian/Pacic Islander p t p t p t

Alaska NativeAmerican Indian/ t p t t t

Gender

Male p t p p p tFemale p t p t t t

Gaps

White Black Narrowed t Narrowed Narrowed t t

White Hispanic Narrowed t t Narrowed t t

Male Female t t Widened t t t

pIndicates the score was higher in 2010.

tIndicates no signicant change in the score or the gap in 2010. Reporting standards not met. Sample size insufcient to permit a reliable estimate.

U.S. HISTORY 2010U.S. HISTORY 2010


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IntroductionTe 2010 National Assessment o Educational Progress (NAEP) U.S. history assessment

measures how well ourth-, eighth-, and twelth-graders are learning American history, andwhether they can evaluate historical evidence and understand change and continuity over time.

Comparing the results rom the 2010 assessment to results rom previous years shows how

students knowledge and skills in U.S. history at these grade levels have progressed over time.

Te U.S. History Framework

The National Assessment Governing Board oversees thedevelopment o NAEP rameworks that describe the specic

knowledge and skills that should be assessed in each subject.

Frameworks incorporate ideas and input rom subject area

experts, school administrators, policymakers, parents, and

others. The U.S. History Framework for the 2010 National

Assessment of Educational Progress describes the types o

questions that should be included in the assessment and how

they should be designed and scored.

The U.S. history ramework species that the assessment

be organized around three major components: themes of

U.S. history, periods of U.S. history, and ways of knowing and

thinking about U.S. history. To reect developmental dier-

ences o students at each o the three grade levels assessed,

the proportion o the assessment devoted to each o the

historical themes, time periods, and ways o knowing and

thinking about U.S. history varies or each grade assessed.

The amount o assessment time devoted to the historical

themes and periods is presented in each o the grade sections

in this report on pages 14, 28, and 42.

Themes of U.S. history establish the context or the people,

events, ideas, movements, issues, and sources addressed in

each historical period. The ollowing our historical themesmake up the core structure o the U.S. history assessment or

each o the three grades assessed:

Democracy Change and Continuity in American

Democracy: Ideas, Institutions, Events, Key Figures,

and Controversies

This theme ocuses on the development o American

political democracy rom colonial times to the present and

includes basic principles and core civic ideas developed

through the American Revolution, the U.S. Constitution,

the Civil War, and the struggles over slavery and civil

rights.

Culture The Gathering and Interactions o Peoples,

Cultures, and Ideas

This theme ocuses on how dierent racial, ethnic, and

religious groups gathered and interacted in American

society, and the cultural traditions and heritage that devel-

oped as a result o this interaction.

THE NATIONS REPORT CARD


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Technology Economic and Technological Changes and

Their Relationship to Society, Ideas, and the Environment

This theme ocuses on the transormation o the American

economy rom rural rontier to industrial superpower and

its impact on society, ideas, and the environment. It ad-

dresses the inuence o geography; the development o

business and labor; and the impact o science and technol-ogy, a market economy, and urbanization.

World Role The Changing Role o America in the World

This theme ocuses on the movement rom isolation to

worldwide responsibility. It addresses the evolution o

relationships between the United States and other nations,

including American oreign policy and the nations partici-

pation in world and regional wars, as well as the inuence

o geography, economic interests, and democratic ideals in

the role the United States plays in oreign aairs.

Periods of U.S. history establish a basic chronologicalstructure or organizing the experiences o people over time.

The ramework divides U.S. history into the ollowing eight

chronological periods:

Beginningsto1607

Colonization,Settlement,andCommunities(16071763)

TheRevolutionandtheNewNation(17631815)

ExpansionandReform(18011861)

CrisisoftheUnion:CivilWarandReconstruction

(18501877)

TheDevelopmentofModernAmerica(18651920)

ModernAmericaandtheWorldWars(19141945)

ContemporaryAmerica(1945tothepresent)

Ways of knowing and thinking about U.S. historyreer to the

cognitive skills required or historical study. The development

o the U.S. history assessment was guided by two overarching

ways o knowing and thinking about history.

Historical knowledge and perspective include the ollowing:

Knowingandunderstandingpeople,events,concepts,

and historical sources

Sequencingevents

Recognizingmultipleperspectivesandseeinganeraor

movement through the eyes o dierent groups

Historical analysis and interpretation include the ollowing:

Explainingissues

Identifyinghistoricalpatterns

Establishingcause-and-eectrelationships

Findingvaluestatements

Establishingsignicance

Applyinghistoricalknowledge

Weighingevidencetodrawsoundconclusions

Makingdefensiblegeneralizations

Renderinginsightfulaccountsofthepast

More detailed inormation about each o the three major

components o the assessment is provided in the U.S. history

ramework, which can be ound at http://www.nagb.org/

publications/rameworks/historyramework.pd.

Reporting NAEP ResultsTheresultsfromthe2010NAEPU.S.historyassessmentare

based on nationally representative samples o public and

nonpublicschoolstudentsatgrades4,8,and12(table 1).

Unlike NAEP assessments in other subjects such as reading,

mathematics, and science, the administration o the U.S.

history assessment was not designed to report results or

individual states or large urban districts.

Table 1. Number of participating schools and students in NAEP

U.S. history assessment, by grade: 2010

Grade Number of schools Number of students

Grade 4 510 7,000

Grade 8 480 11,800

Grade 12 500 12,400

NOTE: The number o schools is rounded to the nearest ten. The number o students is rounded to the nearest hundre

SOURCE: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Education Sciences, National Center or Education Statistics, National Assessment o Educational Progress (NAEP), 2010 U.S. History Assessment.

U.S. HISTORY 2010
http://www.nagb.org/publications/frameworks/historyframework.pdfhttp://www.nagb.org/publications/frameworks/historyframework.pdfhttp://www.nagb.org/publications/frameworks/historyframework.pdfhttp://www.nagb.org/publications/frameworks/historyframework.pdf


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Scale scores

NAEP U.S. history results are reported as average scores on

a0500scaleoverallandforeachofthefourU.S.history

themes. Because the NAEP scales were derived indepen-

dently or each theme and or each grade, scores cannot be

compared across themes or across grades. NAEP scores

also cannot be compared across subjects.

In addition to reporting an overall U.S. history score or each

grade, scale scores are reported at ve percentiles to show

trendsinresultsforstudentsperformingatlower(10thand

25thpercentiles),middle(50thpercentile),andhigher(75th

and90thpercentiles)levels.

Achievement levels

Based on recommendations rom policymakers, educators,

and members o the general public, the Governing Board sets

specic achievement levels or each subject area and grade.

Achievement levels are perormance standards showingwhat students should know and be able to do. NAEP results

are reported as percentages o students perorming at or

above the Basic and Proficient levels and at theAdvanced level.

As provided by law, the National Center or Education

Statistics(NCES),uponreviewofcongressionallymandated

evaluations o NAEP, has determined that achievement levels

are to be used on a trial basis and should be interpreted with

caution. The NAEP achievement levels have been widely

used by national and state ofcials.

NAEP Achievement Levels

Basicdenotes partial mastery o prerequisite knowledge and

skills that are undamental or proicient work at each grade.

Proficientrepresents solid academic perormance. Students

reaching this level have demonstrated competency overchallenging subject matter.

Advanced represents superior perormance.

Interpreting the Results

Changes in perormance over time

Nationalresultsfromthe2010U.S.historyassessmentare

compared to results rom three earlier assessment years.

Changes in students perormance over time are summarized

bycomparingtheresultsin2010to2006andtotherst

assessment year, except when pointing out consistent pat-

terns across assessments.

NAEP reports results using widely accepted statistical

standards; ndings are reported based on statistical signi-

cancesetat.05withappropriateadjustmentsformultiple

comparisons(seetheTechnicalNotesformoreinformation)

Thesymbol(*)isusedintablesandgurestoindicatethat

an earlier years score or percentage is signicantly dierent

fromthe2010results.Onlythosedierencesthatarefound

to be statistically signicant are discussed as higher or lower.

The same standard applies when comparing the peror-

mance o one student group to another.

A signicant increase or decrease in scores rom one

assessment year to the next is reliable evidence that student

perormance has in act changed. However, NAEP is not

designed to identiy the causes o these changes. Further-

more, the many actors that may inuence average student

achievement scores also change over time. These include

educational policies and practices, available resources, and

the demographic characteristics o the student body.

Accommodations and exclusions in NAEP

It is important to assess all selected students rom the target

population,includingstudentswithdisabilities(SD)and

Englishlanguagelearners(ELL).Toaccomplishthisgoal,

many o the same testing accommodations allowed on state

testing(e.g.,extratestingtimeorindividualratherthangroup

administration)areprovidedforSDandELLstudentspartici-

pating in NAEP. Accommodations were rst made available

fortheU.S.historyassessmentin2001.Noaccommodations

wereprovidedinthe1994U.S.historyassessment.

Because providing accommodations represented a change in

testing conditions that could potentially aect the measure-

ment o changes over time, split national samples o students

wereassessedin2001onesamplepermittedaccommoda-

tions, and the other did not. Although the results or both

samples are presented in the tables and gures, the compari-

sonsto2001inthetextarebasedonjusttheaccommodated

samples.

Even with the availability o accommodations, some students

may still be excluded. See appendix tablesA-1 through A-3

or the percentages o students accommodated and excluded

at the national level. More inormation about NAEPs policy

on the inclusion o special-needs students is available athttp://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/inclusion.asp.

Explore Additional Results

Not all o the data rom the NAEP U.S. history assessment arepresented in this report. Additional results can be ound on theNations Report Card website at http://nationsreportcard.gov/

ushistory_2010 and in the NAEP Data Explorer at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/.
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/inclusion.asphttp://nationsreportcard.gov/ushistory_2010http://nationsreportcard.gov/ushistory_2010http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/http://nationsreportcard.gov/ushistory_2010http://nationsreportcard.gov/ushistory_2010http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/inclusion.asp


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GRADE4Lowest-perorming studentsmake greatest gains rom1994 to 2010Te average U.S. history score or the nations ourth-graders did not change

signifcantly since the last assessment in 2006; however, the score in 2010

was higher than in 1994. Te score or students at the 10th percentile

increased 22 points rom 1994 to 2010. Gains rom 1994 to 2010 or Black

and Hispanic students contributed to the narrowing o the gaps between

these groups and their White peers over this 16-year period.

U.S. HISTORY 2010


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RADE

4

No signicant change in studentsperormance since 2006There was no signicant change rom 2006 to 2010 in the

average ourth-grade U.S. history score; however, the score

in 2010 was higher than the score in 1994 (fgure1). The

lowest-perorming students made the greatest gains rom

1994 to 2010 with a 22-point increase or students at the

10th percentile that was larger than the increases at the 25th,

50th, and 75th percentiles over the same period (fgure 2).

Although there was no signicant change rom 2006 to 2010

in the overall average score, there was an increase in the score

or students at the 50th percentile.

Figure 1. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP U.S. history average scores


Figure2. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP U.S. history percentile scores


Basic



Percentages o students at oraboveBasic and Profcient increase

rom 1994Seventy-three percent o students perormed at or above the

Basic level in 2010, and 20 percent perormed at or above the

Profcient level (fgure 3). There were no signicant changes

in the percentages o students at or above Basic and Profcient

since 2006; however, both percentages were higher in 2010

than in 1994. Two percent o students perormed at the

Advanced level in 2010, which was not signicantly diferent

rom the percentages in earlier assessment years.

Figure 3. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP U.S. history achievement-level results

% at Advanced

% at or above Profcient% at or above


11/66U.S. HISTORY 2010

Black and Hispanic students make greater gains rom rstassessment year than White studentsThere were no signicant changes rom

2006 to 2010 in average scores or any o

the ve racial/ethnic groups NAEP reports

on (fgure 4). However, scores in 2010

were higher than in 1994 or White, Black,

Hispanic, and Asian/Pacic Islander

students. The 22-point score gain rom

1994 to 2010 or Black students and the

23-point score gain or Hispanic students

were larger than the 9-point1

1 The score-point gain is based on the diference between theunrounded scores as opposed to the rounded scores shownin the gure.

gain made by

White students over the same period.

In 2010, both White and Asian/Pacic

Islander students scored higher on average

than Black, Hispanic, and American

Indian/Alaska Native students. The aver-

age scores o White and Asian/PacicIslander students were not signicantly

diferent rom each other.

Figure 4. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP U.S. history average scores, by race/ethnicity

Reporting standards not met. Sample size insufcient to permit a reliable estimate.


NOTE: Black includes Arican American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacic Islanderincludes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin.



12/660 THE NATIONS REPORT CARD

4

RADE

A closer look at the achievement-level

results rom 1994 to 2010 shows where

improvements were made or students

perorming at diferent levels. The

percentage o students perorming at

the Profcient level increased rom 1994

to 2010 or White students and did not

change signicantly or other racial/ethnic groups (fgure 5). The percent-

ages o students perorming at the Basic

level increased rom 1994 to 2010 or all

our racial/ethnic groups. There was no

signicant change in the percentage o

students atAdvanced or any o the

racial/ethnic groups.

Figure5. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP U.S. history achievement-level results, by selectedracial/ethnic groups

# Rounds to zero.

*Signicantly dierent (p< .05) rom 2010.1 Accommodations not permitted.

NOTE: Black includes Arican American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacic Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude Hispanic

origin. Detail may not sum to totals because o rounding.

Additional Results or

Student Groups

Achievement-level results and percentilescores provide additional insight into the

perormance o student groups. Seeappendix tables A-4 and A-5 or

additional ourth-grade results or thestudent groups highlighted in this section.Similar NAEP results or other student

groups can be ound in the NAEP DataExplorer at http://nces.ed.gov/

nationsreportcard/naepdata/.

No signifcant change since 2006 in the

percentage o students by race/ethnicity

The percentage o White students at grade 4 has decreased

rom 1994 to 2010, while the percentages o Hispanic studentsand Asian/Paciic Islander students have increased (table2).

There have been no signiicant changes in the proportion o

ourth-graders in the ive racial/ethnic groups rom 2006 to

2010.

Table 2. Percentage of students assessed in fourth-grade NAEPU.S. history, by race/ethnicity: Various years, 19942010

Race/ethnicity 19941 2001 2006 2010

White 72* 69* 56 56

Black 17 16 15 15

Hispanic 7* 12* 21 21

Asian/PacifcIslander 3* 3* 5 5

American Indian/Alaska Native 1 1 2 1

* Signicantly dierent (p < .05) rom 2010.1 Accommodations not permitted.

NOTE: Black includes Arican American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacic Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race

categories exclude Hispanic origin. Detail may not sum to totals because results are not shown or students whose

race/ethnicity was unclassied.

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/




Black and Hispanic students narrow long-term gaps with White studentsIn 2010, White students scored 26 points higher on average

than Black students and 26 points higher than Hispanic

students (fgure 6). There were no signicant changes in the

gaps rom 2006 to 2010. However, larger gains rom 1994 to

2010 or Black and Hispanic students than or White stu-

dents contributed to the narrowing o both gaps over the

16-year period.

Figure 6. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP U.S. history average scores and score gaps, by selected racial/ethnic groups

*Signicantly dierent (p< .05) rom 2010.NOTE: Black includes Arican American, and Hispanic includes Latino. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Score gaps are calculated based on dierences

between unrounded average scores.

Narrowing the gaps: a closer look at lower-perorming Black andHispanic studentsScore gains rom 1994 to 2010 or Black and Hispanic students were made by lower-perorming students scoring

below the Basic achievement level. Black and Hispanic students at the 25th percentile scored at least 30 points2 higher

in 2010 than in 1994 as compared to a 12-point2

2 The score-point diference is based on the diference between the unrounded scores as opposed to the rounded scores shown in the appendix table.

increase or White students at the 25th percentile over the same

period (see appendix table A-5). Proles o lower-perorming Black and Hispanic students are presented below.

The score or Black students at the 25th percentile

increased rom 147 in 1994 to 176 in 2010. Among

Black students who scored below 176 in 2010,

58%weremaleand42%werefemale;

85%wereeligibleforfree/reduced-priceschool

lunch;

61%attendedschoolsincitylocations;and

31%wereidentiedasstudentswithdisabilities.

The score or Hispanic students at the 25th percentile

increased rom 145 in 1994 to 177 in 2010. Among

Hispanic students who scored below 177 in 2010,

52%weremaleand48%werefemale;

87%wereeligibleforfree/reduced-priceschool

lunch;

49%attendedschoolsincitylocations;and

64%wereidentiedasEnglishlanguagelearners.



4

RADE

No signicant diference inperormance o male and emalestudentsAs in previous years, there was no signicant diference in

the average U.S. history scores or male and emale students

in 2010 (fgure 7). Average scores or both groups in 2010were not signicantly diferent rom the scores in 2006, but

were higher than the scores in 1994.

Figure7. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP U.S. history average scores,by gender


Although the overall average scores or male and emale

students did not difer signicantly in 2010, male students

scored 4 points higher than emale students in the democracy

theme and 6 points higher in the world role theme (fgure 8).

There were no signicant diferences in average scores or

male and emale students in either the culture or technology

themes.

Figure 8. Average scores in fourth-grade NAEP U.S. history, by themesof U.S. history and gender: 2010




Gains or some income levelsNAEP uses students eligibility or the National School Lunch

Program as an indicator o low income. Students rom lower-

income amilies are eligible or either ree or reduced-price

school lunches, while students rom higher-income amilies

are not (see the Technical Notes or eligibility criteria).

Because o the improved quality o the data on students

eligibility in more recent assessment years, results are only

compared back to 2006.

Students who are not eligible score higher on average on

NAEP assessments than those eligible or reduced-price

lunch, who in turn score higher than those eligible or ree

lunch. Average scores were higher in 2010 than in 2006 or

students who were eligible or ree school lunch and or those

who were not eligible (fgure 9). There was no signicant

change in the score or students who were eligible or re-

duced-price lunch.

Figure 9. Average scores in fourth-grade NAEP U.S. history, byeligibility for free or reduced-price school lunch: 2006and 2010


Forty-six percent o ourth-graders

eligible or the National School Lunch

Program

Forty percent o ourth-graders were eligible or ree lunch,

and 6 percent were eligible or reduced-price lunch in 2010

(table 3). There were no signiicant changes since 2006 in

the percentages o students based on their eligibility or the

school lunch program.

Table 3. Percentage of students assessed in fourth-grade NAEPU.S. history, by eligibility for free or reduced-price schoollunch: 2006 and 2010

Eligibility or school lunch 2006 2010

Eligible or ree lunch 37 40

Eligible or reduced-price lunch 8 6

Not eligible 48 47

Inormation not available 7 7

SOURCE: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Education Sciences, National Center or Education Statistics, National Assessment o Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 and 2010 U.S. History Assessments.


16/66

4 THE NATIONS REPORT CARD

Assessment Content at Grade 4Because the assessment covered a range o topics and included more questions than any one student could answer,

each student took just a portion o the assessment. The 95 questions that made up the entire ourth-grade assess-

ment were divided into six sections, each containing a mixture o multiple-choice and constructed-response ques-

tions. Each student responded to questions in two 25-minute sections. The fgures below show the proportions o

the U.S. history assessment devoted to the our historical themes and the eight historical periods at grade 4.

25%Democracy

35%Culture

25%Technology

15%World Role

Beginnings

to 1607

20%

The Revolution

and the

New Nation

(17631815)

15%

Crisis of the Union:

Civil War and

Reconstruction

(18501877)

10%

Modern

America

and the

World Wars

(19141945)

5%

Colonization,

Settlement, and

Communities

(16071763)

15%

Expansion

and Reform

(18011861)

15%

The Development

of Modern

America

(18651920)

5%

Contemporary

America

(1945 to

the present)

15%


17/66

U.S. History Achievement-Level Descriptions for Grade 4NAEP U.S. history achievement-level descriptions outline expectations o student perormance at each grade. The specic

descriptions o what ourth-graders should know and be able to do at the Basic, Profcient, andAdvanced levels in U.S.

history are presented below. NAEP achievement levels are cumulative; thereore, student perormance at the Profcient

level includes the competencies associated with the Basic level, and theAdvanced level includes the skills and knowledge

associated with both the Basic and the Profcient levels. The cut score indicating the lower end o the score range or each

level is noted in parentheses.

Basic (195)

Fourth-grade students perorming at

the Basic level should be able to iden-

tiy and describe a ew o the most

amiliar people, places, events, ideas,

and documents in American history.

They should be able to explain the

reasons or celebrating most national

holidays, have some amiliarity with

the geography o their own state andthe United States, and be able to

express in writing a ew ideas about a

amiliar theme in American history.

Profcient (243)

Fourth-grade students perorming at

the Profcient level should be able to

identiy, describe, and comment on

the signicance o many historical

people, places, ideas, events, and

documents. They should be able to

interpret inormation rom a variety o

sources, including texts, maps, pic-

tures, and timelines. They should beable to construct a simple timeline

rom data. These students should

recognize the role o invention and

technological change in history. They

should also recognize the ways in

which geographic and environmental

actors have inuenced lie and work.

Advanced (276)

Fourth-grade students perorming

at theAdvanced level should have a

beginning understanding o the rela-

tionships between people, places,

ideas, events, and documents. They

should know where to look or inor-

mation, including reerence books,

maps, local museums, interviews with

amily and neighbors, and othersources. They should be able to use

historical themes to organize and

interpret historical topics and to

incorporate insights rom beyond the

classroom into their understanding o

history. These students should under-

stand and be able to explain the role o

invention and technological change in

history. They should also understand

and be able to explain the ways in

which geographic and environmental

actors have inuenced lie and work.

U.S. HISTORY 2010


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RADE

4

What Fourth-Graders Know and Can Do in U.S. HistoryThe item map below is useul or understanding peror-

mance at diferent levels on the NAEP scale. The scale

scores on the let represent the scores or students who

were likely to get the items correct or complete. The cut

score at the low end o the range or each achievement

level is boxed. The descriptions o selected assessment

questions indicating what students need to do to answer

the question correctly are listed on the right, along with the

corresponding theme o U.S. history. For example, the map

on this page shows that ourth-graders perorming at

the Basic level with a score o 237 were likely to be able

to understand a purpose o the Bill o Rights. Students

perorming at the Profcient level with a score o 259 were

likely to be able to use a map to explain the purpose o the

Lewis and Clark expedition. Students perorming at the

Advanced level with a score o 308 were likely to be able

to explain how machines and actories altered the nature

o work or Americans.

GRADE 4 NAEP U.S. HISTORY ITEM MAP

Scale score Theme Question description

Advanced

500

//

417 Culture Give two reasons why people immigrate to the U.S.

317 Culture Explain the historical context o a slave letter

314 Culture Use a picture to describe Sioux lie (shown on page 18)

308 Technology Explain how machines and actories changed work

293 Democracy Identiy a photo o President Lincoln and give two reasons he was important

292 Democracy Enter events on a timeline (shown on page 17)

283 Culture Identiy a role o women during the American Revolution

276

Profcient

273 Technology Understand why cities grew in certain locations

270 World Role Identiy the role o an international organization

268 World Role Identiy the Cold War communist superpower

263 Technology Understand why Europeans sought new trade in the 1400s

259 Democracy Use a map to explain the purpose o the Lewis and Clark expedition

256 Technology Understand that canals increased trade among states (shown on page 19)

249 Culture Interpret a text about the Arican American experience

243

Basic

237 World Role Understand a purpose o the Bill o Rights (shown on page 20)

225 Democracy Identiy the change or Arican Americans ater the Civil War

217 Technology Interpret a map about the colonial economy

204 World Role Understand the purpose o a government poster

195

191 Technology Understand the importance o certain colonial jobs

178

//

0

Culture Identiy a civil rights goal

NOTE: Regular type denotes a constructed-response question. Italictype denotes a multiple-choice question. The position o a question on the scale represents the scale score attained by students who had a 65 percent probability osuccessully answering a constructed-response question, or a 74 percent probability o correctly answering a our-option multiple-choice question. For constructed-response questions, the question description represents studentsperormance rated as completely correct. Scale score ranges or U.S. history achievement levels are reerenced on the map.



19/66


U.S. History Teme: Democracy

Write the letter for each event listed below in the correct square on the time line.

A Jamestown is founded.

B The United States Constitution is written.

C Christopher Columbus sails to the Americas.

D Abraham Lincoln announces the Emancipation Proclamation.

This sample constructedresponse question from the 2010

U.S. history assessment measures fourthgraders knowl

edge of the chronological sequence of four major events in

U.S. history. Responses to this question were rated using

four scoring levels.

Complete responses placed all four events in the

correct order as follows:

C A B D

Essential responses placed two or three events in

the correct order.

Partial responses placed one event in the correct order.

Inappropriate responses did not place any event in

the correct order.

Nineteen percent of fourthgraders responses to this

question received a Complete rating.

Percentage of fourth-grade students in each response category: 2010

Complete Essential Partial Inappropriate Omitted

19 27 23 27 4

The table below shows the percentage of fourthgraders

within each achievement level whose responses to this

question were rated as Complete. For example, 15 percent

of fourthgraders at the Basic level provided responses

rated as Complete.

Percentage of fourth-grade students responses rated as Completeat each achievement level: 2010

Overall Below Basic At Basic At Profcient At Advanced

19 4 15 46 Reporting standards not met. The number o students who answered this question and scored at the

Advanced level was insufcient to permit a reliable estimate.

Explore Additional Sample Questions

More questions rom the NAEP U.S. history assessment canbe ound in the Questions Tool at: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/landing.aspx..

U.S. HISTORY 2010
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/landing.aspxhttp://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/landing.aspxhttp://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/landing.aspxhttp://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/landing.aspx


20/66

4

8

RADE

U.S. History Teme: Culture

Historians use artwork as well as what

people wrote down to learn about the past.

The picture to the right was made in 1849.

It shows members o the Sioux tribe. Using

what you can see in the picture, describe

three ways the Sioux used natural resources

to meet their needs. Be specic.

COMPLETE RESPONSE:

This sample constructed-response question measures

ourth-graders ability to read a historical picture, as well

as their knowledge o how Native Americans o the nine-

teenth century lived of the land. Responses to this ques-

tion were rated using three levels. Spelling and grammar

were not considered in rating the responses.

Complete responses described three things visible in

the picture that show how the Sioux used natural

resources to meet their needs. Credited responses

included reerences to using branches to create stoves,

chopping wood to make res/keep warm, and using

water or cooking.

Partial responses described one or two things visible

in the picture that show how the Sioux used natural

resources to meet their needs.

Inappropriate responses did not describe anything

visible in the picture that shows how the Sioux used

natural resources to meet their needs.

The sample student response shown above was rated

Complete because it described three ways that the Sioux

used natural resources. Students received credit or using

the same natural resource more than once as long as it was

associated with diferent uses. As shown in the table below,

23 percent o ourth-graders responses to this question

received a Complete rating.


Complete Partial Inappropriate Omitted

23 36 33 7

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because the percentage o responses rated as Of-task is not shown.

Of-task responses are those that do not provide any inormation related to the assessment task.

The ollowing table shows the percentage o ourth-graders


question were rated as Complete. For example, among

ourth-graders perorming at the Basic level, 22 percent

provided responses rated as Complete.

Percentage of fourth-grade students responses rated as Completeat each achievement level: 2010


23 3 22 49

Reporting standards not met. The number o students who answered this question and scored at the

Advancedlevel was insucient to permit a reliable estimate.





U.S. History Teme: echnology

Atlantic

Ocean

Lake Champlain

ChamplainCanal

Erie CanalLake

Ontario

PennsylvaniaCanal

Susquehanna R.

James andKanawha

Canal

JamesR.

KanawhaR.

LakeE

rie

Miamiand ErieCanal

MiamiR.

Wabashand

ErieCanal

Wabas

hR.

Illinois-

MichiganCanal

Mississip

piRi

ver

Ohi

oR.

PotomacR.

Lake

Mich

igan

LakeHuron

0 200 miles

0 2 00 k il om et er s

Scale

Ohio andErie Canal

Illi

nois

R.

AlbanyBuffalo

ToledoChicago

Cincinnati

Evansville

Ports-mouth

Cleveland

The map shows canals in the United States in the 1800s.

An important result o the building o canals in the

United States was that

A slavery spread to the western states

B people stopped building railroads

C more people traveled to Caliornia to arm

D trade increased among the states

This sample question is rom a set o items that measured

ourth-graders map-reading skills and their understanding

o the impact o canal building during the rst hal o the

nineteenth century. Forty-our percent o students knew

that the building o canals resulted in an increase o trade

among the states.


Choice A Choice B Choice C Choice D Omitted

20 15 18 44 2

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because o rounding.

The table below shows the percentage o ourth-graders

within each achievement level who answered this question

correctly. For example, 43 percent o students at the Basic

level selected the correct answer choice.

Percentage of fourth-grade students responding correctly at eachachievement level: 2010


44 26 43 69

Reporting standards not met. The number o students who answered this question and scored at the

Advancedlevel was insucient to permit a reliable estimate.


HudsonR.


22/66

4

RADE


U.S. History Teme: World Role

Aung San Suu Kyi lives in a country called

Myanmar (Burma). She has spent many years

trying to change her countrys government. Shespoke the words below in 1996.

Those ortunate enough to live in societies

where they are entitled to ull political rights

can reach out to help the less ortunate in other

parts o our troubled planet. Young women and

young men . . . might wish to cast their eyes

beyond their own rontiers. . . . Please use your

liberty to promote [help] ours.

What document helps to give Americans what

Aung San Suu Kyi wants her people to have?

A The Mayfower Compact

B The Gettysburg Address

C The Star-Spangled Banner

D The Bill o Rights

This sample question is part o a set o questions about

individual rights that Americans have historically enjoyed,

but that some people elsewhere in the world have not.

Fity-six percent o students knew that the Bill o Rights

gives Americans the rights that Aung San Suu Kyi wants

or her people.



13 9 19 56 3

The table below shows the percentage o ourth-graders




Percentage of fourth-grade students responding correctly at eachachievement level: 2010


56 35 59 77

Reporting standards not met. The number o students who answered this question and scored at theAdvancedlevel was insucient to permit a reliable estimate.



23/66

GRADE8Eighth-graders post highestaverage score to dateTe average U.S. history score for the nations eighth-graders was higher

in 2010 than in previous assessment years. Gains from 2006 to 2010 for

Black and Hispanic students contributed to the narrowing of the score gaps

between these groups and their White peers. Increases were also seen since

2006 for students from both lower- and higher-income families.

U.S. HISTORY 2010


24/66

% at Advanced

% at or above Profcient

% at or above


Eighth-graders performanceimproves since 2006

The average score on the 2010 NAEP U.S. history assessment

at grade 8 was higher than the scores in the three earlier

assessment years (fgure 10). Eighth-graders scored 3 points

higher in 2010 than in 2006 and 6 points

3

higher than in 1994

3 The score-point diference is based on the diference between the unrounded scoresas opposed to the rounded scores shown in the gure.

Scores at the 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles were higher in

2010 than in 2006 while there were no signicant changes at

the 75th and 90th percentiles over the same period (fgure 11

In comparison to 1994, scores were higher in 2010 at all ve

percentiles.

Figure 10. Trend in eighth-grade NAEP U.S. history average scores

*Signicantly diferent (p< .05) rom 2010.

Figure 11. Trend in eighth-grade NAEP U.S. history percentile scores


Percentage of students at or above

Basic increasesSixty-nine percent o students perormed at or above the

Basic level in 2010, and 17 percent perormed at or above the

Profcient level (fgure 12). The percentage o students at or

above Basic was higher in 2010 than in earlier assessment

years. There was no signicant change in the percentage o

students at or above Profcient rom 2006 to 2010; however,

the percentage in 2010 was higher than in 1994. One percent

o students perormed at the Advanced level in 2010, which

was not signicantly diferent rom the percentages in 1994

or 2006.

Basic

Figure 12. Trend in eighth-grade NAEP U.S. history achievement-levelresults


SOURCE: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Education Sciences, National Center or Education Statistics, National Assessment o Educational Pr ogress (NAEP), various years, 19942010 U.S. History A ssessments.

RADE

8



Scores increase since2006 for Black andHispanic students

Average scores or Black and Hispanic

students increased rom 2006 to 2010

while there were no signicant changesin average scores or other racial/ethnic

groups over the same period (fgure 13).

Although not shown here, Black students

made gains since 2006 at the 10th, 25th,

75th, and 90th percentiles, and Hispanic

students made gains at the 25th percen-

tile (see appendix tableA-7). Scores

were higher in 2010 than in 1994 or all

ve racial/ethnic groups as were the

percentages o students at or above the

Basic level (see appendix tableA-6).

In 2010, the average scores or White

and Asian/Pacic Islander students

were not signicantly diferent rom each

other, and both were higher than the

scores or Black and Hispanic students.

There were no signicant diferences

in the average scores or American

Indian/Alaska Native students and other

racial/ethnic groups (see the section on

Interpreting Statistical Signicance in the

Technical Notes).

Figure 13. Trend in eighth-grade NAEP U.S. history average scores, by race/ethnicity

*Signicantly diferent (p< .05) rom 2010.NOTE: Black includes Arican American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacic Islander

includes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin.

No signifcant change since 2006

in the percentage o students by

race/ethnicity

There have been no signiicant changes in the proportiono eighth-graders in the ive racial/ethnic groups rom 2006

to 2010 (table 4). In comparison to the irst assessmentyear in 1994, the percentage o White students at grade 8

has decreased while the percentage o H ispanic studentshas increased.

Table 4. Percentage of students assessed in eighth-grade NAEPU.S. history, by race/ethnicity: Various years, 19942010

Race/ethnicity 19941 2001 2006 2010

White 72* 70* 58 58

Black 16 15 16 15

Hispanic 8* 11* 19 20

Asian/PacifcIslander 3 4 4 4

American Indian/Alaska Native 1 1 2 1

* Signicantly diferent (p < .05) rom 2010.1Accommodations not permitted.NOTE: Black includes Arican American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacic Islander includes Native Hawaiian.

Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Detail may not sum to totals because results are not shown or

students whose race/ethnicity was unclassied.

SOURCE: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Education Sciences, Na tional Center or Education Statistics, National Assessment o Educational Progress (NAEP), various years, 19942010 U.S. History Assessments.



8

Racial/ethnic gaps narrow since 2006

The 23-point score gap between White and Black students in

2010 was smaller than the gaps in 2006 and 1994 (fgure 14).

The 21-point gap between White and Hispanic students in

2010 was smaller than in 2006, but was not signicantly

diferent rom the gap in 1994.

Figure 14. Trend in eighth-grade NAEP U.S. history average scores and score gaps, by selected racial/ethnic groups

*Signicantly diferent (p< .05) rom 2010.NOTE: Black includes Arican American, and Hispanic includes Latino. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Score gaps are calculated based on

diferences between unrounded average scores.

Male students score higher thanfemale students in 2010

Male students scored 4 points higher on average than

emale students in 2010 (fgure 15). Although not shown

here, average scores were higher or male students than

emale students in the democracy, technology, and world

role themes. However, there was no signicant diference

in average scores or male and emale students in the

culture theme.

The overall score gap between the two groups in 2010

was not signicantly diferent rom the score gap in 2006;

however, it was larger than in 1994 when both groups

had an average score o 259 (note that the score-point

diferences between male and emale students were not

statistically signicant in 1994 and 2001). The averagescore or male students increased rom 2006 to 2010, while

there was no signicant change or emale students. Scores

or both groups were higher in 2010 than in 1994.

Figure 15. Trend in eighth-grade NAEP U.S. history average scoresand score gaps, by gender

# Rounds to zero.*Signicantly diferent (p< .05) rom 2010.NOTE: Score gaps are calculated based on diferences

between unrounded average scores. The score

diferences between male and emale students

were not ound to be statistically signicant in 1994

and 2001.


RADE




A closer look at the achievement-level results by gender

shows where improvements were made or students

perorming at diferent levels. The percentage o students

perorming at the Profcient level increased rom 1994 to

2010 or male students but did not change signicantly or

emale students (fgure 16). The percentages o male and

emale students perorming at the Basic level were higher

in 2010 than in 2006 and 1994. There were no signicantchanges in the percentages o male and emale students

perorming at theAdvanced level.

Scores increase across income levels

Average U.S. history scores were higher in 2010 than in

2006 or students who were eligible or ree lunch, eligible

or reduced-price lunch, and not eligible or either (fgure 17).

Although not shown here, students eligible or ree lunch

had gains in scores at the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th

percentiles; students eligible or reduced-price lunch hadgains at the 75th and 90th percentiles; and students who

were not eligible had gains at the 10th and 25th percentiles

(see appendix table A-7).

In 2010, eighth-graders who were not eligible scored

14 points4 higher on average than those eligible or reduced-

price lunch, who in turn scored 11 points higher than those

eligible or ree lunch.

4 The score-point diference is based on the diference between the unroundedscores as opposed to the rounded scores shown in the gure.

Figure 16. Trend in eighth-grade NAEP U.S. history achievement-levelresults, by gender

*Signicantly diferent (p< .05) rom 2010.1 Accommodations not permitted.

Figure 17. Average scores in eighth-grade NAEP U.S. history, by eligibilityfor free or reduced-price school lunch: 2006 and 2010


No signifcant change in percentage o

students eligible or the National School

Lunch ProgramThirty-six percent o eighth-graders were eligible or reeschool lunch in 2010, and 7 percent were eligible or reduced-

price lunch (table 5). There were no signiicant changes since2006 in the percentages o students based on their eligibilityor the school lunch program.

Table 5. Percentage of students assessed in eighth-gradeNAEP U.S. history, by eligibility for free or reduced-price school lunch: 2006 and 2010

Eligibility or school lunch 2006 2010Eligible or ree lunch 32 36

Eligible or reduced-price lunch 7 7

Not eligible 55 52

Inormation not available 6 5



8


Higher levels of parental educationassociated with higher scores

Eighth-graders were asked to report the highest level

o education completed by each parent. Five response

optionsdid not nish high school, graduated rom high

school, some education ater high school, graduated romcollege, and I dont knowwere ofered. Results are

reported or the highest level o education or either parent.

Students who reported higher levels o parental education

scored higher on average in 2010 than those who reported

lower levels (fgure 18). For example, students whose

parents graduated rom college had higher scores than

those whose parents had some education ater high

school, who in turn scored higher than those whose

parents highest level o education was high school.

The average score or students whose parents did not

nish high school was higher in 2010 than in 2006, while

there were no signicant changes in the average scores

or students reporting higher levels o parental education

over the same period. Scores were higher in 2010 than

in 1994 or students indicating each o the our levels o

parental education.

Figure 18. Trend in eighth-grade NAEP U.S. history average scores,by highest level of parental education


Additional Results or Student Groups

Achievement-level results and percentile scores provideadditional insight into the perormance o student groups.

See appendix tables A-6 and A-7 or additional eighth-grade results or the student groups highlighted in this

section. Similar NAEP results or other student groups canbe ound in the NAEP Data Explorer at http://nces.ed.gov/

nationsreportcard/naepdata/.

Almost one-hal o eighth-graders reportparents completed college

In 2010, orty-eight percent o eighth-graders reported at least

one parent graduated rom college (table 6). There were no

signiicant changes rom 2006 to 2010 in the percentages o

students who reported diferent levels o parental education;however, there was an increase rom 1994 to 2010 in thepercentage o students whose parents graduated rom college,

and a corresponding decrease in the percentage whose parentshighest level o education was high school.

Table 6. Percentage of students assessed in eighth-gradeNAEP U.S. history, by highest level of parentaleducation: Various years, 19942010

Parental education level 19941 2001 2006 2010

Did not fnish high school 7 8 8 8

Graduated rom high school 23* 19 19 17

Some education ater high school 19 18 18 17

Graduated rom college 42* 46 46 48

Dont know 9 10 10 10

* Signicantly diferent (p< .05) rom 2010.1 Accommodations not permitted.


RADE



Majority of eighth-graders report taking U.S. history

As part o the eighth-grade student questionnaire, students

were asked whether or not they were currently taking a

U.S. history course. Students who responded yes scored

higher on average in 2010 than those who indicated no

(fgure 19). Eighty-our percent o students reported taking

U.S. history in eighth grade in 2010.

Eighth-graders were also asked how much since the beginning

o middle school or junior high school they had studied the

our periods o U.S. history: beore 1815, between 1815 and

1865, between 1865 and 1945, and rom 1945 to the present.

Students selected rom one o three responses: not at all,

some, or a lot. The data or the two categories indicating

some or a lot o study were combined so that results

could be reported or those students who reported at least

some study and those who reported none at all. In 2010,

more than one-hal o eighth-graders reported at least some

study o each o the our periods (table 7). There were nosignicant changes rom 2006 to 2010 in the percentages o

students who reported at least some study o each o the our

periods o U.S. history. The largest percentage o students

reported studying the period beore 1815, and the smallest

percentage reported studying the period rom 1945 to the

present.

Figure 19. Percentage of students and average scores in eighth-gradeNAEP U.S. history, by students responses to a questionabout whether or not they were currently taking a coursein U.S. history: 2010

Table 7. Percentage of students assessed in eighth-grade NAEP U.S.history, by the extent to which they studied various periods ofU.S. history since middle or junior high school: 2006 and 2010

Period o U.S. historyNot at all At least some

2006 2010 2006 2010

Beore 1815 10 11 90 89

1815 to 1865 17 18 83 82

1865 to 1945 26 27 74 73

1945 to present 38 37 62 63

Explore Additional Results

Results or other background questions rom the eighth-gradestudent, teacher, and school questionnaires are available in theNAEP Data Explorer at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

naepdata/.

SOURCE: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Education Sciences, National Center or Education Statistics, National Assessment o Educational Pr ogress (NAEP), 2006 and 2010 U.S. History Asses sments.


30/66

Assessment Content at Grade 8The 166 questions that made up the entire eighth-grade assessment were divided into 10 sections, each containing

a mixture o multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. Each student responded to questions in two

25-minute sections. The gures below show the proportions o the U.S. history assessment devoted to the our

historical themes and the eight historical periods at grade 8.

20%Technology

20%World Role 30%

Democracy

30%Culture


Beginnings

to 1607

5%

The Revolution

and the

New Nation

(17631815)

20%

Crisis of the Union:

Civil War and

Reconstruction

(18501877)

20%

Modern

America

and the

World Wars

(19141945)

10%

Colonization,

Settlement, and

Communities

(16071763)

10%

Expansion

and Reform

(18011861)

15%

The Development

of Modern America

(18651920)

10%

Contemporary

America

(1945 to

the present)

10%



U.S. History Achievement-Level Descriptions for Grade 8NAEP U.S. history achievement-level descriptions outline certain expectations o student perormance. The specic descriptions

o what eighth-graders should know and be able to do at the Basic, Profcient, andAdvanced levels in U.S. history are presented

below. NAEP achievement levels are cumulative; thereore, student perormance at the Profcient level includes the competencies

associated with the Basic level, and theAdvanced level includes the skills and knowledge associated with both the Basic and the

Profcient levels. The cut score indicating the lower end o the score range or each level is noted in parentheses.

Basic (252)

Eighth-grade students perorming at

the Basic level should be able to identiy

and place in context a range o historical

people, places, events, ideas, and

documents. They should be able to

distinguish between primary and sec-

ondary sources. They should have a

beginning understanding o the diversity

o the American people and the ways

in which people rom a wide varietyo national and cultural heritages have

become part o a single nation. Eighth-

grade students at the Basic level should

also have a beginning understanding

o the undamental political ideas and

institutions o American lie and their

historical origins. They should be able

to explain the signicance o some

major historical events.

Profcient (294)

Eighth-grade students perorming at the

Profcient level should be able to explain

the signicance o people, places,

events, ideas, and documents, and to

recognize the connection between

people and events within historical

contexts. They should understand and

be able to explain the opportunities,

perspectives, and challenges associated

with a diverse cultural population. Theyshould incorporate geographic, techno-

logical, and other considerations in their

understanding o events and should

have knowledge o signicant political

ideas and institutions. They should be

able to communicate ideas about

historical themes while citing evidence

rom primary and secondary sources

to support their conclusions.

Advanced (327)

Eighth-grade students perorming at th

Advanced level should recognize signi-

cant themes and movements in history

and begin to understand particular

events in light o these themes and

movements. They should have an

awareness o continuity and change

over time and be able to draw relevant

analogies between past events and

present-day situations. They should beable to rame questions about historical

topics and use multiple sources to

develop historical generalizations and

interpretations. They should be able

to explain the importance o historical

themes, including some awareness

o their political, social, and economic

dimensions.



What Eighth-Graders Know and Can Do in U.S. HistoryThe item map below illustrates the range o U.S. history

knowledge and skills demonstrated by eighth-graders. The

scale scores on the let represent the scores or students

who were likely to get the items correct or complete. The

cut score at the low end o the range or each achievement

level is boxed. The descriptions o selected assessmentquestions indicating what students need to do to answer the

question correctly, along with the corresponding themes o

U.S. history, are listed on the right. For example, the map on

this page shows that eighth-graders perorming at the Basic

level with a score o 274 were likely to be able to use a map

to help identiy a cause o war. Students at the Profcient

level with a score o 307 were likely to be able to identiy an

advantage held by American orces during the Revolution.

Students perorming at theAdvanced level with a score o342 were likely to be able to identiy and explain civil rights

issues.

GRADE 8 NAEP U.S. HISTORY ITEM MAP

Scale score Theme Question description

Advanced

500

//

411 Culture Interpret a graph and explain immigration patterns

350 Democracy Identiy and explain the purpose o President Nixons resignation

343 Culture Explain two diferences between plantations and small arms in antebellum South (shown on pages 32 and 33)

342 Democracy Identiy and explain civil rights issues

336 Technology Interpret data and explain an impact o arm technology

332 Technology Identiy a goal o the labor movement circa 1900

327

Profcient

322 Technology Explain changes in colonial slave practices

310 Culture Identiy a domestic impact o war

307 World Role Identiy an advantage held by American orces during the American Revolution (shown on page 35)

302 Technology Identiy products shipped along the triangular trade route

301 Democracy Understand what right is protected by the First Amendment

299 World Role Explain a post-war oreign policy goal

294

Basic

292 Technology Understand why the apprenticeship system declined in 1800s

285 Democracy Identiy the purpose o Three-Fiths Compromise (shown on page 31)

281 Culture Identiy a result o Native American-European interaction

274 World Role Use a map and identiy a cause o war

265 Technology Understand an impact o the invention o barbed wire (shown on page 34)

252

251 Technology Interpret a simple political cartoon

250 World Role Understand the purpose o a wartime poster

219

//

0

Culture Understand the purpose o Progressive Era photos

NOTE: Regular type denotes a constructed-response question. Italictype denotes a multiple-choice question. The position o a question on the scale represents the scale score attained by students who had a 65 percent probability osuccessully answering a constructed-response question, or a 74 percent probability o correctly answering a our-option multiple-choice question. For constructed-response questions, the question description represents studentsperormance rated as completely correct. Scale score ranges or U.S. history achievement levels are reerenced on the map.


RADE

8



U.S. History Teme: Democracy

At the 1787 Constitutional

Convention, northern and southern

delegates debated whether or not slaves

would be counted as part o the states

population. Disagreement over this

question led to bitter tensions among

delegates.

To resolve the question reerred to in the

passage, delegates agreed to

A include all male slaves in population

totals

B include no slaves in population totals

C count each slave as three-fths o a

person in population totals

D count slaves in the southern states but

not in the northern states

This sample question rom the eighth-grade U.S. history

assessment is rom a set o items about the Three-Fiths

Compromise. Fity-nine percent o eighth-graders were able

to identiy that the Three-Fiths Compromise resolved the

issue at the Constitutional Convention o how to account or

slaves when determining state populations.

Percentage of eighth-grade students in each response category: 2010


15 16 59 9 #

# Rounds to zero.NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because o rounding.

The table below shows the percentage o eighth-graders


correctly. For example, 65 percent o students perorming at

the Basic level selected the correct answer choice.

Percentage of eighth-grade students responding correctly at each

achievement level: 2010


59 34 65 85

Reporting standards not met. The number o students who answered this question and scored at the Advanced levelwas insucient to permit a reliable estimate.



34/662

8


U.S. History Teme: Culture

Courtesy o Library o Congress, #LC-USZ62-76385

The picture above shows arming on a Georgia cotton plantation beore the Civil War. Using your

knowledge o history and evidence rom the picture, explain two important dierences between arming

on large plantations and arming on small arms in the South beore the Civil War.

COMPLETE RESPONSE:

RADE




This sample constructed-response question (shown on the

previous page) measures eighth-graders understanding o

diferences between plantation and non-plantation agricul-

ture in the antebellum South. Students could use the picture

or clues or draw completely on their outside knowledge.

Responses to this question were rated using three scoring

levels. Spelling and grammar were not considered in rating

students responses.

Complete responses provided two diferences (or two

accurate acts related to diferences) between arming

on cotton plantations and small arms. Responses rated

Complete did not need to make a direct comparison.

Credit was given or responses such as those indicating

(1) cotton plantations grew a product or sale or export

that yielded prots, while small armers oten engaged in

subsistence arming; (2) plantations had large numbers o

slaves, while small armers provided their own labor or

had only a small number o slaves; or (3) large cotton

plantations had overseers to manage slaves, while smallarmers worked directly with slaves.

Partial responses provided one diference, or one accu-

rate act related to a diference, between arming on

cotton plantations and small arms, but did not need to

make a direct comparison.

Inappropriate responses did not provide a diference, or

accurate act related to a diference, between arming on

cotton plantations and small arms.

The student response shown on the previous page was rated

Complete because it provided two accurate examples o

how plantations difered rom small arms: plantations

greater reliance on slave labor and their superior nancial

resources. Six percent o eighth-graders responses to this

question received a Complete rating.

Percentage of eighth-grade students in each response category: 2010Complete Partial Inappropriate Omitted

6 32 55 6

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because the percentage o responses rated as Of-task is not shown. Of-taskresponses are those that do not provide any inormation related to the assessment task.

The ollowing table shows the percentage o eighth-graders


question were rated Complete. For example, among stu-

dents perorming at the Basic level, 5 percent provided re-

sponses rated as Complete.

Percentage of eighth-grade students responses rated as Complete

at each achievement level: 2010Overall Below Basic At Basic At Profcient At Advanced

6 1 5 18

Reporting standards not met. The number o students who answered this question and scored at the Advanced levelwas insucient to permit a reliable estimate.


36/664

8

U.S. History Teme: echnology


RADE

The invention shown in the advertisement

contributed to the

A end o the era o the open-range cattle

industry

B end o the expansion o railroads

C Northern victory in the Civil War

D

growth o the West Coast populationand Caliornia statehood

This sample question is rom a set o items reerring to an

advertisement on the introduction o the barbed wire ence,

a seemingly innocuous event with proound consequences.

Seventy-one percent o eighth-graders were able to under-

stand the advertisement and identiy that the invention o

barbed wire contributed to the end o the open-range cattle

arming on the Western Plains.

Percentage of eighth-grade students in each response category: 2010


71 5 7 17 1


The table below shows the percentage o eighth-graders




Percentage of eighth-grade students responding correctly at eachachievement level: 2010


71 44 79 91

Reporting standards not met. The number o students who answered this question and scored at the Advancedlevelwas insucient to permit a reliable estimate.



37/66

U.S. History Teme: World Role

Identify one important advantage that the American forces had over the

British forces in the American Revolution.

COMPLETE RESPONSE:


This sample constructed-response question measures

eighth-graders understanding o some o the actors

that enabled the American colonies to deeat the more

experienced British military in the American Revolution.

Responses to this question were rated using three scoring

levels. Spelling and grammar were not considered in rating

responses to the question.

Complete responses identied one important advan-

tage the American colonial orces had. Credit was given

to responses that identied some o the ollowing

advantages: colonists did not have to transport supplies

across the ocean; they ought on amiliar territory/

terrain; they ought to protect their homes, land, and

reedom; Americans had more at stake than British

soldiers, many o whom were orced to serve.

Partial responses identied an advantage, but not an

important one, or the response identied an advantage

that was vague or contained important inaccuracies.

Inappropriate responses did not identiy any important

advantages the American colonial orces had.

The sample response shown above was rated Complete.

Though only required to provide one adv

us department of education (doed) naep history test results (2010)

Documents