The Nation’s Report Card: U.S. History 2010

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The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has just released The Nation’s Report Card: U.S. History 2010. The report presents results for students from across the nation in grades 4, 8, and 12.

Major findings from the 2010 report include:

• The average score for fourth-graders was higher than in 1994 but not different than in 2006. The lowest performing students (10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles) made the greatest score gains in fourth grade since 1994.

• The average score for eighth-graders has continued to rise, resulting in the highest score in 2010. Similar to fourth-graders, average scores for the lowest performing eighth-grade students (10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles) increased both from 1994 and 2006.

• At grade 12, the average score in 2010 was not significantly different from the 2006 assessment, but higher than the average score in 1994.

• Average scores for Black and Hispanic students in grade 8 were higher in 2010 than in 2006; average scores for White, Black, Hispanic, and Asia/Pacific Islander students at all three grade levels were higher than in 1994.

• A higher percentage of fourth-graders and eighth-graders performed at or above Basic in 2010 than in 1994.

• At both grades 4 and 8, students from low-income families (those who were eligible for free school lunch) recorded higher average U.S. history scores in 2010 than in both 2001 and 2006. Low-income students make up 40 percent of fourth-graders and 36 percent of eighth-graders nationally.

Download the report for additional findings about twelfth-grade U.S. History coursetaking patterns, derived from the 2009 High School Transcript Study, including:

• In 2009, access to AP U.S. history courses increased overall but lagged in low minority schools (schools with less than 10 percent Black or Hispanic students) and in schools in locations other than large cities.

• The percentage of graduates taking AP U.S. history was higher in 2009 than in 1990 for all graduates and was higher than in 1990 for White, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander graduates. In 2009, AP coursetaking in U.S. history was lower in low minority schools and schools not in large cities.

The Nation’s Report Card: U.S. History 2010 is a product of the National Center for Education Statistics at the Institute of Education Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Education.