Social Studies

Do You Know as Much as an 8th Grader About Civics? Quiz Yourself

By Marina Whiteleather — May 09, 2023 1 min read
Messed up puzzle pieces of an American flag on a dark blue background
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Recently released results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test—also known as the “Nation’s Report Card”—mark the first time that 8th grade civics scores declined in nearly 25 years.

EdWeek Staff Writer Sarah Schwartz noted in a recent article covering the results, History Achievement Falls to 1990s Levels on NAEP; Civics Scores Take First-Ever Dive, that the findings are the first national data on students’ social studies achievement since the pandemic began.

A follow-up article, Understanding the Sharp Drop in History and Civics NAEP Scores: 4 Things to Know, Schwartz unpacks the context: how these scores compare to declines in other subjects, the decades-long marginalization of the subject, and ongoing challenges of carving out intentional instructional time for civics education.

Below are some questions included in the recent NAEP test on civics. Test your knowledge and see how your results compare to the grade 8 students who took the test in spring 2022.

Then check out our other coverage of civics education, including our award-winning Citizen Z project.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2022 Civics & U.S. History Assessments at Grade 8.

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Managing AI in Schools: Practical Strategies for Districts
How should districts govern AI in schools? Learn practical strategies for policies, safety, transparency, and responsible adoption.
Content provided by Lightspeed Systems
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Absenteeism Webinar
Removing Transportation and Attendance Barriers for Homeless Youth
Join us to see how districts around the country are supporting vulnerable students, including those covered under the McKinney–Vento Act.
Content provided by HopSkipDrive
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Two Jobs, One Classroom: Strengthening Decoding While Teaching Grade-Level Text
Discover practical, research-informed practices that drive real reading growth without sacrificing grade-level learning.
Content provided by EPS Learning

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Social Studies How to Talk to Students About the U.S.-Iran Conflict
Educators need to let students' questions drive the discussions in age-appropriate ways.
3 min read
Plumes of smoke from two simultaneous strikes rise over Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026.
Plumes of smoke from two simultaneous U.S. air strikes rise over Tehran, Iran, on March 2, 2026. Providing age-appropriate opportunities for students to talk about war-related topics such as the current U.S.-Iran conflict can help them process those events in more meaningful ways.
Mohsen Ganji/AP
Social Studies It’s a Complicated Time for Teachers to Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary
At a lesson-writing workshop, teachers discussed how we should interpret founding principles today.
8 min read
Interior view of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylavnia. In the distance Independence Hall is visible. Feb. 7, 2026.
Teachers from across the country convened at National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Feb. 7, 2026, to create lessons for America's 250th anniversary this summer. In the distance Independence Hall is visible.
Matthew Ludak for Education Week
Social Studies Opinion 'There Are No Heroes Coming to Save Us': Black History Without the Hero Worship
We should teach the history of justice work through a community lens, explains Bettina L. Love.
4 min read
Illustrated silhouettes gathered before the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, a historic landmark, important to the Civil Rights Movement
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty + Photo: Dennis Rosario/iStock
Social Studies Opinion How Two Educators Are Teaching History Right Now
The "fire hose" of current events provides an opportunity for classroom discussion.
9 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week