Civics 2006

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS AT GRADES 4, 8, AND 12

U.S. Department of Education

NCES 2007–476
What is The Nation’s Report CardTM?

The Nation’s Report CardTM informs the public about the academic 

achievement of elementary and secondary students in the United States. 

Report cards communicate the fi ndings of the National Assessment of 

Educational Progress (NAEP), a continuing and nationally representative 

measure of achievement in various subjects over time.

Contents May 2007

 1 Executive Summary

 2 An Introduction to the Civics Assessment

 4 Reporting NAEP Results

 6 Overall Results

 10 Student Groups

 16 Assessment Content

 32 Technical Notes

For over three decades, NAEP assessments have been 

conducted periodically in reading, mathematics, 

science, writing, U.S. history, civics, geography, 

and other subjects. By making objective information 

available on student performance at the national, 

state, and local levels, NAEP is an integral part of our 

nation’s evaluation of the condition and progress of 

education. Only information related to academic 

achievement and relevant variables is collected. The 

privacy of individual students is protected.

NAEP is a congressionally mandated project of the 

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 

within the Institute of Education Sciences of the 

U.S. Department of Education. The Commissioner of 

Education Statistics is responsible for carrying out 

the NAEP project. The National Assessment Governing 

Board oversees and sets policy for NAEP.
Executive Summary

the Pro cient level, meaning they demonstrated at least 

competency over challenging subject matter. Many 

fourth-grade student groups had higher scores in 2006. 

 White, Black, and Hispanic students improved.

 Both male and female students improved.

 Lower-performing students made gains.

 The performance gap narrowed for Hispanic 

students compared to White students.

Overall, eighth-graders’ knowledge of civics has not 

changed since the 1998 assessment. Of eighth-graders, 

22 percent scored at or above the Pro cient level, and 

70 percent scored at or above Basic. White and 

Hispanic students showed score gains. 

Twelfth-graders, tomorrow’s voters, performed at 

about the same level in 2006 as they did in 1998. No 

student group showed a statistically signi8 cant 

increase. Twenty-seven percent of twelfth-graders 

scored at or above the Pro cient level, and 66 percent 

scored at or above Basic. 

The 2006 NAEP civics assessment evaluated students’ 

understanding of the democratic institutions and ideals 

necessary to become informed citizens in shaping 

America’s future. Students demonstrated this knowledge 

in areas deemed important for citizenship in our 

constitutional democracy. A nationally representative 

sample of more than 25,000 students at grades 4, 8, and 

12 was assessed in 2006. The results are compared with 

those of the 1998 civics assessment.

About two out of three American students at grades 4, 

8, and 12 have at least a basic knowledge of civics 

according to the 2006 National Assessment of 

Educational Progress (NAEP). Average scores 

improved from 1998 to 2006 only at grade 4. Most of 

this improvement was seen among lower-performing 

students.

Three of four students at grade 4, or 73 percent, scored 

at or above Basic, meaning they demonstrated at 

least a partial mastery of civics knowledge and skills 

fundamental for pro8 cient work at their grade. About 

one in four students, or 24 percent, scored at or above 

What students know about civics

Fourth-graders

75% knew that only citizens can vote in the U.S.

41% identifi ed the level of government that signs peace treaties

14% recognized that defendants have a right to a lawyer

Eighth-graders

80% identifi ed a notice for jury duty

63% determined an instance of abuse of power

28% explained the historical purpose of the Declaration 

of Independence

Twelfth-graders

72% analyzed a historical text on the importance of education

50% identifi ed the outcome when state and national laws confl ict

43% described the meaning of federalism in the U.S.

‘98 ‘06

66

5

27

65

4

26

‘98 ‘06

70

2

22

70

2

22

Grade 4 Grade 8 Grade 12

0

20

40

60

80

100

‘98 ‘06

Percentage of students

73

1

24

69*

2

23

Year

% at or above Proficient

% at Advanced 

% at or above Basic

* Signifi cantly different from 2006.

CIVICS 2006 1
An Introduction to the Civics Assessment

The U.S. civics assessment evaluates students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are critical to the 

responsibilities of citizenship in America’s constitutional democracy. Civics instruction begins in grade school and 

continues into high school. Civics concepts, however, are primarily taught as part of social studies (for example, 

geography, economics, etc.), history, and government classes, rather than as a separate course such as reading or 

mathematics. NAEP assesses civics knowledge at grades 4, 8, and 12.

The Civics Framework

The civics assessment is based on a blueprint called a 

“framework,” which speci8 es what should be assessed. 

Under the direction of the National Assessment 

Governing Board, the framework was developed in 

a comprehensive and inclusive process. 

The development committees included subject 

experts, college faculty, school administrators, 

policymakers, teachers, parents, and interested 

members of the public. A new NAEP civics 

framework was developed for the 1998 assessment, as 

were all of the assessment questions. The same 

framework guided the development of the 2006 

assessment, which used many of the same 

questions.

Three Components. As noted in the framework, the 

goal of the NAEP civics assessment is to measure 

how well American youth are being prepared to 

meet their citizenship responsibilities. The 

framework specifies three interrelated components 

which, taken together, assess this broad civic 

competency: knowledge, intellectual and participatory 

skills, and civic dispositions. Each civics assessment 

question or exercise has a knowledge and an 

intellectual skills component. A portion of the 

questions also measures participatory skills and/or 

civic dispositions.

Civic Knowledge. The framework poses the knowledge 

component as questions, reB ecting the position that 

civic knowledge encompasses not just factual 

knowledge, but a broader and deeper understanding 

of the meaning of citizenship. The 8 ve civics content 

areas and the percentage of assessment time allotted 

to them at each grade are shown in table 1.

Content area

Percentage of assessment time

Grade 4 Grade 8 Grade 12

I.What are civic life, politics, and government? 24 13 10

II.What are the foundations of the American political system? 20 27 20

III.How does the government established by the Constitution embody the 

purposes, values, and principles of American democracy? 13 24 25

IV.What is the relationship of the United States to other 

nations and to world affairs? 13 14 21

V.What are the roles of citizens in American democracy? 30 21 25

Table 1. Percentage of assessment time in NAEP civics, by grade and content area: 2006

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

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics Assessment.

“Participatory skills enable citizens to monitor 

and infl uence public and civic life by working with 

others, clearly articulating ideas and interests, 

building coalitions, seeking consensus, negotiating 

compromise, and managing confl ict. ” ...Civics 2006 

framework.

2 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
Assessment Design

Because of the breadth of content covered, each student 

took just a portion of the assessment, answering two 

25-minute sections of test questions and a separate 

section of background questions. Students were asked 

multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. 

Results were combined to produce an average score for 

the nation overall and for various student groups (such as 

gender and race/ethnicity).

Civic Skills. This component involves the use of 

knowledge to think and act effectively and in a 

reasoned manner in response to the challenges of 

civic life in a constitutional democracy. The 

framework distinguishes three types of intellectual 

skills:

 Identifying and describing, 

 Explaining and analyzing, and

 Evaluating, taking, and defending a position.

Students’ participatory skills are assessed because, 

ultimately, civic knowledge and intellectual skills are 

most bene8 cial when applied to civic participation. 

Since NAEP cannot directly assess civic participation, 

the framework speci8 es that assessment questions be 

designed to measure whether students can identify 

participatory skills, recognize their purpose, explain 

how to use them, or specify how best to achieve 

desired results by using particular skills.

Civic Dispositions. As with civic skills, NAEP cannot 

assess students’ civic dispositions directly. Therefore, 

certain assessment exercises were designed to measure 

students’ knowledge and understanding of the 

importance of civic dispositions. The framework 

identifies five dispositions:

 Becoming an independent member of society; 

 Assuming the personal, political, and economic 

responsibilities of a citizen; 

 Respecting individual worth and human dignity; 

 Participating in civic affairs in an informed, 

thoughtful, and effective manner; and

 Promoting the healthy functioning of American 

constitutional democracy.

More detailed information about the civics 

framework for 2006 can be found on the Governing 

Board website at http://www.nagb.org/frameworks/

civics_06.pdf.

CIVICS 2006 3
Reporting NAEP Results

The students who are selected to take NAEP assessments represent hundreds of other students like themselves across 

the U.S. The NAEP data can only be obtained with the cooperation of schools, teachers, and students nationwide. By 

participating, they play an important role in improving education in the country.

Representative samples of schools and students 

participated in the 2006 NAEP civics assessment at 

each grade (table 2). The results provide estimates of 

performance of all students in the target grades. The 

national results reB ect the combined performance of 

samples of students in public schools, private schools, 

Bureau of Indian Affairs schools, and Department 

of Defense schools. Unlike the mathematics, 

reading, writing, and science assessments in NAEP, 

the civics assessment was not designed to report 

results by individual states.

NAEP achievement levels

Basic denotes partial mastery of the 

knowledge and skills that are fundamental 

for profi cient work at a given grade.

Proficient represents solid academic 

performance. Students reaching this level 

have demonstrated competency over 

challenging subject matter.

Advanced signifi es superior performance.

Table 2. Number of participating schools and students 

in NAEP civics assessment, by grade: 2006

NOTE: The numbers of schools are rounded to the nearest ten, and the numbers of students are 

rounded to the nearest hundred.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center 

for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics 

Assessment.

Grade Schools Students

Grade 4 420 7,000

Grade 8 510 9,200

Grade 12 590 9,100

Scale Scores

NAEP civics results are reported on a 0–300 scale. 

Although the scale score ranges are identical across 

grades, the scale was derived independently for each 

grade. Therefore, scale scores cannot be compared 

across grades. In addition to reporting an overall 

composite score, results are reported at 8 ve 

percentiles (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th), 

enabling the display of changes in performance 

between 1998 and 2006 for lower-, middle-, and 

higher-performing students.

Achievement Levels

Achievement levels reB ect what students should know 

and be able to do. The Governing Board sets speci8 c 

achievement levels for each subject area and grade, 

based on recommendations from policymakers, 

educators, and members of the general public. To provide a context for interpreting student performance, 

NAEP results are reported as percentages of students 

performing at or above the Basic and Proficient levels 

and at the Advanced level. 

As provided by law, NCES, upon review of congressionally mandated evaluations of NAEP, has determined that achievement levels are to be used on a trial 

basis and should be interpreted with caution. NAEP 

achievement levels have been widely used by national 

and state of8 cials. For more information on the civics 

achievement levels, visit http://www.nagb.org/pubs/

civicsbook.pdf. 

Item Maps

The test question or “item” maps are another way to 

interpret the scale scores and achievement-level results 

for each grade. As shown later in the Assessment 

Content section, the item maps are useful tools for 

showing student performance on questions at 

different levels on the scale.

4 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
Accommodations in NAEP 

Beginning with the new civics framework and the 

new trend line in 1998, testing accommodations (for 

example, extra time, one-on-one, or small group 

administration) were permitted. Accommodations 

were also offered in the 2006 assessment to those 

students for whom accommodations were permitted 

on their state assessments. Information on the 

percentages of students who received each 

accommodation type is available at http://nces.ed.

gov/nationsreportcard/civics/acctype.asp. See the 

Technical Notes on page 32 for information on 

exclusion rates.

Interpreting Results

NAEP uses widely accepted statistical standards in 

analyzing data. This report discusses only 8 ndings 

that are statistically signi8 cant at the .05 level with 

appropriate adjustments for multiple comparisons. In 

the tables and graphics, the symbol (*) indicates that 

scores or percentages are signi8 cantly different from 

each other. 

In addition to the overall results for the nation, 

student performance by different demographic 

characteristics is also presented (for example, by 

gender, race/ethnicity, income level, or studentreported highest level of parents’ education). These 

results cannot be used to establish a cause-andeffect relationship between background 

characteristics and achievement. A complex mix of 

educational and socioeconomic factors may 

interact to affect student performance. 

Score differences or gaps cited in this report are 

calculated based on differences between unrounded 

average scale scores. Therefore, the reader may 8 nd 

apparent discrepancies between a score difference 

cited in the text and a difference generated by 

comparing two rounded scores from tables or 

graphics.

Not all of the data for results discussed in the text are 

presented in corresponding tables or graphics, but 

they can be found on the NAEP website at http://nces.

ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/. For additional 

information, see the Technical Notes on page 32 

or visit http://nationsreportcard.gov.

CIVICS 2006 5
OVERALL RESULTS

Civics knowledge increasing for fourthgraders, but not for older students

Fourth-grade students scored higher in civics in 2006 than in 1998. Most 

of this improvement was seen among lower-performing students. Nearly 

three-fourths (73 percent) of America’s fourth-graders performed at or 

above Basic—a larger percentage than in 1998. Nearly one in four 

(24 percent) scored at or above Profi cient.

However, civics scores have remained essentially unchanged since 1998 for 

eighth- and twelfth-graders. In 2006, performance that is considered to be 

at or above the Profi cient level was demonstrated by 22 percent of eighthgraders and by 27 percent of twelfth-graders.

6 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
Knowledge of civics increases for only younger students

While a greater understanding of civics was demonstrated by fourth-graders in 2006 

than in 1998, little or no change was seen among students at grades 8 and 12. As 

shown in 8 gure 1, the average score for fourth-graders in 2006 was higher than in 1998, 

while the average scores at grades 8 and 12 were not signi8 cantly different. The scores 

of both male and female students increased at grade 4, but not at grades 8 and 12. 

Apparent differences between scores of male and female students were not statistically 

signi8 cant at any grade in 2006 (results not shown).

I VOTED 

Figure 1. Average scores in NAEP civics, by grade: 1998 and 2006

* Signifi cantly different (p < .05) from 2006.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational 

Progress (NAEP), 1998 and 2006 Civics Assessments.

Grade 4 Grade 8 Grade 12 

’98 ’06 Year 

Scale score 

0 

300 

100 

110 

170 

160 

150 

140 

130 

120 

150*

154

’98 ’06 Year 

Scale score 

0 

300 

100 

110 

170 

160 

150 

140 

130 

120 

150 150

’98 ’06 Year 

Scale score 

0 

300 

100 

110 

170 

160 

150 

140 

130 

120 

150 151

What Students Know

Fourth-graders

75 percent knew that only citizens can vote in the U.S.

47 percent identi8 ed the role of the Supreme Court

18 percent evaluated how certain actions can affect the community

Eighth-graders

80 percent identi8 ed a notice for jury duty

49 percent linked religious freedom to the Bill of Rights

15 percent interpreted a phrase from the Gettysburg Address

Twelfth-graders

72 percent could analyze a historical text on the importance of education

50 percent identi8 ed the President’s role in foreign policy

 5 percent explained checks on the President’s power

See the NAEP Questions Tool for more information at 

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

CIVICS 2006 7
Scores up among lower-performing fourth-graders, no signifi cant 

progress for others

Although the average fourth-grade score was higher 

in 2006 than in 1998, most of the improvement 

occurred among the lower-performing students. 

Figure 2 shows that fourth-grade scores at the 10th 

and 25th percentiles improved, but there was no 

signi8 cant change in higher percentile scores. The 

8 gure also shows that there was no signi8 cant 

change at grades 8 and 12 for lower-, middle-, or 

higher-performing students.

Figure 2. Percentile scores in NAEP civics, by grade: 1998 and 2006

* Signifi cantly different (p < .05) from 2006.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

1998 and 2006 Civics Assessments.

153156

192 192

175 176

128*

134

102*

111

154 153

192 191

175 175

128 128

103 102

153 154

192194

175176

128 128

103 104

Grade 4

10th 25th 50th 75th 90th

Percentile

Scale score

0

300

100

110

190

180

170

160

150

140

130

120

Grade 8

10th 25th 50th 75th 90th

Scale score

0

300

100

110

190

180

170

160

150

140

130

120

Grade 12

10th 25th 50th 75th 90th

Scale score

0

300

100

110

190

180

170

160

150

140

130

120

Percentile Percentile

’98 ’06 

Year

8 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
Greater percentage of younger students demonstrates Basiclevel knowledge of civics, no change for older students

Figure 3. Achievement-level performance in NAEP civics, 

by grade: 1998 and 2006

Another example of increased performance among 

lower-performing fourth-graders is seen in 

achievement-level results. Performance at the Basic

level represents partial mastery of fundamental skills 

and knowledge in civics. In 2006, seventy-three 

percent of fourth-graders performed at or above 

Basic—a higher percentage than in 1998 (8 gure 3). 

Twenty-four percent of students at grade 4 performed 

at or above Proficient, which was not 

signi8 cantly different from the 

percentage in 1998.

At grades 8 and 12, the percentages 

at or above Basic and Proficient in 

2006 were not signi8 cantly different 

compared to the percentages in the 

same grades in 1998. Twenty-two 

percent of students at grade 8 

performed at or above Proficient in 2006, and 

27 percent of twelfth-graders performed at or 

above Proficient.

* Signifi cantly different (p < .05) from 2006.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for 

Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1998 and 2006 

Civics Assessments.

% at or above Proficient

% at Advanced 

% at or above Basic

Grade 4 

Year

Grade 8 

Year

Grade 12 

Year

0 

20 

40 

60 

80 

100 

‘98 ‘06

Percentage of students Percentage of students Percentage of students

73

1

24

69*

2

23

0 

20 

40 

60 

80 

100 

‘98 ‘06

70

2

22

70

2

22

0 

20 

40 

60 

80 

100 

‘98 ‘06

66

5

27

65

4

26

CIVICS 2006 9
STUDENT GROUPS

Many student groups make gains at grade 4 

At grade 4, the following groups scored higher in 2006 compared to 

1998: male and female students; and White, Black, and Hispanic 

students. 

At grade 8, White and Hispanic students had higher scores 

in 2006 than in 1998. 

10 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
White and Hispanic students make gains at both grades 4 and 8

Score gains were made by White, Black, and 

Hispanic fourth-graders in 2006 compared with 

1998 (figure 4). The gains were 15 points for 

Hispanic, 10 points for Black, and 6 points for 

White fourth-graders. 

At grade 8, both White and Hispanic students 

scored higher in 2006 than in 1998. The apparent 

score gains for all other groups at grades 8 and 12 

were not statistically significant. 

CIVICS 2006 11

Figure 4. Average scores in NAEP civics, by grade and race/ethnicity: 1998 and 2006

Grade 4

White Black Hispanic Asian/ 

Pacific 

Islander 

American 

Indian/ 

Alaska 

Native 

White Black Hispanic Asian/ 

Pacific 

Islander 

American 

Indian/ 

Alaska 

Native 

White Black Hispanic Asian/ 

Pacific 

Islander 

American 

Indian/ 

Alaska 

Native 

Scale score 

0 

300 

170 

160 

150 

140 

130 

120 

Grade 8

Scale score 

0 

300 

170 

160 

150 

140 

130 

120 

Grade 12

Scale score 

0 

300 

170 

160 

150 

140 

130 

120 

158* 

164 

130* 

140 

124 123* 

138 

147 

154 

158* 161 

131 133 

127* 127 

131 

151 154 157 158 

130 131 132 131 134 

149 

155 

‡ ‡ ‡ 

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate.

* Signifi cantly different (p < .05) from 2006.

NOTE: Black includes African American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacifi c Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

1998 and 2006 Civics Assessments.

’98 ’06 

Year

CIVICS 2006 11
Lower-performing White, Black, and Hispanic students show gains

The improvement for lowerperforming fourth-graders that 

was previously shown for all 

students together can be seen 

for racial/ethnic groups in 

8 gure 5. Scores for White, 

Black, and Hispanic fourthgraders increased at the 10th, 

25th, and 50th percentiles. 

Apparent score changes at the 

75th and 90th percentiles were 

not signi8 cant. 

While not shown in this report, 

in general, scores for students 

at grades 8 and 12 showed no 

improvement across the 8 ve 

percentiles. Complete data for 

percentiles for the racial/ethnic 

groups are available at http://

nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

nde.

Figure 5. Percentile scores in NAEP civics at grade 4, by race/ethnicity: 1998 and 2006

Hispanic 

Scale score 

0 

300 

70 

80 

130 

120 

110 

100 

90 

140 

150 

200 

190 

180 

170 

160 

169 

177 

151 

160 

126* 

140 

97* 

117 

74* 

96 

Asian/Pacific Islander 

Scale score 

0 

300 

70 

80 

130 

120 

110 

100 

90 

140 

150 

200 

190 

180 

170 

160 

White 

Scale score 

0 

300 

70 

80 

130 

120 

110 

100 

90 

140 

150 

200 

190 

180 

170 

160 

Black 

Scale score 

0 

300 

70 

80 

130 

120 

110 

100 

90 

140 

150 

200 

190 

180 

170 

160 

196 198 

180 183 

161* 

166 

140* 

148 

117* 

128 

189 193 

173 176 

149 

156 

126 

135 

102 

114 

172 

177 

153 

160 

132* 

141 

107* 

121 

85* 

102 

10th 25th 50th 75th 90th 

Percentile 

10th 25th 50th 75th 90th 

Percentile 

10th 25th 50th 75th 90th 

Percentile 

10th 25th 50th 75th 90th 

Percentile 

* Signifi cantly different (p < .05) from 2006.

NOTE: Black includes African American, Hispanic includes 

Latino, and Pacifi c Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race 

categories exclude Hispanic origin.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of 

Education Sciences, National Center for Education 

Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress 

(NAEP), 1998 and 2006 Civics Assessments.

12 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD

’98 ’06 

Year
CIVICS 2006 13

The 26-point gap in average scores between White 

and Hispanic fourth-graders in 2006 was narrower 

than the 35-point gap in 1998 (8 gure 6). The 25-point 

gap in average scores between White and Black fourthgraders in 2006 was not signi8 cantly different from 

the 28-point gap in 1998. 

Gap narrows between White and Hispanic younger students

The score gaps between White and Black students and 

between White and Hispanic students at grades 8 and 12 

were not signi8 cantly different when comparing 2006 

with 1998 (table 3).

* Signifi cantly different (p < .05) from 2006.

NOTE: Black includes African American, and Hispanic includes Latino. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Score gaps are

calculated based on differences between unrounded average scores.

Figure 6. White – Black and White – Hispanic average scores and score gaps in NAEP 

civics at grade 4: 1998 and 2006

’98 ’06 Year 

Scale score 

0 

300 

170 

160 

150 

140 

130 

120 

158* 

164 

130* 

140 

28

White – Black 

’98 ’06 Year

Scale score

0

300

170

160

150

140

130

120

158*

164

123*

138

Black 

White 

Score

gap

Hispanic

White

Score

gap

White – Hispanic

25

35*

26

Table 3. Average scores and score gaps in NAEP civics, by grade and race/ethnicity:

1998 and 2006

Scale score Score gap with White students

Grade 8 1998 2006 1998 2006

White 158* 161 † †

Black 131 133 26 28

Hispanic 127* 131 31 29

Scale score Score gap with White students

Grade 12 1998 2006 1998 2006

White 157 158 † †

Black 130 131 27 28

Hispanic 132 134 25 24

† Not applicable.

* Signifi cantly different (p < .05) from 2006.

NOTE: Black includes African American, and Hispanic includes Latino. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Score gaps are

calculated based on differences between unrounded average scores.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment

of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1998 and 2006 Civics Assessments.

CIVICS 2006 13
Table 4. Percentage of students in NAEP civics, by grade 

and eligibility for National School Lunch Program: 

2006

Eligibility status Grade 4 Grade 8

Eligible for free lunch 36 31

Eligible for reduced-price lunch 7 7

Not eligible 49 55

Information not available 7 7

Table 4 shows the percentages of fourth- and eighth-graders in the population by eligibility status 

for the National School Lunch Program in 2006. Percentages are also given for the students for 

whom information was not available. 

Knowledge of civics differs by income levels

Fourth-graders from families in two lower-income 

levels (eligible for free lunch or eligible for reducedprice school lunch) had lower civics scores in 2006 

than students from higher-income families, as well as 

students for whom information was not available 

(8 gure 7).

At grade 8, the pattern is similar. The average scores 

for students from both lower-income levels were lower 

than that of students from higher-income families. The 

score gaps between the lowest income level (eligible for 

free lunch) and the highest level (not eligible) were 

28 points1

 at grade 4 and 30 points at grade 8. At both 

grades, students eligible for reduced-price lunch had 

higher scores than those eligible for the free lunch. 

Information on income status was not available for 

about 7 percent of the students at each grade (table 4). 

This group also had higher scores than the eligible 

student groups at both grades. 

1 The score point gap is based on the difference between unrounded scores. 

14 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD

Figure 7. Average scores in NAEP civics, by grade and eligibility for National School Lunch 

Program: 2006

Grade 4

137

166 167

130

160

171

Scale score

0

300

170

160

150

140

130

120

Grade 8

Scale score

0

300

170

160

150

140

130

120

146

142

Eligible

for free

lunch

Eligible for

reducedprice lunch

Not

eligible

Information

not

available

Eligible

for free

lunch

Eligible for

reducedprice lunch

Not

eligible

Information

not

available

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

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center 

for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics 

Assessment.

14 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
Figure 8. Average scores in NAEP civics, by grade and student-reported highest level of parental education: 2006

162 

153 

140 

129 

Graduated from college 

Parental education level 

Some education after 

high school 

Grade 8 

Did not finish high school 

Graduated from high school 

0 110 120 130 140 150 160 300 

Scale score

162 

150 

138 

126 

Graduated from college 

Parental education level 

Some education after 

high school 

Grade 12 

Did not finish high school 

Graduated from high school 

0 110 120 130 140 150 160 300 

Scale score

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics Assessment.

More parental education associated with higher scores

CIVICS 2006 15

Looking just at the data for 2006, there was a positive 

association between student-reported parental education 

and student performance. The average civics scores for 

the student-reported parental education levels shown in 

8 gure 8 indicate that the higher the reported level of 

parental education, the higher the student’s average 

civics score.

Students at grades 8 and 12 were asked to indicate the 

highest level of their parents’ education. The highest level 

of education reported for either parent was used in the 

analysis of this question. The text of the question on 

parental education differed between 2006 and 1998. 

Therefore, a comparison across years is not available.

CIVICS 2006 15
ASSESSMENT CONTENT

Grade 4

The content of the assessment varies at each grade to refl ect what 

students should know and be able to do. The percentage of the 

assessment dedicated to each civics content area and each category 

of intellectual skills is specifi ed for each grade by the civics framework. 

Fourth-graders were presented with two 25-minute sections, each 

containing multiple-choice and constructed-response questions with 

15 questions per section. Each student took just a portion of the 

assessment. The entire assessment at grade 4 included 90 items, 

22 of them constructed response and 68 multiple choice.

16 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
Basic (136): Fourth-grade students performing at the 

Basic level should have an understanding of what 

government is and what it does, and they should be 

able to identify some things that government is not 

allowed to do. These students should have some 

understanding of the foundations of the American 

political system. In the context of their school and 

community, they should understand rules and laws, 

rights and responsibilities, and ways to participate in 

governing. These students should know that the world 

is divided into many countries. 

Pro cient (177): Fourth-grade students performing at 

the Proficient level should have a good understanding 

of what the American Government does and of why 

it is not allowed to act in certain ways. These students 

should have an age-appropriate understanding of the 

foundations of the American political system. They 

should understand purposes of laws, ways shared 

beliefs unify Americans, what it means to be a citizen, 

rights and responsibilities of citizens, and the idea of 

public participation in governing. These students 

should be able to describe ways in which countries 

interact with one another. 

Advanced (215): Fourth-grade students performing at 

the Advanced level should understand and be able to 

explain some purposes of government. When given ageappropriate examples, they should recognize differences 

between power and authority and between limited and 

unlimited government. They should be able to explain 

the importance of shared values in American democracy, 

to identify ways citizens can participate in governing, 

and to understand that with rights come responsibilities. 

They should be able to explain how nations bene8 t 

when they resolve conB icts peacefully.

The following multiple-choice question from the grade 4 

civics assessment requires the skill of “identifying and 

describing” in the content area, “What are the roles of 

citizens in American democracy?” 

The percentages below the question indicate how 

students performed on the question. In addition to 

the overall percentage of students who answered the 

question correctly, the percentage of students at 

each achievement level who answered the question 

correctly is presented. 

Question on the Fact That Only Citizens Can Vote in the U.S.

As an example of how to interpret these percentages, 75 

percent of the students overall answered the question 

below correctly. When only students at the Proficient

level are considered, 94 percent answered correctly.

In the United States, you have to be a citizen in

order to

A drive a car

B own a business

C vote in a presidential election

D write letters to newspaper editors

Civics Achievement Levels at Grade 4

The civics achievement levels at grade 4 represent what fourth-graders should know and be able to do at each level. 

The following are excerpts from the civics achievement-level descriptions with the corresponding cut scores 

noted in parentheses. The full descriptions can be found at http://www.nagb.org/pubs/civics_06.pdf.

Percentage correct in 2006

Overall Below Basic At Basic At Profi cient At Advanced

75 48 79 94 ‡

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for 

Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics 

Assessment.

CIVICS 2006 17
The following is an example of a longer (extended) 

constructed-response question that requires the 

intellectual skill of “evaluating, taking, and defending a 

position” in the content area, “What are the roles of 

citizens in American democracy?” Student responses 

were rated according to a four-point scale as 

“Complete,” “Acceptable,” “Partial,” or “Unacceptable.” 

Overall, 18 percent of students were rated as having a 

“Complete” response. The “Complete” plus 

“Acceptable” rating categories, though not shown, 

summed to 45 percent. When only students at the 

Proficient level are considered, 40 percent were rated 

as “Complete,” as illustrated by the example on the 

right.

Question on the Importance of a Rule or Law

The following constructed-response question requires 

the intellectual skill of “explaining and analyzing” in 

the content area, “What are civic life, politics, and 

government?” Student responses were rated according 

to a three-point scale as “Complete,” “Partial,” or 

“Unacceptable.” Overall, 48 percent of the students 

were rated as having a “Complete” response. The 

“Complete” plus “Partial” rating categories, though 

not shown, summed to 65 percent. When only students 

at the Proficient level are considered, 65 percent were 

rated as “Complete.” The sample student response 

shown on the right was rated as “Complete.”

Question on How Citizens’ Actions Can Affect the Community

Think about what you have learned about being 

a good citizen. Now read the list below. For each 

of the three actions, tell how it would affect other 

people in your community.

1) Not returning library books

2) Volunteering to help senior citizens with chores

Percentage rated as “Complete” in 2006 3) Littering

Overall Below Basic At Basic At Profi cient At Advanced

18 2 15 40 ‡

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for 

Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics 

Assessment.

Percentage rated as “Complete” in 2006

Overall Below Basic At Basic At Profi cient At Advanced

48 23 51 65 ‡

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for 

Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics 

Assessment.

Give an example of one rule or law you think is 

important for your community.

Explain why this rule or law is important for your 

community.

18 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
What Fourth-Graders Know and Can Do in Civics

The item map below provides another way to interpret 

the scale score and achievement-level results for 

fourth-graders. The left side of the item map shows 

the scores that de8 ne the lower boundaries of the 

Basic, Proficient, and Advanced achievement levels. 

The right side lists descriptions of some selected 

assessment questions that fall at various levels of 

difficulty on the 0–300 scale.

The map is a useful tool for understanding what it means 

to perform at different levels on the scale. For example, 

the map shows that students performing toward the lower 

end of the Basic achievement-level range (145) were likely 

to be able to identify that citizenship is required for one 

to vote in the United States. Students performing at the 

upper end of the Proficient achievement-level range (214) 

were likely to be able to explain why voting in a 

presidential election is important.

The position of a question on the scale represents the average scale score attained by students who had a 65 percent probability of correctly 

answering a constructed-response question, or a 74 percent probability of correctly answering a four-option multiple-choice question. Scale 

score ranges for civics achievement levels are referenced on the map. For constructed-response questions, the question description 

represents students’ performance rated as completely correct.

NOTE: Regular type denotes a constructed-response question. Italic type denotes a multiple-choice question.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment 

of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics Assessment.

Grade 4 NAEP Civics Item Map Advanced

Scale 

score Question description

300

277 Name two functions of state government 

249 Evaluate how certain actions can affect the community (page 18)

244 Explain the importance of a political responsibility

243 Recognize that defendants have a right to a lawyer

231 Identify the legislative branch

215

Proficient

214 Explain why it is important to vote for a president

209 Explain why sex discrimination is wrong 

202 Identify the role of the Supreme Court

198 Identify the level of government that signs peace treaties

196 Explain the importance of a rule or law (page 18)

189 Link Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott

183 Identify the two main political parties

178 Defi ne the meaning of the term “discrimination”

177

Basic

174 Interpret patriotic symbolism in an army recruitment poster

167 Explain an effective way to get a rule changed

165 Identify a service that local government provides

159 Recognize the importance of treaties between countries

154 Identify an illegitimate use of power

149 Recognize that the president is an elected offi cial

148 Explain the meaning of Memorial Day

145 Identify that only citizens can vote in the U.S. (page 17)

136

126 Identify a reason for police

123 Determine a civic duty in context

111 Explain classroom rules 

51 Identify the current U.S. President

0

CIVICS 2006 19
ASSESSMENT CONTENT

Grade 8

Compared with grade 4, there is a shift in content area emphasis at 

grade 8, with less time spent on defi nitions of civic life, politics, and 

government, and on the role of citizens. More time is spent on the 

foundations of the American political system, and the purposes, values, 

and principles of American democracy.

Eighth-graders were presented with two 25-minute sections, each 

containing multiple-choice and constructed-response questions with 

about 20 questions per section. Each student took just a portion of the 

assessment. The entire assessment at grade 8 included 154 questions, 

29 of them constructed response and 125 multiple choice.

20 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
Basic (134): Eighth-grade students performing at 

the Basic level should have some understanding of 

competing ideas about purposes of government, and 

they should be able to describe advantages of limited 

government. They should be able to de8 ne government, 

constitution, the rule of law, and politics. They should 

be able to identify the fundamental principles of 

American democracy and the documents from which 

they originate, and they should understand the 

importance of a shared commitment to the core values 

of American democracy. They should recognize the 

components of the political process and understand 

personal, political, and economic rights and 

responsibilities. They should be able to describe the 

purposes of some international organizations. 

Pro cient (178): Eighth-grade students performing 

at the Proficient level should understand and be able 

to explain purposes that government should serve. 

These students should have a good understanding of 

differences between government and civil society and 

of the importance of the rule of law. They should 

recognize discrepancies between American ideals and 

Civics Achievement Levels at Grade 8

The civics achievement levels at grade 8 represent what eighth-graders should know and be able to do at each 

level. The following are excerpts from the civics achievement-level descriptions with the corresponding cut 

scores noted in parentheses. The full descriptions can be found at http://www.nagb.org/pubs/civics_06.pdf.

reality and be able to describe continuing efforts to 

address them. They should understand the separation 

and sharing of powers among branches of government 

and between federal and state governments, and they 

should be able to explain how citizens influence 

government. They should be able to describe events 

within the United States and other countries that have 

international consequences. 

Advanced (213): Eighth-grade students performing 

at the Advanced level should have a developed 

understanding of how civil society helps to maintain 

limited government and why the rule of law is 

important. These students should have a clear 

understanding of issues in which democratic values 

are in conB ict and of past efforts to address the 

discrepancies between American ideals and reality. 

They should understand how citizens can monitor 

and inB uence government and how responsible 

citizens support democracy. They should recognize 

the impact of American democracy on other 

countries, as well as other countries’ impact on 

American politics and society.

CIVICS 2006 21
The following multiple-choice question addresses the 

skill of “explaining and analyzing” in the content 

area, “What are the foundations of the American 

political system?” The percentages below indicate 

how students performed on the question. In 

addition to the overall percentage of students who 

answered the question correctly, the percentage of 

students at each achievement level who answered the 

question correctly is presented. 

As an example of how to interpret these percentages, 

28 percent of the students overall answered the 

question on the right correctly. When only students 

at the Proficient level are considered, 61 percent 

answered correctly.

Question on the Historical Purpose of the Declaration of 

Independence

The following question refers to the passage below 

from the Declaration of Independence. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all 

men are created equal, that they are endowed by 

their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, 

that among these are Life, Liberty and the 

pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these 

rights, Governments are instituted among Men, 

deriving their just powers from the consent of 

the governed, that whenever any Form of 

Government becomes destructive of these ends, 

it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish 

it, and to institute new Government, laying its 

foundation on such principles and organizing its 

powers in such form, as to them shall seem most 

likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

The Declaration of Independence was written to

A appeal to other countries for help in fi ghting 

 Great Britain

B convince Great Britain to repeal the Stamp Act

C make laws for a new form of government

D explain why the colonies were breaking away 

 from Great Britain

Percentage correct in 2006

Overall Below Basic At Basic At Profi cient At Advanced

28 11 22 61 ‡

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for 

Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics 

Assessment.

22 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
Question on How Public Protests Can Achieve Political Goals

The following question requires the intellectual skill 

of “explaining and analyzing” in the content area, 

“What are the roles of citizens in American 

democracy?” Student responses were rated according 

to a three-point scale as “Complete,” “Partial,” or 

“Unacceptable.” 

Overall, 25 percent of eighth-graders’ responses 

were rated as “Complete,” and, though not shown, 

61 percent were rated as either “Partial” or 

“Complete.” When only students at the Proficient

level are considered, 48 percent of responses were 

rated as “Complete.” The sample student response 

shown below was rated as “Complete.”

Percentage rated as “Complete” in 2006

Overall Below Basic At Basic At Profi cient At Advanced

25 5 26 48 ‡

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for 

Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics 

Assessment.

The following question refers to the photograph below of the 1963 March on Washington.

What are two specifi c ways in which marches and demonstrations such as the one illustrated can achieve 

political goals?

1)

2)

Bruce Davidson/Magnum

CIVICS 2006 23
The following is an example of a longer (extended) 

constructed-response question that requires the 

intellectual skill of “evaluating, taking, and defending 

a position” in the content area, “What is the 

relationship of the United States to other nations and 

to world affairs?” Student responses were rated 

according to a four-point scale as “Complete,” 

“Acceptable,” “Partial,” or “Unacceptable.” 

Overall, 3 percent of students were rated as having 

a “Complete” response, and the “Complete” plus 

“Acceptable” rating categories summed to 13 percent 

(data not shown) for this dif8 cult question. When 

only students at the Proficient level are considered, 10 

percent were rated as “Complete.” The sample student 

response shown on the right was rated as “Complete.”

Question on Decision-Making in a Foreign Policy Scenario

Percentage rated as “Complete” in 2006

Overall Below Basic At Basic At Profi cient At Advanced

3 0.00 2 10 ‡

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for 

Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics 

Assessment.

The following question is based on the situation 

described below. 

 Teresia is a small country that has been invaded 

by its neighbor Corollia. The king of Teresia is 

a long-standing United States ally who has been 

living in exile since the Corollian invasion. 

Teresia is an important exporter of uranium; it 

sends most of its supply to members of the 

European Union. The king appeals to the United 

States and the United Nations for military help 

in driving Corollia from his country.

Identify two pieces of information NOT given 

above that you would need before you could 

decide whether or not the United States military 

should help Teresia. Explain why each piece of 

information would be important.

1)

2)

24 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
What Eighth-Graders Know and Can Do in Civics

The item map below provides another way to interpret 

the scale score and achievement-level results for eighthgraders. The left side of the item map shows the 

scores that de8 ne the lower boundaries of the Basic, 

Proficient, and Advanced achievement levels. The right 

side lists descriptions of some selected assessment 

questions that fall at various levels of dif8 culty on 

the 0–300 scale.

The map is a useful tool for understanding what it 

means to perform at different levels on the scale. For 

example, students performing in the middle of the 

Basic achievement-level range (157) are likely to be able 

to identify a central purpose of the United Nations. 

Students performing toward the upper end of the 

Proficient achievement-level range (203) are likely to 

be able to identify a schematic representation of the 

structure of a parliamentary government.

The position of a question on the scale represents the average scale score attained by students who had a 65 percent probability of correctly answering 

a constructed-response question, or a 74 percent probability of correctly answering a four-option multiple-choice question. Scale score ranges for civics 

achievement levels are referenced on the map. For constructed-response questions, the question description represents students’ performance rated as 

completely correct. 

NOTE: Regular type denotes a constructed-response question. Italic type denotes a multiple-choice question.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress 

(NAEP), 2006 Civics Assessment.

Grade 8 NAEP Civics Item Map Advanced

Scale 

score Question description

300

278 Evaluate the stance of the Declaration of Independence on individual vs. government 

266 Evaluate the decision-making in a foreign policy scenario (page 24)

223 Interpret a phrase from the Gettysburg Address 

219 Explain how public protests can achieve political goals (page 23)

213 Identify a characteristic of constitutional government

213

Proficient

208 Explain the historical purpose of the Declaration of Independence (page 22)

206 Explain the women’s rights movement 

205 Explain that people control their government

203 Identify the parliamentary structure of government

196 Identify an example of checks and balances

193 Explain why jury duty is important

190 Evaluate a city council agenda 

189 Link religious freedom to the Bill of Rights

184 Explain the civic purpose of a wartime poster

179 Identify the branches of the government

178

Basic

177 Identify that only the national government prints money

173 Interpret a political cartoon about gun control

169 Explain that peaceful assembly is protected by the law

168 Determine an instance of abuse of power

167 Identify a problem requiring an international solution

157 Identify a central purpose of the United Nations

151 Identify the term limit for the president

150 Interpret a political cartoon

140 Explain how rules help people

134

129 Identify a notice for jury duty

122 Interpret text on the role of associations in the U.S.

103 Analyze the purpose of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence

0

CIVICS 2006 25
ASSESSMENT CONTENT

Grade 12

Compared with grade 8, more assessment time at grade 12 was devoted to 

the relationship of the United States to other nations and world affairs and 

to the roles of citizens in American democracy. Somewhat less time was 

devoted to the defi nitions of civic life, politics, and government, and the 

foundations of the American political system.

Twelfth-graders were presented with two 25-minute sections, each 

containing multiple-choice and constructed-response questions with 

19 questions per section. Each student took just a portion of the 

assessment. The entire assessment at grade 12 included 152 questions, 

30 of them constructed response and 122 multiple choice.

26 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
Basic (139): Twelfth-grade students performing at the 

Basic level should have an understanding of what is 

meant by civil society, constitutional government, and 

politics. They should know that constitutional 

governments can take different forms, and they should 

understand the fundamental principles of American 

constitutional government and politics, including 

functions of political parties and other organizations. 

They should understand both rights and responsibilities 

in a democratic society, and they should recognize the 

value of political participation. They should be familiar 

with international issues that affect the United States. 

Proficient (174): Twelfth-grade students performing at 

the Proficient level should have a good understanding 

of how constitutions can limit the power of government 

and support the rule of law. They should be able to 

describe similarities and differences among constitutional 

systems of government, and they should be able to 

explain fundamental American democratic values, their 

applications, and their contribution to expanding 

political participation. They should understand the 

Civics Achievement Levels at Grade 12

The civics achievement levels at grade 12 represent what twelfth-graders should know and be able to do at each 

level. The following are excerpts from the civics achievement-level descriptions with the corresponding cut 

scores noted in parentheses. The full descriptions can be found at http://www.nagb.org/pubs/civics_06.pdf.

structure of American government and be able to 

evaluate activities of political parties, interest groups, 

and media in public affairs. They should be able to 

explain the importance of political participation, 

public service, and political leadership. They should 

be able to describe major elements of American 

foreign policy and the performance of major 

international organizations. 

Advanced (204): Twelfth-grade students performing at 

the Advanced level should have a thorough and mature 

understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of 

various forms of constitutional democracy. They should 

be able to explain fully the structure of American 

government and the political process. They should 

understand differences between American ideals and 

realities, and they should be able to explain past and 

present responses to those differences. They should 

understand why civic dispositions and individual and 

collective political actions sustain democracy. They 

should be able to explain objectives and consequences of 

American foreign policy.

CIVICS 2006 27
The following multiple-choice question addresses the 

skill of “explaining and analyzing” in the content 

area, “What are civic life, politics, and government?” 

The percentages below indicate how students 

performed on the question. In addition to the overall 

percentage of students who answered the question 

correctly, the percentage of students at each 

achievement level who answered the question correctly 

is presented. 

As an example of how to interpret these percentages, 

53 percent of the students overall answered the 

question on the right correctly. When only students 

at the Proficient level are considered, 78 percent 

answered correctly.

Question on Analyzing Text and Explaining the Parliamentary 

System

The following question is based on the quotation 

below. 

We have a constitutional system that so fragments 

and divides power that it’s impossible to give this 

country effective, long-run leadership. . . . The 

system has led to an inability to plan and get on 

top of problems ahead of time. Even at best, this 

country has always been twenty to sixty years 

behind other industrial democracies in dealing 

with tough problems.

—James MacGregor Burns, 1988 

Parliamentary systems might not show the same 

fragmentation that Burns fi nds in the American 

system because in parliamentary systems

A more real power is given to local governments

B power is not divided among three branches 

of government

C governments do not try to play an active 

role in the economy

D political parties do not differ over important 

issues

Percentage correct in 2006

Overall Below Basic At Basic At Profi cient At Advanced

53 31 51 78 94

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for 

Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics 

Assessment.

28 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
Question on Evaluating a Domino Theory Political Cartoon

The following question requires the intellectual skill 

of “evaluating, taking, and defending a position” in 

the content area, “What is the relationship of the 

United States to other nations and to world affairs?” 

Student responses were rated according to a threepoint scale as “Complete,” “Partial,” or “Unacceptable.” 

Overall, 24 percent of twelfth-graders’ responses were 

rated as “Complete,” and, though not shown, 38 percent 

were rated as either “Partial” or “Complete.” When only 

students at the Proficient level are considered, 53 percent 

of responses were rated as “Complete.” The sample 

student response shown below was rated as “Complete.”

Percentage rated as “Complete” in 2006

Overall Below Basic At Basic At Profi cient At Advanced

24 4 22 53 81

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for 

Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics 

Assessment.

The following question refers to the cartoon below, which was drawn in the 1960s.

Describe the foreign policy concern pictured in the cartoon.

Do you think this concern was valid? Explain why or why not.

Reprinted by permission.

CIVICS 2006 29
The following is an example of a longer (extended) 

constructed-response question that requires the 

intellectual skill of “explaining and analyzing” in the 

content area, “How does the government 

established by the Constitution embody the 

purposes, values, and principles of American 

democracy?” Student responses were rated according 

to a four-point scale as “Complete,” “Acceptable,” 

“Partial,” or “Unacceptable.” 

Overall, 5 percent of students were rated as having 

a “Complete” response, and the “Complete” plus 

“Acceptable” rating categories summed to 16 percent 

for this dif8 cult question (data not shown). When only 

students at the Proficient level are considered, 13 percent 

were rated as “Complete.” The sample student response 

shown below was rated as “Complete.”

Question on Explaining Checks on the President’s Power

Percentage rated as “Complete” in 2006

Overall Below Basic At Basic At Profi cient At Advanced

5 0.15 1 13 43

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for 

Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics 

Assessment.

Explain three ways in which the power of the President can be checked by the legislative or the judicial branch.

1) 

2)

3) 

30 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
What Twelfth-Graders Know and Can Do in Civics

The item map below provides another way to 

interpret the scale score and achievement-level results 

for twelfth-graders. The left side of the item map 

shows the scores that de8 ne the lower boundaries 

of the Basic, Proficient, and Advanced achievement 

levels. The right side lists descriptions of some 

selected assessment questions that fall at various 

levels of dif8 culty on the 0–300 scale.

The map is a useful tool for understanding what it 

means to perform at different levels on the scale. For 

example, students performing toward the middle of 

the Basic achievement-level range (152) were likely to 

be able to identify the context of a “Buy War Bonds” 

poster from World War II. Students performing at the 

upper end of the Proficient achievement-level range 

(203) were likely to be able to understand a political 

cartoon depicting the domino theory and to evaluate 

its validity.

The position of a question on the scale represents the average scale score attained by students who had a 65 percent probability of correctly 

answering a constructed-response question, or a 74 percent probability of correctly answering a four-option multiple-choice question. Scale 

score ranges for civics achievement levels are referenced on the map. For constructed-response questions, the question description represents 

students’ performance rated as completely correct.

NOTE: Regular type denotes a constructed-response question. Italic type denotes a multiple-choice question.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of 

Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Civics Assessment.

Grade 12 NAEP Civics Item Map Advanced

Scale 

score Question description

300

261 Explain the earnings gap between men and women

238 Explain checks on the President’s power (page 30)

234 Identify an important issue in U.S.-Japanese relations

213 Explain a benefi t of federalism

204

Proficient

203 Evaluate a domino theory political cartoon (page 29)

201 Describe the meaning of federalism in the U.S.

191 Identify the outcome when state and national laws confl ict

186 Apply a constitutional principle to a community confl ict scenario 

183 Analyze text and explain the parliamentary system (page 28)

180 Explain the President’s responsibility to enforce the law

176 Identify the President’s role in foreign policy

174

Basic

171 Evaluate the reasoning in a Supreme Court decision

170 Identify protection provided by the 1st amendment

168 Identify and explain a constitutional principle 

165 Explain a limitation of the Supreme Court’s Brown decision

160 Interpret the message of a political cartoon

152 Identify the context of a World War II war bonds poster

146 Analyze straightforward historical text on a public issue

141 Identify a leadership position in Congress

139

131 Evaluate proposed changes to political processes

122 Describe the information in a graph of political attitudes

112 Identify the main idea in a historical document

0

CIVICS 2006 31
Technical Notes

Sampling and weighting

The schools and students participating in NAEP 

assessments are chosen to form a sample representative of the nation. This sample was selected using 

a strati8 ed, two-stage design that involved sampling 

students from selected schools (public and nonpublic) 

across the country. More information on sampling can 

be found at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/

nathow.asp. 

Each school that participated in the assessment, and 

each student assessed, represents a portion of the 

population of interest. Results are weighted to make 

appropriate inferences between the student samples and 

the respective populations from which they are drawn. 

Sampling weights account for the disproportionate 

representation of the selected sample and for the 

oversampling of students who attend schools with high 

concentrations of minority students, as well as for the 

lower sampling rates of students who attend very small 

nonpublic schools. 

Reporting race/ethnicity

The scores presented in this report for 1998 and 2006 

are based on school reports of students’ race/ethnicity. 

The numbers in this report differ from those in the 

NAEP civics report for 1998. The categorization of 

race/ethnicity for the earlier report was based on 

student self-identi8 cation.

National School Lunch Program

Under the guidelines of the National School Lunch 

Program, children from families with incomes below 130 

percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. 

Those from families with incomes between 130 and 185 

percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced-price 

meals. (For the period July 1, 2005 through June 30, 

2006, for a family of four, 130 percent of the poverty 

level was $25,155, and 185 percent was $35,798.)

Accommodations

In the 1998 civics assessment, testing accommodations, 

such as extra time or individual administration, were 

provided to students with disabilities and English 

language learners who required accommodations to 

participate. For the 2006 civics assessment, accommodations were also provided, and the reported results 

include the performance of students who received 

accommodations. In the 2006 civics assessment, 3 

percent of the sample was excluded from testing at 

grade 4, and 2 percent at each of grades 8 and 12, 

because they could not meaningfully participate even 

with the accommodations NAEP allows. The 

percentages of the assessed sample that received 

accommodations in 2006 were 11 percent at grade 4, 

10 percent at grade 8, and 7 percent at grade 12. The 

results presented in this report reB ect the performance 

of students who could be assessed. No attempt was 

32 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD
made to infer or include performance estimates for 

students who could not be assessed due to a disability 

or because they were still learning English. Additional 

information on exclusion rates can be found at http://

nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/inclusion.asp.

School/student participation rates

To ensure unbiased samples, participation rates for the 

original sample need to be at least 85 percent for schools 

to meet reporting requirements established by NCES 

and the Governing Board. The school participation 

rates for grades 4, 8, and 12 were 92, 93, and 79 percent, 

respectively. Student participation rates were 95, 92, 

and 72 percent, respectively, for each of the three 

grades. Because the participation rate for grade 12 

public schools was below 85 percent, an analysis was 

performed examining the potential for nonresponse bias 

introduced through school nonresponse. The results 

showed that school substitution and nonresponse 

adjustments were effective in reducing the observable 

nonresponse bias.

A NAEP/Governing Board reporting rule requires a 

70 percent initial school participation rate in order to 

report data separately for the public/private sectors. 

While participation rate standards were met for public 

schools at grades 4, 8, and 12, they were not met for 

private schools at any of the three grades (61, 62, and 

41 percent, respectively); therefore, data for these 

schools are not reported separately. Participation 

rates for Catholic schools, which are included with 

the private category, did meet reporting standards at 

grades 4 (92 percent) and 8 (83 percent). Performance 

data for Catholic schools at grades 4 and 8 are available at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/.

Results by region of the country

Prior to 2003, NAEP results were reported 

separately for four NAEP-de8 ned regions of the 

nation: Northeast, Southeast, Central, and West. As 

of 2003, NAEP analyses and reports have used the 

U.S. Census Bureau’s de8 nition of “region” to align 

NAEP with other federal data collections. The four 

regions de8 ned by the U.S. Census Bureau are 

Northeast, South, Midwest, and West. More 

information on reporting for regions in NAEP can 

be found at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/

help/qs/NAEP_Reporting_Groups.asp#5. 

Data for region of the country are not reported for 

two reasons. First, the change in the de8 nition of 

region from 1998 to 2006 prevents the calculation of 

trend data. Second, in 2006, the participation rate of 

twelfth-graders in the West region fell below the 

reporting requirement of 70 percent. Data for the 

other three regions can be found at http://nces.ed.

gov/nationsreportcard/nde/.

Interpreting statistical signifi cance

Comparisons over time or between groups are based 

on statistical tests that consider both the size of the 

differences and the standard errors of the two statistics 

being compared. Standard errors are margins of error, 

and estimates based on smaller groups are likely to 

have larger margins of error. The size of the standard 

errors may also be inB uenced by other factors such as 

how representative the students assessed are of the 

entire population. When an estimate has a large 

standard error, a numerical difference that seems large 

may not be statistically signi8 cant. Differences of the 

same magnitude may or may not be statistically 

signi8 cant depending upon the size of the standard 

errors of the statistics. For example, a 3-point 

difference between male and female students may be 

statistically signi8 cant, while a 4-point difference 

between Black and Hispanic students may not be. 

Standard errors for the NAEP scores and percentages 

presented in this report are available at http://nces.ed.

gov/nationsreportcard/nde/.

CIVICS 2006 33
Margaret Spellings

Secretary

U.S. Department 

of Education

Grover J. Whitehurst

Director

Institute of 

Education Sciences

Mark Schneider

Commissioner

National Center for 

Education Statistics

Peggy G. Carr

Associate Commissioner

National Center for 

Education Statistics

www.ed.gov

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally mandated project sponsored by the 

U.S. Department of Education. The National Center for Education Statistics, a department within the Institute 

of Education Sciences, administers NAEP. The Commissioner of Education Statistics is responsible by law for 

carrying out the NAEP project.

“ O U R M I S S I O N I S T O E N S U R E E Q U A L A C C E S S T O E D U C A T I O N A N D T O 

PROMOTE EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGHOUT THE NATION.”

THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT GOVERNING BOARD

In 1988, Congress created the National Assessment Governing Board to set policy for 

the National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly known as The Nation's 

Report Card TM. The Board is an independent, bipartisan group whose members include 

governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business 

representatives, and members of the general public.

Darvin M. Winick, Chair 

President

Winick & Associates

Austin, Texas 

Amanda P. Avallone, Vice Chair 

Assistant Principal and 

Eighth-Grade Teacher

Summit Middle School 

Boulder, Colorado 

Francie Alexander 

Chief Academic Of cer, 

Scholastic, Inc. 

Senior Vice President, 

Scholastic Education 

New York, New York 

David J. Alukonis 

Chairman

Hudson School Board

Hudson, New Hampshire 

Barbara Byrd-Bennett 

Executive Superintendent-inResidence

Cleveland State University 

Cleveland, Ohio 

Gregory Cizek 

Professor of Educational 

Measurement 

University of North Carolina

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Shirley V. Dickson 

Educational Consultant 

Aliso Viejo, California 

Honorable David P. Driscoll 

Commissioner of Education 

Massachusetts Department of 

Education

Malden, Massachusetts 

John Q. Easton 

Executive Director

Consortium on Chicago School 

Research

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Alan J. Friedman 

Consultant

Museum Development and Science 

Communication

New York, New York 

David W. Gordon 

County Superintendent of Schools 

Sacramento County Of8 ce of 

Education 

Sacramento, California 

Robin C. Hall 

Principal 

Beecher Hills Elementary School

Atlanta, Georgia 

Kathi M. King 

Twelfth-Grade Teacher

Messalonskee High School

Oakland, Maine

Honorable Keith King 

Former Member

Colorado House of Representatives 

Denver, Colorado

Kim Kozbial-Hess 

Fourth-Grade Teacher

Hawkins Elementary School

Toledo, Ohio

James S. Lanich 

President 

California Business for 

Education Excellence

Sacramento, California 

Honorable Cynthia L. Nava 

Senator 

New Mexico State Senate 

Las Cruces, New Mexico 

Andrew C. Porter 

Director, Learning Sciences 

Institute 

Peabody College,

 Vanderbilt University 

Nashville, Tennessee 

Luis A. Ramos 

Community Relations Manager

PPL Susquehanna

Berwick, Pennsylvania 

Mary Frances Taymans, SND

Executive Director

Secondary Schools Department

National Catholic Educational 

Association 

Washington, D.C.

Oscar A. Troncoso

Principal

Socorro High School

El Paso, Texas

Honorable Michael E. Ward 

Former North Carolina 

Superintendent of 

Public Instruction

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Eileen L. Weiser 

Former Member, 

State Board of Education 

Michigan Department of 

Education

Lansing, Michigan

Grover J. Whitehurst 

(Ex offi cio)

Director

Institute of Education Sciences

U.S. Department of Education

Washington, D.C.

Charles E. Smith

Executive Director 

National Assessment 

Governing Board

Washington, D.C.

T H E N A T I O N ’ S 

REPORT CARD

CIVICS 2006

May 2007

MORE INFORMATION

The report release site is 

http://nationsreportcard.gov.

The NCES web electronic 

catalog is http://nces.ed.gov/

pubsearch.

For ordering information, 

write to

U.S. Department of Education

ED Pubs

P.O. Box 1398

Jessup, MD 20794-1398

or call toll free 1-877-4ED-Pubs

or order online at http://www.

edpubs.org

S U G G E S T E D 

CITATION

Lutkus, A.D., and Weiss, A.R. 

(2007). The Nation’s 

Report Card: Civics 2006

(NCES 2007–476). U.S. 

Department of Education, 

National Center for Education 

Statistics. Washington, D.C.: 

U.S. Government Printing Of8 ce.

CONTENT CONTACT

Emmanuel Sikali

202-502-7419

emmanuel.sikali@ed.gov