II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1414 

To amend the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization 

Act to require State academic assessments of student achievement in 

United States history and civics, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 16, 2007 

Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the National Assessment of Educational Progress 

Authorization Act to require State academic assessments 

of student achievement in United States history and 

civics, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American History and 

5 Civics Achievement Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 


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1 (1) the 2006 National Assessment of Edu2 cational Progress assessments in United States his3 tory and civics demonstrated high percentages of 

4 students scoring below basic even though there were 

5 increases in scores, particularly for lower-performing 

6 students, compared to previous such assessments; 

7 (2) in the 2006 National Assessment of Edu8 cational Progress assessment in United States his9 tory— 

10 (A) 30 percent of students in grade 4 

11 scored below basic, 35 percent of students in 

12 grade 8 scored below basic, and 53 percent of 

13 students in grade 12 scored below basic; 

14 (B) a 31 point achievement gap exists for 

15 students in grade 4 who are from low-income 

16 families, as compared to students in grade 4 

17 who are from high-income families, a 32 point 

18 achievement gap exists between black and white 

19 students in grade 4, and a 30 point achieve20 ment gap exists between white and Hispanic 

21 students in grade 4; 

22 (C) 86 percent of students in grade 12 

23 could not explain a reason for United States in24 volvement in the Korean War; 


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1 (D) 99 percent of students in grade 8 

2 could not explain how the fall of the Berlin 

3 Wall affected United States foreign policy; and 

4 (E) 76 percent of students in grade 4 

5 could not explain why early American pioneers 

6 settled on the western frontier; 

7 (3) in the 2006 National Assessment of Edu8 cational Progress assessment in the United States 

9 civics— 

10 (A) 27 percent of students in grade 4 

11 scored below basic, 30 percent of students in 

12 grade 8 scored below basic, and 34 percent of 

13 students in grade 12 scored below basic; 

14 (B) a 29 point achievement gap exists for 

15 students in grade 4 who are from low-income 

16 families, as compared to students in grade 4 

17 who are from high-income families, a 25 point 

18 achievement gap exists between black and white 

19 students in grade 4, and a 26 point achieve20 ment gap exists between white and Hispanic 

21 students in grade 4; 

22 (C) 72 percent of students in grade 8 

23 could not explain the historical purpose of the 

24 Declaration of Independence; and 


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1 (D) 57 percent of students in grade 12 

2 were unable to describe the meaning of fed3 eralism in the United States; 

4 (4) America’s past encompasses great leaders 

5 and great ideas that contribute to our shared herit6 age and to the principles of freedom, equality, jus7 tice, and opportunity for all; 

8 (5) an appreciation for the defining events in 

9 our Nation’s history can be a catalyst for civic in10 volvement; and 

11 (6) the strength of American democracy and 

12 our standing in the world depend on ensuring that 

13 our children have a strong understanding of our Na14 tion’s past. 

15 SEC. 3. AMENDMENT TO THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF 

16 EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS AUTHORIZATION 

17 ACT. 

18 Section 303(b) of the National Assessment of Edu19 cational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9622(b)) 

20 is amended— 

21 (1) in paragraph (2)(D), by inserting ‘‘(with a 

22 priority in conducting assessments in history not less 

23 frequently than once every 4 years)’’ after ‘‘subject 

24 matter’’; and 

25 (2) in paragraph (3)(A)— 


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1 (A) in clause (iii)— 

2 (i) by inserting ‘‘except as provided in 

3 clause (iv),’’ before ‘‘may conduct’’; and 

4 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semi5 colon; 

6 (B) by redesignating clause (iv) as clause 

7 (v); and 

8 (C) by inserting after clause (iii) the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(iv) shall conduct trial State aca11 demic assessments of student achievement 

12 in United States history in grades 8 and 

13 12 in not less than 10 States representing 

14 geographically diverse regions of the 

15 United States and in civics in grades 8 and 

16 12 in not less than 10 States representing 

17 geographically diverse regions of the 

18 United States (with a priority given to con19 ducting assessments in United States his20 tory); and’’. 

21 SEC. 4. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT GOVERNING BOARD. 

22 Section 302(e)(1) of the National Assessment of 

23 Educational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 

24 9621(e)(1)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subparagraph (I), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

2 the semicolon; 

3 (2) by redesignating subparagraph (J) as sub4 paragraph (K); 

5 (3) in the flush matter at the end, by striking 

6 ‘‘subparagraph (J)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraph 

7 (K)’’; and 

8 (4) by inserting after subparagraph (I) the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(J) in consultation with the Commissioner 

11 for Education Statistics, identify and select the 

12 States that will participate in the trial State 

13 academic assessments described in section 

14 303(b)(3)(A)(iv); and’’. 

15 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

16 Section 305 of the National Assessment of Edu17 cational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9624) is 

18 amended— 

19 (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub20 section (c); and 

21 (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(b) HISTORY AND CIVICS ASSESSMENTS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated— 


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1 ‘‘(1) $7,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 

2 and 2009 to carry out sections 303(b)(3)(A)(iv) and 

3 302(e)(1), of which not more than $500,000 for 

4 each fiscal year shall be available to carry out sec5 tion 302(e)(1); and 

6 ‘‘(2) such sums as may be necessary to carry 

7 out such sections for each succeeding fiscal year.’’. 

8 SEC. 6. CONFORMING AMENDMENT. 

9 Section 113(a)(1) of the Education Sciences Reform 

10 Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9513(a)(1)) is amended by strik11 ing ‘‘section 302(e)(1)(J)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

12 302(e)(1)(K)’’. 

Æ 


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