II 

Calendar No. 640 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 860 

[Report No. 109–348] 

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 

APRIL 20, 2005 

Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. DODD, and Ms. LANDRIEU) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

SEPTEMBER 26, 2006 

Reported by Mr. ENZI, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American History 

3 Achievement Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds that— 

6 (1) the 2001 National Assessment of Edu7 cational Progress assessment in United States his8 tory had the largest percentage of students scoring 

9 below basic of any subject that was tested, including 

10 mathematics, science, and reading; 

11 (2) in the 2001 National Assessment of Edu12 cational Progress assessment in United States his13 tory— 

14 (A) 33 percent of students in grade 4 

15 scored below basic, 36 percent of students in 

16 grade 8 scored below basic, and 57 percent of 

17 students in grade 12 scored below basic; 

18 (B) 92 percent of students in grade 12 

19 could not explain the most important cause of 

20 the Great Depression after reading a paragraph 

21 delineating 4 significant reasons; 

22 (C) 91 percent of students in grade 8 

23 could not ‘‘list two issues that were important 

24 in causing the Civil War’’ and ‘‘list the North25 ern and Southern positions on each of these 

26 issues’’; 


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1 (D) 95 percent of students in grade 4 

2 could not list ‘‘two reasons why the people we 

3 call ‘pioneers’ moved west across the United 

4 States’’; 

5 (E) 73 percent of students in grade 4 

6 could not identify the Constitution from among 

7 4 choices as ‘‘the document that contains the 

8 basic rules used to run the United States gov9 ernment’’; 

10 (F) 75 percent of students in grade 4 

11 could not identify ‘‘the three parts of the fed12 eral (national) government of the United 

13 States’’ out of 4 possible choices; 

14 (G) 94 percent of students in grade 8 

15 could not ‘‘give two reasons why it can be use16 ful for a country to have a constitution’’; and 

17 (H) 91 percent of students in grade 12 

18 were unable to ‘‘explain two ways that demo19 cratic society benefits from citizens actively par20 ticipating in the political process’’; 

21 (3) America’s past encompasses great leaders 

22 and great ideas that contribute to our shared herit23 age and to the principles of freedom, equality, jus24 tice, and opportunity for all; 


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1 (4) an appreciation for the defining events in 

2 our Nation’s history can be a catalyst for civic in3 volvement; and 

4 (5) the strength of American democracy and 

5 our standing in the world depend on ensuring that 

6 our children have a strong understanding of our Na7 tion’s past. 

8 SEC. 3. AMENDMENT TO THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF 

9 EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS AUTHORIZATION 

10 ACT. 

11 Section 303(b) of the National Assessment of Edu12 cational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9622(b)) 

13 is amended— 

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

15 priority in conducting assessments in history not less 

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

17 matter’’; and 

18 (2) in paragraph (3)(A)— 

19 (A) in clause (iii)— 

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

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

22 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semi23 colon; 

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

25 (v); and 


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1 (C) by inserting after clause (iii) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(iv) shall conduct trial State aca4 demic assessments of student achievement 

5 in United States history in grades 8 and 

6 12 in not less than 10 States representing 

7 geographically diverse regions of the 

8 United States and in civics in grades 8 and 

9 12 in not less than 10 States representing 

10 geographically diverse regions of the 

11 United States (with a priority given to con12 ducting assessments in United States his13 tory); and’’. 

14 SEC. 4. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT GOVERNING BOARD. 

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

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

17 9621(e)(1)) is amended— 

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

19 the semicolon; 

20 (2) by redesignating subparagraph (J) as sub21 paragraph (K); 

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

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

24 (K)’’; and 


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1 (4) by inserting after subparagraph (I) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(J) in consultation with the Commissioner 

4 for Education Statistics, identify and select the 

5 States that will participate in the trial State 

6 academic assessments described in section 

7 303(b)(3)(A)(iv); and’’. 

8 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

9 Section 305 of the National Assessment of Edu10 cational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9624) is 

11 amended— 

12 (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub13 section (c); and 

14 (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol15 lowing: 

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

17 are authorized to be appropriated— 

18 ‘‘(1) $7,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 

19 and 2007 to carry out sections 303(b)(3)(A)(iv) and 

20 302(e)(1), of which not more than $500,000 for 

21 each fiscal year shall be available to carry out sec22 tion 302(e)(1); and 

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

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


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1 SEC. 6. CONFORMING AMENDMENT. 

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

3 Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9513(a)(1)) is amended by strik4 ing ‘‘section 302(e)(1)(J)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

5 302(e)(1)(K)’’. 

6 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

7 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American History 

8 Achievement Act’’. 

9 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

10 Congress finds that— 

11 (1) the 2001 National Assessment of Educational 

12 Progress assessment in United States history had the 

13 largest percentage of students scoring below basic of 

14 any subject that was tested, including mathematics, 

15 science, and reading; 

16 (2) in the 2001 National Assessment of Edu17 cational Progress assessment in United States his18 tory— 

19 (A) 33 percent of students in grade 4 scored 

20 below basic, 36 percent of students in grade 8 

21 scored below basic, and 57 percent of students in 

22 grade 12 scored below basic; 

23 (B) 92 percent of students in grade 12 could 

24 not explain the most important cause of the 

25 Great Depression after reading a paragraph de26 lineating 4 significant reasons; 


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1 (C) 91 percent of students in grade 8 could 

2 not ‘‘list two issues that were important in caus3 ing the Civil War’’ and ‘‘list the Northern and 

4 Southern positions on each of these issues’’; 

5 (D) 95 percent of students in grade 4 could 

6 not list ‘‘two reasons why the people we call ‘pio7 neers’ moved west across the United States’’; 

8 (E) 73 percent of students in grade 4 could 

9 not identify the Constitution from among 4 

10 choices as ‘‘the document that contains the basic 

11 rules used to run the United States government’’; 

12 (F) 75 percent of students in grade 4 could 

13 not identify ‘‘the three parts of the federal (na14 tional) government of the United States’’ out of 

15 4 possible choices; 

16 (G) 94 percent of students in grade 8 could 

17 not ‘‘give two reasons why it can be useful for 

18 a country to have a constitution’’; and 

19 (H) 91 percent of students in grade 12 were 

20 unable to ‘‘explain two ways that democratic so21 ciety benefits from citizens actively participating 

22 in the political process’’; 

23 (3) America’s past encompasses great leaders 

24 and great ideas that contribute to our shared heritage 


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1 and to the principles of freedom, equality, justice, and 

2 opportunity for all; 

3 (4) an appreciation for the defining events in 

4 our Nation’s history can be a catalyst for civic in5 volvement; and 

6 (5) the strength of American democracy and our 

7 standing in the world depend on ensuring that our 

8 children have a strong understanding of our Nation’s 

9 past. 

10 SEC. 3. AMENDMENT TO THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF 

11 EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS AUTHORIZATION 

12 ACT. 

13 Section 303(b) of the National Assessment of Edu14 cational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9622(b)) is 

15 amended— 

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

17 priority in conducting assessments in United States 

18 history not less frequently than once every 4 years)’’ 

19 after ‘‘subject matter’’; and 

20 (2) in paragraph (3)(A)— 

21 (A) in clause (iii)— 

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

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

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semi25 colon; 


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

2 (v); and 

3 (C) by inserting after clause (iii) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(iv) shall conduct (in connection with 

6 assessments in United States history and 

7 civics scheduled pursuant to paragraph 

8 (2)(D)) trial State academic assessments of 

9 student achievement in United States his10 tory in grades 8 and 12 in not less than 10 

11 States representing geographically diverse 

12 regions of the United States and in civics in 

13 grades 8 and 12 in not less than 10 States 

14 representing geographically diverse regions 

15 of the United States (with a priority given 

16 to conducting assessments in United States 

17 history); and’’. 

18 SEC. 4. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT GOVERNING BOARD. 

19 Section 302(e)(1) of the National Assessment of Edu20 cational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9621(e)(1)) 

21 is amended— 

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

23 the semicolon; 

24 (2) by redesignating subparagraph (J) as sub25 paragraph (K); 


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

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

3 (K)’’; and 

4 (4) by inserting after subparagraph (I) the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(J) in consultation with the Commissioner 

7 for Education Statistics, identify and select the 

8 States that will participate in the trial State 

9 academic assessments described in section 

10 303(b)(3)(A)(iv); and’’. 

11 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

12 Section 305 of the National Assessment of Educational 

13 Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9624) is amended— 

14 (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection 

15 (c); and 

16 (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(b) UNITED STATES HISTORY AND CIVICS ASSESS19 MENTS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to amounts oth21 erwise appropriated under subsection (a)(1)(2), there 

22 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out sec23 tions 303(b)(3)(A)(iv) and 302(e)(1)— 


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1 ‘‘(A) $8,500,000 for the fiscal year pre2 ceding the conduct of the first trial assessment 

3 described in section 303(b)(3)(A)(iv); 

4 ‘‘(B) $8,500,000 for the fiscal year during 

5 which the first trial assessment described in sec6 tion 303(b)(3)(A)(iv) is conducted; and 

7 ‘‘(C) such sums as may be necessary for 

8 each fiscal year succeeding the fiscal year de9 scribed in subparagraph (B). 

10 ‘‘(2) AMOUNTS FOR THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT

11 GOVERNING BOARD.—From the amounts made avail12 able under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph 

13 (1), not more than $500,000 shall be available for 

14 each fiscal year to carry out section 302(e)(1).’’. 

15 SEC. 6. CONFORMING AMENDMENT. 

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

17 Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9513(a)(1)) is amended by striking 

18 ‘‘section 302(e)(1)(J)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

19 302(e)(1)(K)’’. 


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Calendar No. 640 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 860 

[Report No. 109

–348] 

A BILL 

To amend the National Assessment of Educational 

purposes. United States history and civics, and for other demic assessments of student achievement in Progress Authorization Act to require State acaSEPTEMBER 26, 2006 

Reported with an amendment 


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