This report is a first look at the results of the NAEP 1994 geography assessment. It presents national findings of students' overall performance on the NAEP geography scale , and summary data for the major demographic subpopulations in the nation. The test framework, adopted by NAGB after a national consensus process, provides for an assessment of knowledge, understanding, and applications in the major content areas of geography education. This assessment requires students not only to demonstrate factual knowledge but also to think critically about geographic issues, such as the physical and human processes that shape patterns of settlement and trade. About 60 percent of assessment time was devoted to questions requiring short or extended written answers, and the remainder to multiple-choice questions.
Some questions require a student to draw inferences from the information provided.
A wide variety of maps and graphs are used to measure the ability of students to interpret and analyze geographic materials. As is typically the case in subjects assessed by NAEP, student performance varied by region . Among high school seniors, for example, students in the Southeast had lower average scores than did those in the other regions. The results are reported according to the achievement levels established by the National Assessment Governing Board. Across the three grades, about 70 percent of students attained at least the Basic level.