ERIC Number: ED389666
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1995-Nov
Pages: 64
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-0-16-048438-3
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
NAEP 1994 U.S. History: A First Look. Findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Williams, Paul L.; And Others
This report is a first look at the results of the 1994 NAEP U.S. History Assessment. It presents national findings of 4th-, 8th-, and 12-grade students' overall performance and summary data for the major demographic subpopulations in the United States. Results are reported on a 500-point scale, used to show comparisons and trends over time, and according to the achievement levels, which are in a developmental stage, established by the National Assessment Governing Board. About 60 percent of the assessment was devoted to performance exercises with the remainder to multiple-choice questions. Sample questions for grade level are provided. The preliminary results show: (1) the pattern of average scores by grade was typical of other subjects assessed by NAEP; (2) among the different regions of the United States, student scores varied by each grade level with high school seniors in the Southeast scoring a lower average than those in the Northeast and Central regions; (3) 17 percent of 4th graders, 14 percent of 8th graders, and 11 percent of 12th graders reached the proficient level which demonstrates competency in challenging subject matter; (4) 64 percent of 4th graders, 61 percent of 8th graders and 43 percent of 12th graders attained at least the basic level which demonstrates partial mastery of challenging subject matter; (5) across the three grades, 1 to 2 percent reached the advanced level showing superior performance; (6) U.S. history scores at all grade levels were higher for students whose parents had more education; (7) at grade 12, males scored higher than females in U.S. history with no differences between males and females in average scores evident at grades 4 and 8; (8) at grades 4, 8, and 12, White and Asian students had significantly higher U.S. history scores than did Black and Hispanic students; and (9) 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade students attending non-public schools displayed higher U.S. history scores than their counterparts attending public schools. Tables, figures, and graphs accompany the text. (EH)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Comparative Testing, Educational Assessment, Elementary Secondary Education, Grade 12, Grade 4, Grade 8, History Instruction, National Norms, Private Schools, Public Schools, Social Studies, Student Evaluation, Test Norms, Test Results, United States History
U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328.
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: National Assessment of Educational Progress, Princeton, NJ.; Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ. Center for the Assessment of Educational Progress.
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Assessment of Educational Progress
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A