Report: Shockingly Few Latino Students Are Proficient In U.S. History; But Scores Are Improving

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Only about a quarter of eighth-graders scored well on U.S. history, civics and geography tests, and Latino students did worse than other groups even though their scores improved over past tests, the Associated Press reports.

Only 18% of students demonstrated solid performance or better in U.S. history, 27% in geography, and 23% in civics on the test. The test, called the Nation’s Report Card, is administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress to a representative sample of students.

An example of test results via the Associated Press:

“Less than half — 45 percent — of eighth-grade respondents were able to correctly interpret time differences using an atlas with time zones. Only about a third knew that ‘the government of the United States should be a democracy’ is a political belief shared by most people in the U.S.”

Overall test scores were similar to the last test in 2010 and better than scores in the 1990s, but White and Asian students performed better than their Latino and black peers.

Latino students made gains in U.S. history and geography and white students made gains in U.S. history and civics, and the scores of black and Asian students didn’t budge in the three categories, according to the Associated Press.

“These results are disappointing, bad for our nation’s future and not surprising,” Ted McConnell, executive director of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of School, told the Huffington Post. “These results are due to a narrowed curriculum and a focus on a few subjects, over all others, that has gone on too long and has to stop. These results are due to policymaker actions that undermine effective instruction in these subjects.”