Alarming Achievement Data Ought to Spur Big Changes to Civics Education

At their best, state boards of education use data to drive policymaking, but achievement results related to civics are not fueling the change needed. Just 22 percent of eighth grade students across the country are working at the Proficient level in civics on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP. Last administered in 2022, the NAEP civics test measures students’ knowledge and skills in democratic citizenship, government, and American constitutional democracy.

While proficiency is the goal, about a third of students are not meeting even the NAEP Basic benchmark, meaning they likely cannot describe the structure and function of US government. Average scores are trending downward, with score drops for lower-performing students driving the decline—a sign of growing inequality in US schools. What is more, students’ confidence in their civic knowledge and skills is down. They sense there is a problem.

While proficiency is the goal, about a third of students are not meeting even the NAEP Basic benchmark, meaning they likely cannot describe the structure and function of US government.

So what are schools, systems, and state policymakers doing about it? Some states are enacting policies to improve civics education.[1] But they are not going far enough. Few states teach civics before high school.[2] Instead, teachers are lightly weaving it into social studies, which is already crowded out by reading and math and which lacks rigorous standards, assessments, and teacher supports.[3]

Only a handful of states require at least a year of civics education for middle or high school students, and fewer than a dozen have a high-quality assessment that asks students to demonstrate what they know and can do in multiple ways and that aligns to rigorous course content. Some states give portions of the federal government’s citizenship test to high school students, but that test lacks depth and rigor, calls for rote memorization of basic facts, and is not fully aligned to course content or state standards.

For the first time this year, all eighth graders in Massachusetts took a civics test aligned to a year-long class on citizenship and US and Massachusetts government. When they come out this fall, the results will give the state board, where I serve as a member, its first glimpse of students’ knowledge and skills in this domain. We will be able to identify and learn from schools and districts that are excelling in their civic mission, while also identifying places that need to improve. All states should develop such a civics assessment, tied to their own standards.

But that test alone may not be enough to drive greater urgency. What is also needed is a way to compare results on a high-quality civics assessment across states. We have seen the power of cross-state comparison in literacy, when Mississippi leaders, for example, grew tired of being outperformed by other states on the Nation’s Report Card and adopted policies that led to big reading gains. There may be a state similarly leading the way in civics achievement, but it is impossible to know without a shared assessment.

What is also needed is a way to compare results on a high-quality civics assessment across states.

Up until now, the Nation’s Report Card has provided only national-level results on the civics exam. Fortunately, states will have the chance for their students to participate in a NAEP Civics assessment in 2030 that will yield state-by-state results, like they get for math and reading. State board members should be making a strong case for participation in this gold-standard assessment as a check on how their students are doing compared with others and whether approaches they are trying are working.

Massachusetts has also asked its middle and high schools to give each of their students the opportunity to lead a civics-related project. It is vital that young people learn much about how government works and learn how to apply that knowledge toward addressing civic problems. There is some disagreement in education circles over which should be emphasized, but schools can and should teach both.

It is vital that young people learn much about how government works and learn how to apply that knowledge toward addressing civic problems.

I have been so impressed with student projects on topics that range from helping people access mental health services to improving recycling practices and revitalizing downtown business areas. Meaningful civic participation is not passive, and I am glad my state is asking students to study and actively engage with civics.

State policymakers can also prioritize civics education by developing awards or certificates that celebrate student performance and requiring students to complete service-learning hours. Louisiana policymakers recently created a diploma endorsement for excellence in civics based on scores on the state civics test. In Maryland, students must complete 75 service-learning hours to graduate. This requirement is designed to help them explore their role as engaged citizens.

State boards should ask what is happening in civics education in their communities and find ways to support those efforts. My board, for example, has developed a guidebook to help teachers facilitate student projects. It includes guidance around project planning and assessing project-based learning.

State boards should ask what is happening in civics education in their communities and find ways to support those efforts.

At this time of great division in American political life, there is broad support for improving civics education and ensuring that young people understand the nation’s institutions and how to engage with them, according to researchers at the University of Southern California.[4] Fewer than one third of adults think US schools do a good job preparing students for citizenship, and majorities of both Republicans and Democrats want students to learn about civics topics through a wide range of instructional activities.

Students working at the low and middle range of the civics achievement scale lost ground on the latest Nation’s Report Card, while higher achievement students held steady. So, as in other academic subjects, the gap between these groups is widening. Civics, like reading and math, is essential to being a productive member of society. No state leader wants a citizenry with weak civic knowledge and a growing gap between those who understand how their government and institutions work and can participate in civic life and those who cannot.

It is time to reverse these trends. As state board members, we can start by tapping the power of data and establishing the policies, programs, and practices needed to strengthen civics education in America. If we do that, we will reap the benefits in higher student achievement and a more perfect union.

Martin R. West is academic dean and professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the National Assessment Governing Board.

Notes

[1] Lauren Gendill, “Civic Education Policy Snapshot,” web page (National Council of State Legislators, updated March 25, 2025).

[2] Sophia Craiutu and Jed Ngalande, “State Civics Requirements in 2024,” essay (Hoover Institution, December 2024).

[3] Melissa K. Diliberti, Ashley Woo, Julia H. Kaufman, “The Missing infrastructure for Elementary (K-5) Social Studies Instruction: Findings from the 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey,” research report (RAND, 2023).

[4] Anna R. Saavedra et al., “Agreement Across the Aisle: Schools Should Prepare Students for the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship,” report (University of Southern California, February 2025).