Kids still don’t know much about history

Or geography and civics, either

New results from 2014 National Assessment of Educational Progress tests in eighth grade history, civics and geography are out, and Education Week reports the kids flat lined with the dismal performance from four years earlier in 2010.

What kids across the country know about those subjects is apparently truly dismal. For example, the NAEP Report Highlights show only 18 percent, less than one in five, eighth grade students tested proficient or more in U.S. History. That is grim!

NAEP 2014 History, Geography and Civics Summary

These NAEP tests only include nationwide results, but given the debacle currently under way with the attempt last October to revise Kentucky’s social studies standards, I am pretty sure Kentucky’s kids would not shine on these tests.

By the way, it’s about time for another version of those Kentucky social studies standards to come up for review. I hope that the deplorable mess that was presented in October 2014 has been replaced with something much better. Certainly, the new NAEP results show our kids need a lot more than most are getting now and a set of standards essentially “devoid” of content won’t cut it.