U.S. students’ declining test scores in history and civics show the pandemic’s impact

Students work in the library at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School in Pottsville, Pa., in March 2022. Test scores in history and civics have declined slightly for eighth-graders in the U.S.

(Lindsey Shuey / Associated Press)

Test scores in history and civics have declined slightly for eighth-grade students in the U.S., according to results that show an increasing number of children lack a basic understanding of either subject.

The scores were released Wednesday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The same assessment reported in October that every single state had seen a decline in math or reading scores amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest scores, officials said, reflect more of the impact of the disruptions from the virus that shuttered schools across the country.

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