The 2007 National Civics and Citizenship Sample Assessment report is the second to be published on Civics and Citizenship in the cycle of three-yearly sample assessments conducted by MCEETYA as part of its National Assessment Program (NAP). The assessment measured students’ civic knowledge and understanding and their citizenship participation skills and dispositions. The assessment was conducted in October 2007 with 7,059 Year 6 students from 349 schools and 5,506 Year 10 students from 269 schools participating. The participating students were from both government and non-government schools. Results of the assessment show that nationally, 54 per cent of Year 6 students achieved or bettered the Year 6 proficient standard and 41 per cent of Year 10 students achieved or bettered the Year 10 proficient standard. This represents a slight improvement on the 2004 assessment of 3 per cent for Year 6 students and 2 per cent for Year 10 students. The proficient standard represents a “challenging but reasonable” expectation for typical Year 6 and 10 students to have reached by the end of each of those years of study. The report also found that students performed better where their schools provided them with opportunities to participate in civics and citizenship activities and also in school governance activities such as voting and decision-making at school.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/suzanne_mellor/7/