FILE – Students work in the library during homeroom at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School in Pottsville, Pa., on March 15, 2022. 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 in either subject, according to the the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (Lindsey Shuey/Republican-Herald via AP, File)

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. That 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. Nearly one-third of eighth grade students, 31%, cannot describe the structure or function of government, according to the results.