All Things Social Studies
Social Studies Standards, Curriculum, and Testing
In and Beyond Colorado
2012 Educating for Citizenship Conference
December 7, 2012
Session Overview
 State Social Studies Assessment
 Vision for the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3):
Framework for Inquiry in Social Studies State
Standards
 District Sample Curriculum Project
 Literacy in History/Social Studies – CCSS Reading &
Writing standards for the social studies classroom
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Colorado’s State Social Studies
Assessment
State Assessment
 ETS/Pearson is the contractor for test development
 Assessment based on Colorado’s social studies standards
 Concept and skill based
 All standards/GLE’s (history, geography, economics/PFL, and civics)
are eligible to be assessed
 Grades to be tested: 4 & 7 (spring), 12 (fall)
 Pilot the new assessment in Spring 2013
 Full implementation Spring 2014
For additional information, contact Joyce Zurkowski (zurkowski_j@cde.state.co.us ) or
Glen Sirakavit (sirakavit_g@cde.state.co.us ) in the assessment office at CDE
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Vision for the College, Career, and
Civic Life (C3): Framework for
Inquiry in Social Studies State
Standards
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C3 Update
 A framework to guide states as they rework
their own standards in social studies
 The "four dimensions of informed inquiry"
 developing questions and planning
investigations;
 applying disciplinary concepts and tools;
 gathering, evaluating, and using evidence;
 working collaboratively and communicating
conclusions
 Release anticipated “sometime next year”
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"Since this is a geography book, shouldn't it
have a table of continents?"
District Sample Curriculum
Project
Colorado’s Unique Standards
Based Template
 Design reflects emphasis on concepts and content in CAS
• Centers around ideas
• Supports teaching to greater intellectual depth
• Emphasizes knowledge TRANSFER and APPLICATION
• Addresses the 21st skills (in the CAS) that prepare students for
the complexities of an ever-changing world
 Design reflects feedback from educators across the
state
• Customizable and flexible
• Technical assistance from Dr. Lynn Erickson
• This is Colorado’s Template!
Literacy in History/Social Studies
Reading & Writing
1. The Reading and Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies are
part of the Common Core State Standards in ELA
 They point to specific skills that students should be acquiring as they read and
write in a social studies classroom
 They provide additional clarity for the CAS that refer to skill acquisition and
transfer
2. The standards were considered based on the context and the concepts and
content within the unit
 For example: the first unit overview for 6th grade has students “start at the
beginning” in the development of reading and writing skills
3. Appropriate standards selected by unit
 Consideration for how the Reading & Writing Standards for Literacy in
History/Social Studies could be distributed across the year
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Phase One: Fall Workshops
 Educators attended a single two-day workshop, arranged by
grade level and content area, to help create year-at-a-glance
and unit overview samples for the CAS.
 Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Curriculum Development
 October12-13, 2012
 3rd Grade - 5th Grade Curriculum Development
 October 26-27, 2012
 6th Grade - 8th Grade Curriculum Development
 November 2-3, 2012
 9th Grade - 12th Grade Curriculum Development
 November 9-10, 2012
Phases Two & Three
 Phase 2: Regional Curriculum Development Workshops (1/13-5/13)
 Develop curriculum samples - Differentiated by sequence and/or
concepts
 Phase 3: Regional Instructional Design Workshops (5/13-8/13)
 Regional instructional unit build out
 http://www.cde.state.co.us/StandardsAndInstruction/Sample
CurriculumProject.asp
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All Things Social Studies
 http://www.cde.state.co.us/CoSocialStudies/index.asp
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Questions?
Comments?
Please contact:
hartman_s@cde.state.co.us
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