Virginia Department of Education
VCSSSCE Meeting
October 15 , 2015

Goal of the
History and Social Science
Standards of Learning
The study of history and social science is vital in promoting a civic-minded, democratic society.
All students need to know and understand our national heritage in order to become informed participants in shaping our nation’s future.
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 Standards of Learning Review Process
 Overview of the Revisions
 Local Alternative Assessments
 TEIs and the History and Social Science SOL
Assessments
 Resources and Training
 Communications

Code of Virginia
§ 22.1-253.13:1. Standard 1. Instructional programs supporting the Standards of Learning and other educational objectives.
The Board of Education shall establish educational objectives known as the Standards of Learning, which shall form the core of Virginia's educational program, and other educational objectives, which together are designed to ensure the development of the skills that are necessary for success in school and for preparation for life in the years beyond.

Timeline for the Review of the
Standards of Learning
Code of Virginia § 22.1-253.13:1-2. The Board of
Education shall establish a regular schedule, in a manner it deems appropriate, for the
review, and revision as may be necessary
, of the
Standards of Learning in all subject areas. Such review of each subject area shall occur at least once every seven years. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the board from conducting such review and revision on a more frequent basis.

History and Social Science
Standards of Learning Review
The History and Social Science
Standards of Learning were reviewed and revised as necessary in 2014 and adopted by the Virginia Board of
Education on March 26, 2015 .

History and Social Science
Review Process
January 2014 – March 2015
Revised the 2008 History and Social Science Standards of Learning
March 2015:
Virginia Board of Education approved 2015 History and Social
Science Standards of Learning
Fall 2015:
The proposed History and Social Science Standards of Learning
Curriculum Framework goes to the Virginia Board of Education for first review. Public comment period follows.
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Overview of the Revisions
by Grade Level/Course

Revisions
Social science skills were added to strengthen career and college performance expectations.
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Revisions
Restructuring of K-3 content
– Kindergarten: Community
– Grade One: Virginia
– Grade Two: United States
– Grade Three: Ancient cultures in
World History
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Revisions
• Virginia Studies and United States
History courses
– clarity, specificity, rigor, and alignment of skills and content to reflect current academic research and practice
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Revisions
• World Geography, World History and
Geography to 1500 A.D. (C.E) and World
History and Geography: 1500 A.D. (C.E.) to Present
– Restructured the course content to expand the global focus
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Revisions
• Virginia and United States
Government
– Removed redundancy of content presented in the mandatory
Economics and Personal Finance course.
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Legislative Mandate:
House Bill 930 and Senate Bill 306
Legislation in the 2014 General Assembly amended §
22.1-253.13:3.C of the Code of Virginia to eliminate several Standards of Learning (SOL) tests:
– Grade 3 History,
– Grade 3 Science,
– Grade 5 Writing,
– United States History to 1865, and
– United States History: 1865 to the Present.
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Guidelines for Local Alternative
Assessments for 2014-2015
Developed in Response to 2014 Acts of
Assembly
Approved by the Virginia Board of
Education on September 18, 2014
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Guidelines for Local Alternative
Assessments for 2014-2015
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Use of Authentic Performance
Assessments
Performance assessments generally require students to perform a task or create a product that is typically scored using a rubric.
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Use of Authentic Performance
Assessments
Authentic performance assessments often include tasks that mirror those that might occur in a “real-life” situation.
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“…this [test replacement] should be viewed as an opportunity to engage in innovation that will provide new opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the curriculum.”
Guidelines for Local Alternative Assessments for 2014-2015
Developed in Response to 2014 Acts of Assembly
Approved by the Virginia Board of Education on September 18, 2014

How do the changes in the
2015 History and Social Science
Standards of Learning support
Local Alternative Assessments?

1.
The addition of social science skills at every course were strengthened to prepare students for career and college readiness
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• A: Using Information sources
• B: Applying geographic skills
• C: Organizing information
• D: Questioning and critical thinking
• E: Comparing and contrasting
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• F: Determining cause and effect
• G: Making connections
• H: Making economic decisions
• I: Exercising civic responsibility
• J: Demonstrating comprehension
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2.
Provides an opportunity for teachers to develop instructional lessons and activities that engage students with the content using the essential skills.
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Information
Sources
Organize information
Compare and Contrast
Make
Connections
Ask appropriate questions and summarize points and evidence

The Mexican–American War , also known as the Mexican War , the
U.S.–Mexican War or the Invasion of Mexico , was an armed conflict between the United States and the
Centralist Republic of Mexico (which became the Second Federal Republic of Mexico during the war) from 1846 to 1848. It followed in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory, despite the 1836 Texas
Revolution. It was the fourth of the five major wars fought on American
Online Article
Years' War, the American
Revolutionary War and the War of
1812 and succeeded by the American
Civil War.
Primary Source
Abraham Lincoln to Congress, January 12,
1848 (Speech regarding Mexican War)

3.
Provides an opportunity for teachers to teach for
rather than memorization .
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• Discourage teaching for memorization of FACTS
• Ask questions that are open-ended and require evidence to support arguments
• Use of ‘cold reads’
• Make connections
• Use of text-based vocabulary
• Apply writing components

4.
Provides an opportunity to effectively
and
.
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History and Social
Science
Using Informational Sources
Applying Geographic Skills
Organizing Information
Questioning
Comparing and Contrasting
Determining Cause & Effect
Making Connections
Exercising Civic Responsibility
Demonstrating comprehension
Reading
Chronological/Sequential
Comparison/Contrast
Cause & Effect
Enumeration/Listing
Problem/Solution
Concept/ Definition
Process
Order of Importance
Spatial
Classification
Question/Answer
Explanation/Generalization

Informational
Functional
Narrative

reassuring content for local school divisions while content upon which their own instruction is dependent has been dependent has been taught, and that taught, and that students come to them prepared to learn.
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Superintendent’s Memo #163-15:
2015 History and Social Science Standards
of Learning Implementation Timeline
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Superintendent’s Memo #163-15:
2015 History and Social Science Standards
of Learning Implementation Timeline
Some of the items to be field-tested in the spring of 2016 for all online history tests will be technology-enhanced items (TEI) which assess the 2008 Standards. Technology-enhanced items require students to indicate their answers in item formats other than the common multiple-choice format. TEI field-tested in the spring of 2017 will assess the revised 2015 Standards.

Superintendent’s Memo #163-15
Please note that the practice items will only be samples . They will not they prepare students for this new item type. Please course, nor will they provide they provide examples of all item types or functionality functionality that may be found in the field-test items.

Resources and Training
Adoption of the Curriculum Framework
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Resources and Training
Creation of Resources (Spring/Summer 2016)
• Alignment to the Standard
• Focus on Essential Skills by creating opportunities for historical and critical thinking
• Relevant and Accessible External
Resources
• Exemplars to support creation of
Performance and Authentic Assessments
• Connect to other disciplines
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Resources and Training
External Partners
Train the
Trainers
Demonstrate
Instructional
Strategies
External
Partners
Access to
Information
Sources
Provide
Resources
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Resources and Training
Format of Resources
Webinars
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Exemplars

Communications
Superintendent's Memos
Teacher Direct
Department of Education
History and Social Science Monthly Newsletter
VCSSSCE
Virginia Consortium of Social Studies
Supervisors and College Educators
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Thank you!
Christonya Brown, K-12, History and Social Science Coordinator
E-mail: Christonya.Brown@doe.virginia.gov
Betsy Barton, Elementary, History and Social Science Specialist
E-mail: Betsy.Barton@doe.virginia.gov