The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) outlines standards for social studies in the US. The benchmarks act like guiding principles for curriculum development for teachers, schools, districts, and states within the US and other countries (Adler et al., 2011). The updated 2010 standards provide a platform for revised teaching, learning, and assessment procedures based on contemporary research and consistency (Adler et al., 2011). At the state level, Nevada has the Academic Content Standards for Social Studies. These standards necessitate the development of students’ skills and knowledge in the content area, enabling society to thrive locally and globally (Cuenca et al., 2018). This paper explores the creation of national and state-wide social studies standards and determines the effect that the standards have on social studies teaching in Nevada.
History and Development
National Standards
NCSS has created a standard for social studies education across America. The council released the first countrywide curriculum guidelines for social studies in 1994. These have served as a framework for the alignment and development of curriculum by many educators and policymakers at various stages of learning. The standards were distributed over ten themes representing different areas of knowledge about human interactions from pre-K through grade 12 (NCSS, n.d.b). The ten themes comprise a wide range of content with multiple social science subject areas and related disciplines conveniently summarized to help in the applications across various social studies fields. The social studies curriculum incorporates various themes such as culture, history, geography, individual development, social institutions, governance, economics, technology, global connections, and civic ideals, aiming to teach essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions in an integrated manner, forming the foundational elements of a comprehensive social studies education.
In 2010, NCSS developed revitalized national curriculum standards for further improvement and development. This set of standards included the latest research findings, practitioner feedback, and increased focus on consistency and clarity (NCSS, n.d.a). The standards continued to follow the same structure of themes but expressed more explicitly what students should know, what skills to obtain, and what processes should be used at each grade level (NCSS, n.d.b). They also have reinforced the alignment between the social studies standards and English Language Arts standards to emphasize disciplinary literacy and allow the integration of social studies content and skills. The amended standards strongly emphasized active, inquiry-supported learning and the formation of the students as involved in the learning process. They laid out the basic questions, the knowledge, and the cognitive processes related to each theme, as well as how the student should be able to create a concrete product or performance to show their comprehension. Through the granularity of the new standards, educators should be able to create rigorous and engaging learning opportunities within the classrooms to ensure that students are ready for college, career, and active citizens.
The NCSS has also formulated the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. The new guideline was presented in 2013. C3 is the product of cooperation among the leaders of the state education, the social studies specialists, and the teachers who, collectively, have formulated the standards for restructuring state standards on the subjects and improving instruction (Swan et al., 2014). The C3 Framework’s Inquiry Arc has four dimensions: questioning and planning inquiries, applying disciplinary concepts, evaluating evidence, communicating conclusions, and taking action (American Bar Association et al., 2013). Inquiry-based social studies engages students in social science practices by developing questions, analyzing evidence, and communicating conclusions. C3 Framework also focuses on disciplinary knowledge and skills, as each social science discipline, civics, economics, geography, and history has its frameworks, tools, and concepts necessary for understanding the world (American Bar Association et al., 2013). Similarly to the C3 Framework, interdisciplinary connections and integration of knowledge and skills across subject areas are emphasized, and this is done in a way that mirrors the complexity of the social world and the need for students to understand social issues and phenomena comprehensively.
Taken together, the C3 Framework and the National curriculum standards of NCSS offer a full-blown set of guidelines that provide for developing rigorous programs that would prepare leaders for the problems of the 21st century. These standards seek to achieve this aim by rooting social studies education in powerful themes and authentic disciplinary practices, which will help develop students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions as responsible citizens and lifelong learners. The standards represent an opportunity for states and school districts to craft their social studies curricula into a more meaningful and engaging learning experience that empowers all students to be knowledgeable and beneficial citizens of the diverse, interdependent world.
Nevada Academic Content Standards for Social Studies
The academic content standards for social studies in Nevada are a blueprint of all the competencies and knowledge crucial for students to thrive in the up-to-date and globalized world. The hope is that all students will get social studies standards-based instruction that helps them fathom, question, and become actual participants in public affairs. Achievements include interacting with politics, tapping into diverse cultures and standpoints, identifying patterns and sequences, applying critical thinking, using technology correctly, and practicing literacy by working with primary and secondary sources (Nevada Department of Education, n.d.). Intentionally, the standards also connect with Common Core ELA standards in writing, reading, listening and speaking, and language, indicated by the color coding of social studies standards to its corresponding ELA standard areas in the crosswalk document. This holistic framework is designed to help the students develop social studies knowledge, cultural awareness, civic participation, critical thinking skills, and literacy proficiency, which are essential to becoming informed citizens of a multicultural society (Nevada Department of Education, n.d.).
Impact of the Standards on Nevada Curriculum Implementation
The primary curriculum standards for the NCSS, C3 Framework, and Nevada Academic Content Standards are designed to create a framework for providing a high-quality social studies education that prepares students for college, career, and citizenship in the 21st century. These standards have shaped social studies instruction and curriculum by integrating civic engagement, themes, inquiry, disciplinary content, and skills.
The C3 Framework uses questions to guide instruction, spark curiosity, deepen inquiry, build content knowledge, and promote active citizenship (American Bar Association et al., 2013). The Inquiry Arc, a tool used for organizing the Inquiry-based approach, is employed to develop a curriculum in which students learn tools of inquiry in the four dimensions of disciplinary knowledge and practice questioning, investigating, reasoning with evidence, and communicating conclusions.
The alignment of the C3 Framework with the Common Core ELA standards provides a meaningful context for developing disciplinary literacy in social studies. The CCSS emphasizes that the five language domain skills of writing, reading, speaking, listening, and language are crucial for developing a deep understanding in all disciplines and for higher education, professional, and civic life (American Bar Association et al., 2013).
Among the three levels of education in Nevada, the state-sponsored Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS) provides the curriculum and instructional framework for social studies designed to develop students’ skills and knowledge to be active citizens (Chen, 2019). Critical thinking, inquiry, literacy, and the ability to prepare for the 21st century are three of the main principles around which a social studies curriculum is built, with the standards determining the demonstration of civic engagement, investigation of interconnectedness patterns, and the reliance on both primary and secondary sources (Valbuena, 2014).
Conclusion
Developing standards for social studies has been a journey that puts the learner at the center of the education system. The NCSS national curriculum standards were created in 1994 and revised to reflect the current society and students’ learning journey. These national standards provided a framework for states that saw their adoption and the development of state-level standards, such as the Nevada Academic Content Standards for Social Studies. The C3 Framework, released in 2013, helped bring more rigor and inquiry as the focal point of social studies education. These criteria are grounded on research and evidence, are comprehensive in their content, aim to improve students’ college readiness, career skills, and civic life, and are strict in their demands. These tests also function as national benchmarks that put the country’s diversity and the education system’s commitment to preparing the students for the problems of the 21st century. The social studies standards have highly motivated students to become critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and active participants in their communities, which in the long term make them the ones who have a strong understanding of their communities and appreciate the different perspectives and experiences in the world.
References
Adler, S. A., Altoff, P., McGrew, C., Tyson, C. A., & Marri, A. R. (2011). Expectations of excellence: Curriculum standards for social studies. National Council for the Social Studies.
American Bar Association, American Historical Association, Association of American Geographers, Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, Center for Civic Education, Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago, Constitutional Rights Foundation USA, Council for Economic Education, National Council for Geographic Education, National Council for History Education, National Council for the Social Studies, National Geographic Society, National History Day, Street Law, Inc., & World History Association. (2013). The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K-12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History. National Council for the Social Studies. Retrieved from
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Cuenca, A., Castro, A. J., Benton, B., Hostetler, A., Heafner, T., & Thacker, E. (2018). National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) National Standards for the Preparation of Social Studies Teachers. National Council for the Social Studies. Retrieved from
https://www.socialstudies.org/standards/national-standards-preparation-social-studies-teachers
NCSS. (n.d.a). National curriculum standards for social studies: A framework for teaching, learning, and assessment. Retrieved from
https://www.socialstudies.org/standards/national-curriculum-standards-social-studies
NCSS. (n.d.b). National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: Introduction. Retrieved from
https://www.socialstudies.org/standards/national-curriculum-standards-social-studies-introduction
Nevada Department of Education. (n.d.). Social studies. Retrieved from
https://doe.nv.gov/offices/office-of-teaching-and-learning/social-studies
Swan, K., Lee, J. K., Mueller, R., Day, S. H., & Grant, S. G. (Eds.). (2014). Teaching the college, career, and civic life (C3) framework: Exploring inquiry-based instruction in social studies. National Council for the Social Studies.
Valbuena, R. (2014). The College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework: An Inquiry Approach to Social Studies. The Social Studies, 3(1).
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