Slide 1

2008 History and Social Science Standards of Learning:Using Student Engagement To Support Active Learning and Assessment

January 2013

We need to approach social studies instruction differently.

No longer is memorizing the facts enough.

While students still need to know the basic facts, they also need to be able to apply the essential skills, make connections, compare and contrast, analyze primary sources, interpret maps and charts, and organize information in flow charts and time lines.

Teachers need to focus on "doing history" not just "knowing history."

# The Curriculum Framework amplifies the Standards of Learning by defining the content understandings, knowledge, and skills that are measured by the Standards of Learning assessments. Each Standard of Learning includes at least one framework page divided into four columns that include:

essential understandings; essential questions; essential knowledge; and essential skills.

2008 History and Social Science Standards of Learning Curriculum Framework

# Assessment items may be drawn from any of the four columns and items may not and should not be a verbatim reflection of the information presented in the Curriculum Framework.

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Essential Skills in the Curriculum Framework

#Teaching Strategies to Support Rigor and Student EngagementUsing inquiry methods to help students seek their own answers

Finding ways to make learning relevant to the real world

Using content vocabulary to show understanding

Integration of technology

Construction of understanding

Using Backwards Design in lesson planning

Helping students learn strategies they need to attack challenging text, detect bias, gather relevant information, and decide how to put what theyve learned to work in a useful way

#Skills in Virginia Studies

VS.1 The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible citizenship, including the ability to

identify and interpret artifacts and primary and secondary source documents to understand events in history;

b) determine cause-and-effect relationships;

c) compare and contrast historical events;

d) draw conclusions and make generalizations;

e) make connections between past and present;

f) sequence events in Virginia history;

g) interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives;

h) evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing;

i) analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships among landforms, water features, climatic characteristics, and historical events.

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History and Social Science AssessmentsReleased Items for History and Social Science

2013 complete test in the spring2011 - 7 sample items per test2007 complete test2003 10 sample items per test

#2008 History and Social Science Standards of Learning Assessment and Blueprint InformationThere have been no changes to the number of items or the test format. Technology enhanced items (TEI) are not included in the history and social science tests.

Each test continues to include items that have a range of difficulty; however, the overall rigor of the tests has increased.

Approximately 50 percent of the questions on the new tests require students to apply knowledge, compare information, or analyze and interpret information in order to respond to the item.

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Virginia Studies Blueprint Summary Table

#Assessments Then and NowGrade 3

#Assessments Then and NowVirginia Studies

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Assessments Then and NowUnited States History to 1865

#Assessments Then and NowUnited States History 1865 to the Present

#Assessments Then and NowCivics and Economics

#Assessments Then and NowWorld Geography

#Assessments Then and NowVirginia and United States History

#THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO FOR YOUR STUDENTS!

# Thank you! Please contact me if I can be of any further assistance!Betsy Barton, History and Social Science Specialist E-mail: Betsy.Barton@doe.virginia.gov

With acknowledgment to Dr. Beverly Thurston, retired history and social science coordinator, who assisted with this presentation.

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