K-12 Social Studies Standards Revision Process

As K-12 Social Studies embarks upon the Standards Revision Process we pledge to carry out a clear and open process in accordance to state law, state board policy, and agency processes this page will serve as a place to communicate with the public and all stakeholders throughout the revision and implementation process.

Reason for Revising Standards

As a part of policy, all 50 states, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), and D.C. periodically review existing state-level academic standards and may choose to revise or create new standards to address academic, education, and societal changes over time and to best meet the needs of student learners.

In April 2019 the State Board of Education for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) approved the request from the Division of Standards, Curriculum, and Instruction to begin the process of “review” and possible “revision” of the current K-12 Social Studies academic standards.

The Process

A three-step process is used to make changes to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) for Social Studies. The components of that process are review, revise, and implement.

Review (Completed)

NCDPI K-12 Social Studies will facilitate the standards review phase with the assistance of national and state-level data, standards research, and input of educator and citizen stakeholders.

Data gathering requests were sent out from NCDPI Social Studies in the form of an interest survey and a survey requesting assessment and feedback on the current standards.

• A tremendous thank you is extended to all who submitted a survey expressing interest in serving as either a writer or a reviewer in the revision of K-12 Social Studies standards.

• Another thank is extended to those who offered feedback on the current Social Studies standards. This information was used to help guide and make decisions for the revision of standards.

Revise (Currently In Progress - Consult Timelines)

The revision process will facilitate writing and review teams consisting of educators and external stakeholders selected from individuals who submit their interest through a publicly distributed survey. Although it is not possible that each person interested in being on a writing or a review team will be selected, EVERYONE will have the opportunity to be involved in this process through the public review and feedback cycles for each draft of the documents, of which there will be a minimum of three drafts. The revision phase will ensure the development of clear and measurable standards that are rigorous and easily understood by teachers, institutions of higher learning, non- formal education partners, and external stakeholders.

Implement

Following State Board of Education (SBE) approval of the new or revised standards, K-12 Social Studies will support the implementation of the newly approved Social Studies NCSCOS by providing training and collecting data and feedback to evaluate the implementation process. There will be professional training offered prior to the submission of the proposed standards to the SBE to build capacity for social studies teachers to understand Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RBT) in context to our conceptual framework, and understand the intent of what the writers envision for teaching and learning of the standards.