The project to develop shared social studies standards inched forward last month, in part by clarifying that it is not writing social studies standards. Instead, it is creating a framework to guide states as they rework their own standards in that subject.
Release of a framework for common standards in social studies had been anticipated at the annual meeting of the National Council for the Social Studies, in Seattle last month.
Officials involved in the state work on the project decided it was not yet ready for release. Instead, an eight-page statement, the “Vision for the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Inquiry in Social Studies State Standards,” was released. It lays out the “four dimensions of informed inquiry” that will shape the framework: developing questions and planning investigations; applying disciplinary concepts and tools; gathering, evaluating, and using evidence; and working collaboratively and communicating conclusions.
