Social Studies
Creating Citizenship through Literacy
Every Student Every Day

South Carolina Council for the Social Studies
2008 Annual Conference
October 3-4, 2008
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
Columbia, South Carolina

Deadline July 15, 2008

Guidelines for Annual Conference Proposal Submission

Fill out the online form completely. If you do not provide certain requested information, your proposal will not be processed. Instead, it is saved as "incomplete" and will not be considered. In particular, you MUST provide both a title and an abstract of your proposal; designate the appropriate audience, focus and standard strands.

Be sure to distinguish between your affiliation (which will appear in the Conference Program) and the address to which you want your confirmation and other correspondence sent. If you prefer that correspondence be sent to your home, you MUST specify this.

About your session title and abstract
You must provide this information or your proposal will not be processed. Keep in mind that reviewers will use this description first when preparing the conference program, so make it attractive to conference attendees. The description should be as concise and informative as possible. Phrases such as "teachers can actively participate in this workshop to learn skills to take back to the classroom" do not provide the reviewer or attendee with enough information to differentiate your session from other proposals. What kinds of activities? What will participants do exactly? How can this be used with their students?

Commercial/Promotional Solicitation
Commercial solicitation is prohibited at all conference sessions. SCCSS has a strong commitment to high standards of scholarship and professional development. If you are representing a commercial venue, your presentation must be educational in nature and not a forum to sell products.  Those wishing to promote products can do so in the SCCSS Exhibit Hall at the conference. For more information, please contact Rob Dill, SCCSS Vendor chair.

Presentation
Proposals that contain negative references based on ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation and beliefs will be not considered.

Frequently Asked Questions about Submitting Your Proposal
What Are the Criteria for Rating Proposals?
The program committee will be looking at the following:
  1. Will the session relate to the theme and topics of the conference?
  2. Does the proposal clearly describe the session?
  3. Is the information provided in the proposal complete?
  4. Is the proposed session topic timely/appropriate?
  5. Is the proposed session based upon recommended practices?
  6. If identified for a particular standard/indicator, does the proposed session address the corresponding criteria?

Reviewers will be looking through your entire proposal to check the completeness of the information provided but will focus on your abstract to review its content.
TO BE CONSIDERED, SESSION PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE. Due to space limitations, not all deserving proposals can be accommodated. Reviewers will prioritize proposals based on a balanced program as well as the above criteria. 

Frequently Asked Questions

I submitted My Session Proposal . . . Now What?
Your session proposal will go to the Conference Program Committee for consideration. Composed of educators of all levels, the committee will review all proposals, determining which to include in the program. A limited number of proposals will be accepted for the conference. SCCSS will notify you by e-mail message of the decision regarding your proposal. A confirmation of receipt will be e- mailed to all primary presenters in June; accept/reject letters will be e-mailed in early August.

What do I do once I receive my acceptance letter?
Read the acceptance letter carefully and submit the requested information by the deadline. All presenters and co-presenters are required to register for the conference. If the registration form and all additional payments are not submitted by the deadline in August, your session is subject to cancellation.

I can't present my session after all.  How do I cancel?
If you are canceling your session, SCCSS needs to be informed as soon as possible so that your space can be assigned to someone else. Please e-mail Jane Eason. Do not be a no-show; this will affect any chances of appearing on future SCCSS conference programs. Please be sure your wish to cancel is communicated with all of your session presenters; SCCSS does not take responsibility for miscommunication of canceled sessions.

How do I change a presenter once my proposal is already accepted?
If you wish to add or remove a presenter, please e-mail Jane Eason. Any new presenters will have to submit their names, contact information, and pay conference registration fees. As primary presenter, you are expected to fully communicate all information on behalf of your session's presenters.

What if I did not receive response for my proposal?
If you did not receive a response from SCCSS, there may have been either a miscommunication or a problem with the mail. If there is any chance that you may not receive SCCSS correspondence using your school or affiliation address, you should probably use your home as your mailing address. If by the end of June you do not receive word from SCCSS regarding your session proposal, please e-mail Jane Eason to check its status.

Are my expenses covered?
SCCSS does not pay an honorarium, travel, audiovisual equipment rental, conference registration, copying or shipping expenses for any session presenter.

How will my session appear in the Program?
Scheduled sessions will appear in abbreviated form in the Conference Preview, a magazine posted on the SCCSS web site before the conference. The final program, distributed on site, includes a full description of each session and reflects the most recent information available as submitted on confirmation forms. To assure that your session is listed as you intend, please be certain to provide all requested information, including your organizational affiliation.

What do I do when I get to the Conference?
After you have picked up your Conference program, be sure to check in at the Presenters Check-in located in the Registration area to receive your Presenter or ribbon(s) and current relevant information about your session room.

What about Handouts and Copies?
If you plan to distribute handouts at your session, we suggest that you make copies before you arrive. Handout copy services are sometimes provided at the conference. Presenters will be informed of such copy services prior to the conference. It is always best to bring a large quantity of materials for distribution. Attendees are very disappointed when your handout is not available, so we strongly encourage you to be prepared. You will not be reimbursed by SCCSS for any copying or shipping expenses.

Is my session setup with audio visual equipment?
Audiovisual equipment should be provided by the presenter. There is no guarantee that such items will be available at the conference site.

Do I have to register for the conference if I only attend to present my session?
It is the policy of the SC Council for the Social Studies to require presenters to register for the conference. Presenters are included in the numbers provided to the convention facility for planning purposes and prices for meals, room rates, etc are negotiated from this. In order to do provide a conference, the Council relies its members to volunteer their time to make presentations. This is standard operating procedure for all professional organizations in the state as well as for professional organizations on the national level. This is the only way that conferences can operate.

Ready to complete the proposal form?
I have read and agree to abide by the proposal guidelines.  
(Click to continue to online proposal)