Read the Op-ed piece by Charles Vaughan. 

Read about the 30 May 2007 Social Studies Summit

A summit of Social Studies organizations was convened at the Department of Archives and History in Columbia, SC to formulate a response to Dr. Jim Rex's proposal to eliminate social studies from state accountability.  The Coalition of the Social Studies (the South Carolina Council for the Social Studies, the South Carolina Geographic Alliance, the South Carolina Council on Economic Education, the South Carolina Council for History Educators, South Carolina Law Related Education, Teaching American History, and National History Day in South Carolina) worked on the joint position statement see below.

Position Statement

The State Board of Education is directed to adopt grade specific performance-oriented educational standards in the core academic areas of mathematics, English/language arts, social studies (history, government, economics, and geography), and science for kindergarten through twelfth grade and for grades nine through twelve adopt specific academic standards for benchmark courses in mathematics, English/language arts, social studies, and science. The standards are to promote the goals of providing every student with the competencies to:

(6) obtain a working knowledge of world, United States , and South Carolina history, government, economics, and geography.

The standards must be reflective of the highest level of academic skills with the rigor necessary to improve the curriculum and instruction in South Carolina 's schools so that students are encouraged to learn at unprecedented levels and must be reflective of the highest level of academic skills at each grade level.

SECTION 59-18-300 EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1998

 (B) The statewide assessment program in the four academic areas must include grades three through eight, an exit examination in English/language arts and mathematics, which is to be first administered in a student's second year of high school enrollment beginning with grade nine, and end-of-course tests for gateway courses awarded Carnegie units of credit in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Beginning with the graduating class of 2010, students are required to pass a high school credit course in science and a course in United States history in which end-of-course examinations are administered to receive the state high school diploma.

SECTION 59-18-310 EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1998

The Social Studies is composed of a set of rigorous academic disciplines that, when studied alone or in combination with other Social Studies subjects, operate as integrative and challenging academic pursuits with important civic and social implications. “Social Studies” as a subject includes the fields of History, Economics, Geography, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, and Political Science. Considering the importance of these disciplines in the lives of global students, neither the specific fields that comprise the Social Studies, nor “Social Studies” itself as a broad field of study, are explicitly included in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. The unintended result of these omissions is the Social Studies are left out of the curriculum for many students in the United States . In a context where State and local policy makers, looking to NCLB for guidance in creating local educational guidelines, and in political and social settings in which financial resources need to be spent according to legally mandated priorities, Social Studies as a discipline is, in many communities, finding itself “left behind” when it comes to budget money and instructional time spent in our nation’s schools. In the face of this situation, leaders in the various fields of Social Studies owe it to themselves, to our society, and to our nation’s children to respond publicly with specific concerns about NCLB’s implications for Social Studies, and with ways to address those concerns.

 Social Studies in South Carolina

According to Education Week (January 2007), the system of standards, assessment, and school accountability is rated number one in the nation. The Task Force proposal to eliminate Social Studies from state accountability is a step backwards. Almost immediately, principals in a number of South Carolina schools, misinterpreting the press release of May 18, 2007 , announced to their faculties that instructional time for social studies and science would be reduced in the 2007-2008 academic year as “they would no longer be tested.”  In this current climate of assessment and accountability, what is tested is valued.

Prior to the addition of social studies assessment in the Palmetto State, students were greatly impacted as their curriculum narrowed, resulting in almost half of the instructional time devoted to social studies and science instruction, and in some cases physical education, foreign language, and the arts disappeared completely from the school day.

With the addition of social studies in state assessment in 2003, balance in the curriculum gained ground. Students saw a return of geography, economics, history, and political science to their classes. Teachers sought professional development in the core areas of social studies to better meet the needs of their students. The SC Council for the Social Studies saw its membership increase from 800 to 1200 and in 2005 had its largest conference. The SC Council on Economic Education witnessed participation in its workshops double from 2003 to 2005. The SC Geographic Alliance experienced an increase in requests for workshops provided for schools and districts, and a growth in membership. Schools that participate in National History Day on average have higher scores on PACT social studies (4.1%) and PACT ELA (5.4%). Teaching American History Institutes have benefited. Teachers attend these workshops looking for ways to teach history.

Social Studies educators realize that literacy and numeracy are vital to the success of all students; however, important skills learned in the social studies are crucial to the survival of our democracy. Several significant, emerging content areas are critical to success in communities and workplaces. Under the current proposal, these content areas typically are not emphasized in schools today: global awareness; financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy; civic literacy; and health and wellness awareness. Students will not learn these skills in a math or English/Language Arts class.

As much as students need to learn academic content, they also need to know how to keep learning - and make effective and innovative use of what they know - throughout their lives. It is crucial that students master learning and thinking skills during the day. These are comprised of: critical thinking and problem solving skills; communication skills; creativity and innovation skills; collaboration skills; information and media literacy skills; and contextual learning skills. This array of knowledge and skills is covered in the core discipline areas of civics/government, economics, geography, and history—the disciplines that make up the social studies.

The Coalition of the Social Studies (the South Carolina Council for the Social Studies, the South Carolina Geographic Alliance, the South Carolina Council on Economic Education, the South Carolina Council for History Educators, South Carolina Law Related Education, Teaching American History, and National History Day in South Carolina) commends Dr. Rex on his desire to reduce the number of accountability tests that students currently take each year. The Coalition does not advocate removing social studies (or science) from the state accountability program. Doing so will have the unintended consequence of narrowing the curriculum, shortchanging yet another generation of students in this state.

 We encourage Dr. Rex to:

• Preserve PACT testing in social studies and science for all students in grades 3 through 8.
• Streamline testing by creating timed tests in social studies and science that could be administered in one day.
• Reduce ELA testing from two days to one day.
• Eliminate field testing by embedding field test questions in the regularly administered tests.
• Provide diagnostic data useful for classroom teachers in a timely fashion so that teachers can address curriculum gaps and improve instruction.
• Work with members of Congress during the reauthorization process of NCLB to include the social studies.

For once, South Carolina is seen as a leader in the nation with our system of standards, assessment, and school accountability.  It is rated number one in the nation. Social Studies educators recognize the value of and embrace accountability. We want to see this and future generations of Palmetto students experience a well-rounded curriculum and become productive members of society.  Narrowing their curriculum will not enhance South Carolina citizens' ability to lead in a competitive global environment.

June3, 2007