New Social Studies Standards

Big changes coming to the Social Studies curriculum in the 2019-2020 school year! In June, 2018 the DESE voted on new standards. Over 200 hundred pages in length, the new standards include:

• increased emphasis on civics at all grade levels, including a new grade 8 course on civics
• inclusion of standards that reflect the diversity of the United States and world cultures, with particular attention to the contributions of women and men of all ethnicities and backgrounds in the United States and the connections among world cultures
• new Standards for History and Social Science Practice and questions to guide inquiry
• stronger attention to the intersection of history, social science, and literacy instruction, through the inclusion of literacy standards for history and social science
• expanded examples of primary sources representing significant texts, maps, photographs, and works of art and architecture in United States and world history
• new standards for financial literacy and news/media literacy. 

->6th grade, currently World Geography, will now combine the study of geography with some early civilizations.  This course will be entitled World Geography and Cultures I.

->7th grade, currently Ancient Civilizations, will build upon this and 7th graders will be enrolled in World Geography and Cultures II. 

->8th graders. now studying World History I, will take a brand new course - Civics. Some of the material from World History I will be moved to the 6th and 7th grade.

The program of studies for the high school will not change as much.  However, there is an increased focus on the role of economics in US history.

Teachers are already preparing for the exciting changes that will take place.