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Does Rhode Island have social studies content standards?
No, Rhode Island does not have social studies content standards that (in a general sense) cover the broad spectrum of social studies (as do the National Social Studies Standards, developed by the National Council for the Social Studies [NCSS]). Rhode Island does have the Grade Span Expectations (GSEs) for Civics & Government and Historical Perspectives/Rhode Island History. The Civics GSEs (as they are commonly known) are specific to certain topics: civics, citizenship, government, historical thinking skills, historical analysis skills, historical application skills, and Rhode Island history. For social studies topics and content areas not covered in the Civics GSEs, educators should refer to the appropriate national standards.
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What are the Civics GSEs?
The Civics GSEs are a set of educational standards that were developed in accordance with a Rhode Island law (16-22-2) on civics education. The Civics GSEs identify the content knowledge and skills expected of all Rhode Island students (grades K-12) in the areas of civics, citizenship, government, historical thinking skills, historical analysis skills, historical application skills, and Rhode Island history. The Civics GSEs are meant to capture the "big ideas" of civics and history that can be taught and assessed without narrowing the curriculum locally. They are a framework for school districts to use to ensure that civics education is taught in their schools. The Civics GSEs are broad enough in wording and content to not limit or significantly change existing coursework and curriculum, while being specific enough to identify the essential knowledge and skills needed for student literacy in the community, political, and historical arenas.
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Do the Civics GSEs take the place of our curriculum?
No, the Civics GSEs are not intended to represent the full curriculum for instruction and assessment locally, nor are they meant to simply replace existing social studies curriculum. The Civics GSEs are a framework for curriculum which capture the "big ideas" of civics and history without narrowing the curriculum locally.
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Why are the Civics standards “grade span expectations” (GSEs) instead of “grade level expectations” (GLEs)?
The Civics GSEs were specifically developed as grade span expectations rather than grade level expectations to respect the local control of curriculum. Since civics is just one of the many disciplines within the social studies content area, the intent was to develop standards that identify the key concepts of civics and history that can be applied in a variety of areas and ways. Creating grade level expectations would have limited flexibility in local development of curriculum and in districts’ ability to determine when certain topics are introduced within their scope and sequence.
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What standards should be used for topics not covered by the Civics GSEs (when developing lesson plans or curriculum)?
For social studies content areas not covered in the Civics GSEs (e.g., economics, geography, history), the national standards for that particular content area are recommended. For a detailed listing of those standards, you can view the Standards-Based Guide for Social Studies Programs in Rhode Island Schools.
Please note: The Standards-Based Guide for Social Studies Programs in Rhode Island Schools is provided as a reference item only for a listing of relevant national standards. It no longer dictates RIDE policy regarding the scope and sequence per General Law 16-22-2. General Law 16-22-2 has been changed to mandate the development and implementation of the Civics GSEs, and no longer applies to courses of study in social studies and history.
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Will RIDE develop content standards (or grade span expectations) for social studies or history?
Creating specific content standards for social studies would be a major project that, at the present time, RIDE does not have the resources to undertake. The Civics GSEs were developed to identify the "big ideas" of civics and history - and to outline the basic content knowledge, skills, and attitudes expected of all students (grades K-12). As well as containing the "big ideas" identified in the Historical Perspectives/RI History strand, the content area of history is full of specifics dates and facts, with a wide variety of points of view on what constitutes necessary or critical information for all students to know - and in what order it should be taught.
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Will RIDE develop GSEs in the areas that are not currently included (economics, geography, culture)?
The Civics GSEs were developed in accordance with RI General Law 16-22-2 which only specified (and provided funds for) the development of standards for civics education (to include "the history of the state of Rhode Island, representative government, the rights and duties of actively engaged citizenship, and the principles of democracy" [RI General Law 16-22-2]). Unless another law is passed to mandate the development of additional standards in the above content areas, it is unlikely that RIDE will develop another set of grade level or grade span expectations in the social studies due to the current decrease in staffing and funding.
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Will RIDE develop content standards to reflect the topics that are suggested in the "i.e." and "e.g." examples?
Not likely; again due to the present circumstances and also in order to retain flexibility for local curriculum. The topics suggested in parentheses within certain indicators are deliberately left open-ended in order to allow for a wide range of interpretation in the depth and content of the instruction of that particular indicator at the local curriculum level. This is also addressed to a certain extent within the Grade Span Specific documents (see FAQ below).
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Will civics be assessed in the near future? What kind of assessment would it be?
At the present time, statewide assessment in civics has not been planned.
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What are the Grade Span Specific documents and why were they developed?
Grade Span Specific documents contain the Civics GSEs for each grade span, essential questions generated from the GSEs, and suggested topics or resources for lessons. They were created to aid teachers in using the Civics GSEs by elaborating on the GSEs and demonstrating how easily they fit in with a variety of topics for lessons or units. These documents provide a more detailed extension/explanation to the examples and topics listed after the "e.g." and "i.e." in various indicators.
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Where and how is Rhode Island History addressed in these GSEs?
Rhode Island History is incorporated throughout the GSEs within the indicators and as examples wherever possible – not as a separate strand. This allows districts and teachers to be flexible in which aspects of Rhode Island history they cover while still meeting the particular GSE.
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What are the appendices, and why were they developed?
The appendices to the Civics GSEs are a Glossary of Terms (found here) and a Table of Suggested Resources (found here). They were developed after the GSEs had been drafted in order to aid educators, students, and families. The Suggested Resources appendix lists national and local web sites that provide free information on social studies and Rhode Island history topics. [Note: Suggested resources listed are not meant to be exhaustive; these are only a sample of resources that are available free of charge and may be of use to you. The Rhode Island Department of Education is not responsible for the veracity of the content, nor for any changes in costs associated with the resources.]
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Are there any classroom resources that have been aligned to or created for the Civics GSEs?
RIDE has not created any classroom resources that are aligned to the Civics GSEs. However, there are resources available that have either been linked to the Civics GSEs, or can easily be linked based on content and themes. Some of those social studies resources can be found on the RISWC "Resources for Teachers" page.