Part 217: 2020 Mississippi Alternate Academic Achievement Standards for the K-8 Social Studies

Mississippi Alternate Academic Achievement Standards for the K-8 Social Studies 7 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 217 2020 Mississippi Alternate Academic Achievement Standards for the K-8 Social Studies Carey M. Wright, Ed.D., State Superintendent of Education Nathan Oakley, Ph.D., Chief Academic Officer Robin Lemonis, State Director of Special Education Mississippi Department of Education Post Office Box 771 Jackson, Mississippi 39205-0771 Office of Special Education 601.359.3498 www.mdek12.org/OSE The Mississippi State Board of Education, the Mississippi Department of Education, the Mississippi School for the Arts, the Mississippi School for the Blind, the Mississippi School for the Deaf, and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, or disability in the provision of educational programs and services or employment opportunities and benefits. The following office has been designated to handle inquiries and complaints regarding the nondiscrimination policies of the above- mentioned entities: Director, Office of Human Resources Mississippi Department of Education TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Mississippi Department of Education gratefully acknowledges the hard work of the following individuals for their involvement in developing the Mississippi Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (MS AAAS) for the K-8 Social Studies and the supporting documents. Marla Adams Lee County School District Meagan Arender Rankin County School District Catherine Beasley Rankin County School District Judy Cayson Itawamba School District Candice Cole Pearl Public School District Sharon Strong Coon Mississippi Department of Education Angelitta Darden Gulfport School District Cobie Dent Columbus City Schools Latoyia Dowell Walthall County School District Millie Drewa Starkville Oktibbeha County School District Whitney Drewrey Lafayette County School District Kellie Fondren Mississippi State University RCU Carlie Graves Kosciusko School District Denise Harrison Mississippi Department of Education Tomeca Ingram Rankin County School District Lauren Johnson Forest Municipal School District Rhonda Jones Alcorn County School District Tina Keenan Enterprise School District Cyndi Keene Louisville School District LaNell Kellum Mississippi State University RCU Summer Lewis Rankin County School District Grant Lyons Rankin County School District Judy Middleton Mississippi State University RCU Bonnie Owen Mississippi State University RCU Myra Pannell Mississippi State University RCU Allison Paige Pigott Mississippi Department of Education Tremeka Pope Jackson Public School District Ashley Privett Desoto Countuy School District Keri Rankin Grenada School District Kim Ray Nettleton School District Brittany Raybon North Pike School District Bobby L. Richardson Mississippi Department of Education Melanie Rollings Rankin County School District Denise Sibley Mississippi State University RCU Pleshette Smith Mississippi Department of Education Taye Smith Clinton School District Gwen Stallworth Pascagoula Gautier School District Eric Sumrall Hazlehurst School District Elizabeth Testa Vicksburg-Warren School District Stacey Todd Ocean Springs School District Mary West Lincoln County School District Nicole Wimberley Rankin County School District April Young Hattiesburg Public School District Acknowledgements Various sets of standards and standards-related documents were used in the development of the MS AAAS for the K-8 Social Studies, including: • Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards (MS CCRS) for the Social Studies • Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards—Social Studies (2019), the Alabama State Department of Education • Ohio’s Learning Standards—Extended, Social Studies (September 2018), the Ohio Department of Education • South Carolina Alternate Assessment (SC-Alt) Social Studies Assessment and Instructional Support Guide Grades 3-8 (2014), the South Carolina Department of Education 2020 Mississippi Alternate Academic Achievement Standards for the K-8 Social Studies Introduction INTRODUCTION Mission Statement The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) is dedicated to student success, which includes improving student achievement in social studies and establishing communication skills within a technological environment. The MS AAAS provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of each grade level or course. The purpose of the Alternate Standards is to build a bridge from the content in the general education social studies framework to academic expectations for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The standards are designed to be rigorous and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that students need for success in postsecondary settings. Purpose In an effort to closely align instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities who are progressing toward individualized postsecondary settings, the MS AAAS for Social Studies include grade- and course-specific standards for K-12 social studies. These standards are intended solely for students who have met the criteria for a significant cognitive disability as documented in each student’s individualized education program (IEP). This document is designed to provide special education teachers with a basis for curriculum development. As such, this set of alternate standards addresses a small number of social studies standards, representing a breadth, but not depth, of coverage across the entire standards framework. This framework outlines what knowledge students should obtain, and the types of skills students should demonstrate upon completion of each grade level. The MS AAAS are aligned to the Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards (MS CCRS). The standards’ content centers around the following content strands: Civics, Economics, Civil Rights, Geography, and History. Implementation The 2020 MS AAAS for the K-8 Social Studies will be implemented during the 2020-2021 school year. Overview of the MS AAAS for the K-8 Social Studies OVERVIEW OF THE MS AAAS FOR THE K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES DOCUMENT STRANDS The different content strands in social studies combine to give a clear picture of the past and present. Strands also give depth to the social studies curriculum, enabling students to grasp the complexity of events from the past and present and help them acquire critical thinking skills to make informed decisions in the future. The 2020 MS AAAS for the K-8 Social Studies are comprised of five (5) essential content strands: Civics, Civil Rights, Economics, Geography, and History. Civics Strand The civics strand should provide students with a basic understanding of civic life, politics, and government. It should help them understand the workings of their own and other political systems as well as the relationship of American politics and government to world affairs. Civics instruction provides a basis for understanding the rights and responsibilities of citizens in America’s constitutional democracy and a framework for competent and responsible participation. The civics strand should be expanded by related learning experiences, in both school and community, that enable students to learn how to participate in their own governance. The Social Studies Civics Civil Rights Economics Geography History Overview of the MS AAAS for the K-8 Social Studies Civil Rights Strand Mississippi Code 37-13-193 requires the Mississippi Department of Education to work with the Mississippi Civil Rights Education Commission to incorporate civil rights education into the state’s K-12 educational programs. Civil rights education, as understood by the writers of this framework, is defined as the mastery of content, skills, and values that are learned from a focused and meaningful exploration of civil rights issues (both past and present), locally, nationally, and globally. This education should lead learners to understand and appreciate issues such as social justice, power relations, diversity, mutual respect, and civic engagement. Students should acquire a working knowledge of tactics engaged by civil rights activists to achieve social change. Among these are: demonstration, resistance, organizing, and collective action/unity. The content was incorporated as a content strand throughout the entire K-12 framework at the recommendation of the Mississippi Civil Rights Commission. Economics Strand The economic strand should help students gain an understanding of economic concepts while demonstrating an understanding of economic and financial literacy in order to make informed financial decisions throughout their lives. The strand is integrated throughout the K-12 curriculum emphasizing economic reasoning. Throughout the K-12 curriculum, students will grasp an understanding of markets and the U.S. economy in a global setting. Geography Strand The geography strand equips students with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives of world geography. Students will learn how to use geographic thinking and information to make well‐ reasoned decisions and to solve personal and community problems. The geography strand will enable students to use geographic perspectives, knowledge, and skills to engage in ethical action regarding self, other people, other species, and Earth’s diverse cultures and natural environments. History Strand The history strand investigates events that change the way people live. History is a record of the past, of people who changed society. We learn history from two