Florida Department of Education
 Adult General Education
Curriculum Frameworks

GED® SOCIAL STUDIES	
Program Title	  GED® Preparation	
Program Number	  9900130	
Course Title	  GED® Social Studies	
Course Number	  9900132 	
CIP Number	  1532020207 		
Grade Equivalent	   9.0-12.9	
Grade Level	  30, 31	
Program  Length	  Varies (See Program Structure)	

PURPOSE
Adult General Education Program: The Florida Department of Education administers the Adult General Education Program under the authority of s. Florida Statute 1004.93, F.S., and the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA), 2014. The AGE Program has multiple purposes. Primarily, it provides instruction in reading and language and mathematics to students seeking to obtain a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent. Another purpose is to support parents to become full partners in the educational development of their children and to improve the economic opportunities of their family. Finally, the AGE Program helps learners transition to postsecondary education and training and obtain employment.

GED® Preparation Program: The purpose of the GED® Preparation program is to prepare students to pass the four subtests of the official GED® Test: Reasoning through Language Arts, Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Social Studies.

GED® Social Studies Course: The purpose of the Social Studies course of the GED® Preparation program is to prepare students to pass the GED® Social Studies subtest. The purpose of the Social Studies component of the GED® Preparation program is to prepare students to pass the GED® Social Studies Test. This subtest will focus on the fundamentals of social studies reasoning, striking a balance of deeper conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and the ability to apply these fundamentals in realistic situations. Four major content domains are addressed: Civics and Government, United States History, Economics, and Geography and the World.

STUDENTS
Students eligible to enroll in the GED® Social Studies course are those who: 

•	Are beyond compulsory school age (16 years)*
•	Are no longer enrolled in a K-12 school
•	Score at or above the National Reporting System (NRS) Educational Functioning Level (EFL) 5 and the Grade Equivalent 9.0 – 9.9 as measured by FDOE-approved assessments.

* See s. Florida Statute 1003.435(4), F.S., “A candidate for a high school equivalency diploma shall be at least 18 years of age on the date of the examination, except that in extraordinary circumstances, as provided for in rules of the district school board, a candidate may take the examination after reaching the age of 16.”
	
EDUCATIONAL FUNCTIONING LEVELS
The Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act defines the term Educational Functioning Level as “the ABE, ASE  and ESL literacy levels, as provided in the NRS Guidelines, that describe a set of skills and competencies that students demonstrate in the skill areas of the National Reporting System.” (Code of Federal Regulations Title 34 Subtitle B Chapter IV Part 462). 

Table 1 shows the NRS EFLs of the GED® Social Studies course as provided in the NRS Guidelines. It also shows the corresponding Grade Equivalent levels.

Table 1: NRS EFLs and Grade Equivalents for the GED® Social Studies course 

Course Title	NRS Educational Functioning Levels	Grade Equivalent	
GED® Social Studies	ABE Level 5	9.0 – 10.9 	
GED® Social Studies	ABE Level 6	11.0 – 12.9 	

PROGRAM LENGTH 
Table 2 illustrates the recommended maximum number of instructional hours for each level.  It is understood, however, that each student learns at their individual pace and there will be students who successfully complete the program or attain their educational goals in fewer (or more) than the recommended maximum hours noted.  

Table 2: Recommended Maximum Number of Hours by Educational Functioning Level

Course Title	NRS Educational Functioning Levels	Recommended Maximum Hours	
GED® Social Studies	ABE Level 5	250	
GED® Social Studies	ABE Level 6	250	

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
The GED® Social Studies curriculum framework provides instructors with the anchor standards in Social Studies that the adult learner needs. With “framework” being the operative term, it is the basis for designing curriculum, assisting programs and teachers with selecting or creating instructional materials, techniques, and ongoing assessment. Additional information on the GED® test standards is available at the website GED® Testing Service Assessment Guide for Educators.

The Florida DOE provides the GED® Social Studies curriculum framework to local programs across the state in order that local program personnel can design a curriculum that will serve the unique needs of their students and instructors. A fully developed curriculum at the local program will include the following elements, at a minimum. Program staff may contact the Florida DOE Bureau of Adult Education for additional information on developing an in-house curriculum.

•	A description of educational outcomes that students will be expected to have achieved upon completion of the course
•	A set of core instructional materials (print and digital) aligned to the educational outcomes that students will be expected to have achieved upon completion of the course 
•	A series of needs assessment tools for teachers that helps them prioritize which standards are most relevant to the learning needs and educational goals of their students
•	Supplementary textbooks in the context of employment and life skills
•	Pacing guides and matrices that display the scope and sequence of the curriculum
•	A list of recommended websites, films, dictionaries available for teachers to select from
•	An overview of the content to be covered in the course 
•	A description of learning activities that may be used on a regular basis for reinforcement

Note: Instructors are not required to progress through the standards sequentially. The unique needs of each cohort of students can drive instruction and instructors may modify the sequence of teaching the standards.

ASSESSMENT
The Florida DOE has approved the following tests for pre-testing students for enrollment into the GED® Social Studies course and for post-testing students to measure progress and completion of the course:

•	CASAS GOALS Reading 900 Series
•	TABE 11&12 Language
•	TABE 11&12 Reading 

References for Assessment and Reporting: For complete information regarding assessment procedures and policies, see the Florida DOE Assessment Technical Assistance Paper. For guidelines on the procedures for reporting data related to student test results, see the Florida DOE Division of Career and Adult Education (DCAE) Office of Research and Evaluation. 

Pre-testing: Federal and state policies require local adult education agencies to pre-test all new students within the first 12 hours of enrollment activity. The Florida DOE defines a new student as one who is not found as having been enrolled at the local agency at any point during the current program year and/or the previous program year. All new GED® Social Studies course students are required to pre-test in reading and/or language, and obtain a score at or above NRS EFL 5. The agency shall report the pre-test results to the Florida DOE per the guidelines of the DCAE Office of Research and Evaluation.  

Post-testing: Agencies are not required to post-test students enrolled in the GED® Social Studies course for NRS reporting purposes, however, students will benefit from a variety of assessments to gauge their knowledge and skills. The GED® Ready test is an appropriate tool for determining when the student is likely to be able to pass the GED® test.

Course Completion: Students complete the GED® Social Studies course when they pass the GED® Social Studies subtest. 

GED® 2014 Assessment: For complete information on the GED® 2014 Assessment and the performance targets and content topics see the GED® Testing Service Assessment Guide for Educators.

The purpose of the Social Studies component of the GED® Preparation program is to prepare students to pass the GED® Social Studies subtest. This subtest will focus on the fundamentals of social studies reasoning, striking a balance of deeper conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and the ability to apply these fundamentals in realistic situations. Four major content domains will be addressed: civics and government, United States history, economics, and geography and the world. 
 
The GED® Social Studies subtest items are based on assessment targets identified by GED® Testing Service and are divided into two sections: the practices and the content topics. Each content topic has been translated into a standard including sub-content areas. Each item on the Social Studies subtest will be aligned to one social studies practice and one content topic/subtopic.

Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Model
The GED Testing Service® is using Webb’s Depth of Knowledge model to guide test item development for the GED® 2014 assessment. Unlike the Bloom’s Taxonomy system that was used for the GED®2002 Test Series, the DOK levels are not a taxonomical tool that uses verbs to classify the level of each cognitive demand.  The DOK is the cognitive demand required to correctly answer test questions. The DOK level describes the kind of thinking involved in the task. A greater DOK level requires greater conceptual understanding and cognitive processing by the students. The DOK model includes 4 levels:  (1) recall, (2) basic application of skill/concept, (3) strategic thinking, and (4) extended thinking.  Roughly 80 percent of the items across all four tests will be written to DOK levels two and three, and roughly 20 percent will require test-takers to engage level one DOK skills. Level four entails skills required to successfully complete long-term research projects. Therefore, DOK level four is beyond the scope of this assessment.

ACCOMMODATIONS 
Federal and state legislation requires the provision of accommodations for students with disabilities to meet individual needs and ensure equal access. Adult students with disabilities must self-identify, provide documentation, and request such services. Students with disabilities may need accommodations in areas such as instructional methods and materials, assignments and assessments, time demands and schedules, learning environment, assistive technology, and special communication systems. Documentation of the accommodations requested and provided should be maintained in a confidential file.

ADULT EDUCATION INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
As per s. Florida Statute 1012.39 (1)(b), F.S., each school district shall establish the minimal qualifications for part-time and full-time teachers in adult education programs.

INTEGRATED EDUCATION AND TRAINING (IET)
The Florida DOE Division of Career and Adult Education (DCAE) promotes the planning, development, and implementation of an integrated education and training (IET) service approach that provides concurrent and contextualized adult education and literacy activities in combination with workforce preparation activities and workforce training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of educational and career advancement. 

The IET service approach provides all levels of adult education students the opportunity to acquire the skills needed to:

•	Transition to and complete postsecondary education and training programs
•	Obtain and advance in employment leading to economic self-sufficiency
•	Exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship

All IET programs must include the following three components:

•	Adult education and literacy activities (§463.30)
•	Workforce preparation activities (§463.34)
•	Workforce training for a specific occupation or occupation cluster which can be any one of the training services defined in section 134(c)(3)(D), of WIOA

In order to meet the “integrated” requirement of IET, all services must include the following:

•	Adult education and literacy activities run concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation activities and workforce training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of educational and career advancement
•	Activities are of sufficient intensity and quality, and based on the most rigorous research available, particularly with respect to improving reading, writing, mathematics, and English proficiency of eligible individuals
•	Occur simultaneously
•	Use occupational relevant instructional materials

The integrated education and training program must have a single set of learning objectives that identifies specific adult education content, workforce preparation activities, and workforce training competencies, and the program activities function cooperatively. 

GED® SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS
Instruction on Social Studies Content Topics
The content topics are designed to provide context for measuring the skills defined in the social studies practices listed in this framework. As in the previous version of the GED® Social Studies Assessment Targets, the social studies practices maintain a close relationship with the social studies content topics. More specifically, the primary focus of the GED® Social Studies subtest continues to be the measurement of essential reasoning skills applied in social studies context. However, test-takers should be familiar with each of the basic concepts enumerated in the social studies content topics and subtopics, and they should be able to recognize and understand, in context, each of the terms listed there. For example, a question may include answer options and stimuli that contain specific terms drawn from the content subtopics; however, test-takers will never be asked to formulate their own definition of a term without the item providing sufficient contextual support for such a task. 

Social Studies Content Topics Matrix 
The Matrix below gives a condensed summary of the Social Studies content topics. The tables on the following pages will include the content topics written into student standards along with sub-topics for each standard. The social studies content topics drawn from these four domains will provide context for measuring a test-taker’s ability to apply the reasoning skills described in the practices. 

Social Studies Content Topics	
Civics & Government 50%	
Theme I.  Development of Modern Liberties and Democracy
1.	Types of modern & historical governments
2.	Principles that have contributed to development of American constitutional democracy
3.	Structure and design of United States Government 
4.	Individual rights and civic responsibilities	
Theme II. Dynamic Responses in Societal Systems
1.	Political parties, campaigns, and elections in American politics 
2.	Contemporary public policy	
U.S. History 20%	
Theme I.  Development of Modern Liberties and Democracy
1.	Key historical documents that have shaped American constitutional government 
2.	Revolutionary and Early Republic Periods 
3.	Civil War & Reconstruction 
4.	Civil Rights Movement	
Theme II. Dynamic Responses in Societal Systems
1.	European population of the Americas 
2.	World War I & II The Cold War
3.	American foreign policy since 9/11	
Economics 15%	
Theme I.  Development of Modern Liberties and Democracy
1.	Key economic events that have shaped American government and policies 
2.	Relationship between political and economic freedoms	
Theme II. Dynamic Responses in Societal Systems
1.	Fundamental economic concepts 
2.	Microeconomics & macroeconomics 5. Consumer economics Economic causes & impacts of wars 
3.	Economic drivers of exploration and colonization	
Geography and the World 15%	
Theme I.  Development of Modern Liberties and Democracy
1. Development of classical civilizations	
Theme II. Dynamic Responses in Societal Systems
1.	Relationships between the environment and societal development
2.	Borders between peoples and nations 
3.	Human migration	
  
Social Studies Practices	
SSP.1 	Draw Conclusions and Make Inferences 
SSP.1.a. 	Determine the details of what is explicitly stated in primary and secondary sources and make logical inferences or valid claims based on evidence. 
SSP.1.b. 	Cite or identify specific evidence to support inferences or analyses of primary and secondary sources, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions of a process, event, or concept. 	
SSP.2 	Determine Central Ideas, Hypotheses and Conclusions 
SSP.2.a. 	Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source document, corroborating or challenging conclusions with evidence. 
SSP2.b. 	Describe people, places, environments, processes, and events, and the connections between and among them.	
SSP.3 	Analyze Events and Ideas 
SSP.3.a. 	Identify the chronological structure of a historical narrative and sequence steps in a process. 
SSP.3.b. 	Analyze in detail how events, processes, and ideas develop and interact in a written document; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them. 
SSP.3.c. 	Analyze cause-and-effect relationships and multiple causation, including action by individuals, natural and societal processes, and the influence of ideas. 
SSP3.d. 	Compare differing sets of ideas related to political, historical, economic, geographic, or societal contexts; evaluate the assumptions and implications inherent in differing positions. 	
SSP.4	Analyze Meanings of Words and Phrases
SSP.4.a. 	Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in context, including vocabulary that describes historical, political, social, geographic, and economic aspects of social studies. 	
SSP.5 	Analyze Purpose and Point of View 
SSP.5.a. 	Identify aspects of a historical document that reveals an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts) SSP.5.b. Identify instances of bias or propagandizing. 
SSP.5.c. 	Analyze how a historical context shapes an author’s point of view. 
SSP.5.d. 	Evaluate the credibility of an author in historical and contemporary political discourse. 	
SSP.6 	Integrate Content Presented in Different Ways 
SSP.6.a. 	Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text. 
SSP.6.b. 	Analyze information presented in a variety of maps, graphic organizers, tables, and charts; and in a variety of visual sources such as artifacts, photographs, political cartoons. 
SSP.6.c. 	Translate quantitative information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., table or chart); translate information expressed visually or mathematically into words. 	
SSP.7 	Evaluate Reasoning and Evidence 
SSP.7.a. 	Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a primary or secondary source document 
SSP.7.b. 	Distinguish between unsupported claims and informed hypotheses grounded in social studies evidence. 	
SSP.8 	Analyze Relationships between Texts 
SSP.8.a. 	Compare treatments of the same social studies topic in various primary and secondary sources, noting discrepancies between and among the sources. 	
SSP.9 	Write Analytic Response to Source Texts  
SSP.9.a. 	Produce writing that develops the idea(s), claim(s) and/or argument(s) thoroughly and logically, with well-chosen examples, facts, or details from primary and secondary source documents. 
SSP.9.b. 	Produce writing that introduces the idea(s) or claim(s) clearly; creates an organization that logically sequences information; and maintains a coherent focus. 
SSP.9.c. 	Write clearly and demonstrate sufficient command of standard English conventions. 	
SSP.10 	Read and Interpret Graphs, Charts and Other Data Representation 
SSP.10.a. 	Interpret, use, and create graphs (e.g., scatterplot, line, bar, circle) including proper labeling. Predict reasonable trends based on the data (e.g., do not extend trend beyond a reasonable limit). 
SSP.10.b. 	Represent data on two variables (dependent and independent) on a graph; analyze and communicate how the variables are related. 
SSP.10.c. 	Distinguish between correlation and causation. 	
SSP.11 	Measure the Center of a Statistical Dataset 
SSP.11.a. 	Calculate the mean, median, mode, and range of a dataset. 	

Social Studies Standards	
Civics and Government 	
CG.1 	Describe types of modern and historical governments that contributed to the development of American constitutional democracy. 
CG.1.a. 	Direct democracy 
CG.1.b. 	Representative democracy 
CG.1.c. 	Parliamentary democracy 
CG.1.d. 	Presidential democracy 
CG.1.e. 	Monarchy and other types 	
CG.2 	Describe the principles that have contributed to the development of American constitutional democracy. 
CG.2.a. 	Natural rights philosophy 
CG.2.b. 	Popular sovereignty and consent of the governed 
CG.2.c. 	Constitutionalism 
CG.2.d. 	Majority rule and minority rights 
CG.2.e. 	Checks and balances 
CG.2.f. 	Separation of powers 
CG.2.g. 	Rule of law 
CG.2.h. 	Individual rights 
CG.2.I. 	Federalism 	
CG.3  	Analyze the structure and design of United States Government. 
CG.3.a. 	Structure, powers, and authority of the federal executive, judicial, and legislative branches 
CG.3.b. 	Individual governmental positions (e.g., president, speaker of the house, cabinet secretary, etc.) 
CG.3.c. 	Major powers and responsibilities of the federal and state governments 
CG.3.d. 	Shared powers 
CG.3.e. 	Amendment process 
CG.3.f. 	Governmental Departments and Agencies 	
CG.4 	Describe individual rights and civic responsibilities. CG.4.a. The Bill of Rights 
CG.4.b. 	Personal and civil liberties of citizens 	
CG.5 	Describe political parties, campaigns, and elections in American politics. CG.5.a. Political parties 
CG.5.b. 	Interest groups 
CG.5.c. 	Political campaigns, elections and the electoral process	
CG.6 	Define contemporary public policy 	
 
United States History 	
USH.1 	Explain the ideas and significance of key historical documents that have shaped American constitutional government. 
USH.1.a. 	Magna Carta
USH.1.b. 	Mayflower Compact 
USH.1.c. 	Declaration of Independence 
USH.1.d. 	United States Constitution 
USH.1.e. 	Martin Luther King’s Letter from the Birmingham Jail 
USH.1.f. 	Landmark decisions of the United States Supreme Court and other Key documents) 	
USH.2 	Describe the causes and consequences of the wars during the Revolutionary and Early Republic Periods. 
USH.2.a. 	Revolutionary War 
USH.2.b. 	War of 1812 
USH.2.c. 	George Washington 
USH.2.d. 	Thomas Jefferson 
USH.2.e. 	Articles of Confederation 
USH.2.f. 	Manifest Destiny 
USH.2.g. 	U.S. Indian Policy 	
USH.3 	Examine causes and consequences of the Civil War and Reconstruction and its effects on the American people. 
USH.3.a. 	Slavery 
USH.3.b. 	Sectionalism 
USH.3.c. 	Civil War Amendments 
USH.3.d. 	Reconstruction policies 	
USH.4 	Identify the expansion of civil rights by examining the principles contained in primary documents and events. 
USH.4.a. 	Jim Crow laws 
USH.4.b. 	Women’s suffrage 
USH.4.c. 	Civil Rights Movement 
USH.4.d. 	Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education USH.4.e. Warren court decisions 	
USH.5 	Describe the impact of European settlement on population of the Americas. 	
USH.6 	Explain the significant causes, events, figures, and consequences of World Wars I & II.
USH.6.a. 	Alliance system 
USH.6.b. 	Imperialism, nationalism, and militarism 
USH.6.c. 	Russian Revolution 
USH.6.d. 	Woodrow Wilson 
USH.6.e. 	Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations 
USH.6.f. 	Neutrality Acts 
USH.6.g. 	Isolationism 
USH.6.h. 	Allied and Axis Powers 
USH.6.i. 	Fascism, Nazism, and totalitarianism 
USH.6.j. 	The Holocaust 
USH.6.k. 	Japanese-American internment 
USH.6.l. 	Decolonization 
USH.6.m. 	GI Bill 	
USH.7 	Describe the significant events and people from the Cold War era. 
USH.7.a 	Communism and capitalism 
USH.7.b. 	NATO and the Warsaw Pact 
USH.7.c. 	U.S. maturation as an international power 
USH.7.d. 	Division of Germany, Berlin Blockade and Airlift 
USH.7.e. 	Truman Doctrine 
USH.7.f. 	Marshall Plan 
USH.7.g. 	Lyndon B. Johnson and The Great Society 
USH.7.h. 	Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal 
USH.7.i. 	Collapse of U.S.S.R. and democratization of Eastern Europe 	
USH.8 	Analyze the impact of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States foreign policy. 	

Economics 	
E.1 	Describe key economic events that have shaped American government and policies. 	
E.2 	Explain the relationship between political and economic freedoms 	
E.3 	Describe common economic terms and concepts. 
E.3.a. 	Markets 
E.3.b. 	Incentives 
E.3.c. 	Monopoly and competition 
E.3.d. 	Labor and capital 
E.3.e. 	Opportunity cost 
E.3.f. 	Profit 
E.3.g. 	Entrepreneurship 
E.3.h. 	Comparative advantage 
E.3.i. 	Specialization 
E.3.j. 	Productivity 
E.3.k. 	Interdependence 	
E.4 	Describe the principles of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. 
E.4.a. 	Supply, demand and price 
E.4.b. 	Individual choice 
E.4.c. 	Institutions 
E.4.d. 	Fiscal and monetary policy 
E.4.e. 	Regulation and costs of government policies 
E.4.f. 	Investment 
E.4.g. 	Government and market failures 
E.4.h. 	Inflation and deflation 
E.4.i. 	Gross domestic product (GDP) 
E.4.j. 	Unemployment 
E.4.k. 	Tariffs 	
E.5 	Describe consumer economics 
E.5.a. 	Types of credit 
E.5.b. 	Savings and banking 
E.5.c. 	Consumer credit laws 	
E.6 	Examine the economic causes and the impact on wars. 	
E.7 	Describe the economic drivers of exploration and colonization in the Americas. 	
E.8 	Explain the relationship between the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions. 	
 
	Geography 	
G.1 Describe how geography affected the development of classical civilizations. 	
G.2 	Describe the relationships between the environment and societal development. 
G.2.a. 	Nationhood and statehood 
G.2.b. 	Sustainability 
G.2.c. 	Technology 
G.2.d. 	Natural resources 
G.2.e. 	Human changes to the environment 	
G.3 	Describe the concept of borders between peoples and nations. 
G.3.a. 	Concepts of region and place 
G.3.b. 	Natural and cultural diversity 
G.3.c. 	Geographic tools and skills 	
G.4 	Describe the forms of human migration. 
G.4.a. 	Immigration, emigration and Diaspora 
G.4.b. 	Culture, cultural diffusion and assimilation 
G.4.c. 	Population trends and issues 
G.4.d. 	Rural and urban settlement