Author: marcia.maxwell
Last saved by: Brown, Maia
Company: Florida Department of Education

2026-2027

Florida Department of Education
 Adult General Education Curriculum Framework

GED^® PREPARATION SOCIAL STUDIES
Program Title | GED^® Preparation
Program Number | 9900130
Course Title | GED^® Social Studies
Course Number | 9900132
CIP Number | 1532020207
Grade Level | 30, 31
Program Length | Varies

PURPOSE

GED^® Preparation Social Studies: The purpose of the GED^® Social Studies course is to prepare students to pass the GED^® Social Studies subtest and meet the requirements for a State of Florida High School Diploma. This assessment focuses on civic literacy, historical and geographic reasoning, analysis of social studies texts and data, and the evaluation of arguments and evidence related to U.S. history, civics and government, economics, and geography. Students develop critical thinking skills and the ability to apply social studies knowledge to real-world and civic contexts.

_STUDENTS

Per State Board Rule 6A-6.014, _Florida _Administrative _Code _(F.A.C.) _- _General _Requirements _for _Adult _General _Education, students eligible to enroll in the GED^® Preparation Program are those who:

https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?id=6A-6.014

•	Are 16 years of age or older.
•	Does not have a high school diploma.
•	Are not enrolled in the K12 educational system.
•	Obtain pre-test scores that place them within Educational Functioning Level (EFL) 5 or 6.

_Per _section 1003.435(4), Florida Statutes (F.S.), “A candidate who has filed a formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment pursuant to s. 1003.21(1)(c) may take the examination after reaching the age of 16.” See State Board Rule 6A-6.0201, F.A.C. for more information on the age waiver needed for underage students. 

https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2012/1003.435

https://flrules.org/gateway/ruleNo.asp?id=6A-6.0201

_Table _1: _EFLs _for _the GED^® Social Studies course _in _relation _to _the _Grade _Equivalent _for _each _level

Course Title | EFL | Grade Equivalent
GED^® Social Studies | ABE Level 5 | 9.0 – 10.9
GED^® Social Studies | ABE Level 6 | 11.0 – 12.9

PROGRAM LENGTH 

_The _maximum _number _of _instructional _hours _recommended _by _the _Florida _Department _of _Education _(FDOE) _for _the _GED® _Social _Studies _course _is _250 _hours _per _EFL. _Acknowledging _the _individualized _nature _of _learning, _some _students _may _finish _an _EFL _in _fewer _(or _more) _hours _than _the _recommended _maximum _duration _indicated. 

_Table _2: _Recommended _Maximum _Number _of _Hours _by _EFL

Course Title | EFL | Recommended Maximum Hours
GED^® Social Studies | ABE Level 5 | 250
GED^® Social Studies | ABE Level 6 | 250

ASSESSMENT
For guidance on the assessment guidelines and requirements for GED^® Social Studies, see State Board Rule 6.A-6.014, F.A.C.

https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?id=6A-6.014

References for Assessment and Reporting: For complete information regarding assessment procedures and policies, see the Florida DOE Assessment Technical Assessment 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.

https://www.fldoe.org/academics/career-adult-edu/career-adult-edu-technical-assistance-.stml

https://www.fldoe.org/academics/career-adult-edu/research-evaluation/

Pre-testing: Federal and state regulations mandate that local adult education agencies conduct pre-tests for all new students within the initial 12 hours of enrollment activity. The Florida DOE defines a new student as someone not previously enrolled in the local agency during the current or preceding program year. GED^® Social Studies students are required to pre-test and obtain a score at or above EFL 5 in reading. The agency is responsible for submitting the pre-test results to the FDOE in accordance with the guidelines outlined by 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 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.

https://ged.com/study/ged_ready/

_Course _Completion: _Students _complete _the GED^® Social Studies _course _when _they _pass _the GED^® Social Studies subtest. Upon passing all subtests of the GED^®, the agency is responsible for reporting the course completion date as reflected by the date on the student’s diploma. The agency is responsible for reporting the post-test results to the Florida DOE following the guidelines outlined by the DCAE Office of Research and Evaluation.

The GED^® Social Studies Standards Practices and Themes 

The GED^® Social Studies course is structured around two parts, the Social Studies Practices and the Social Studies Themes. The Social Studies Practices delineate the major skills that are essential for students to successfully pass the GED^® Social Studies subtest.

Table 3: The Social Studies Practices 

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 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 causations, 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 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.

GED^® Social Studies Themes and Content Topics
The two Social Studies Themes encompass four Content Topics which provide the basis for measuring the skills defined in the Social Studies Practices.

•	Theme I – Development of Modern Liberties and Democracy
o	Civics and Government.
o	United States History
o	Economics
o	Geography and the World
•	Theme II – Dynamic Responses in Societal Systems
o	Civics and Government.
o	United States History
o	Economics
o	Geography and the World

Table 4: The GED^® Social Studies Themes and Content Topics

Themes | Content Topics | Sub-Content Areas
Development of Modern Liberties and Democracy | Civics & Government 50% | 1.	Types of modern & historical government.
| | 2.	Principles that contributed to development of American constitutional democracy.
| | 3.	Structure and design of US Government.
| | 4.	Individual rights and civic responsibilities.
| U.S. History 20% | 1.	Key historical documents that shaped American constitutional government.
| | 2.	Revolutionary and Early Republic Periods.
| | 3.	Civil War & Reconstruction.
| | 4.	Civil Rights Movement
| Economics 15% | 1.	Economic events shaping U.S.  government and policies.
| | 2.	Relationship between political and economic freedoms.
| Geography and the World 15% | 1.	Development of classical civilizations.
Dynamic Responses in Societal Systems | Civics & Government 50% | 1.	Political parties, campaigns and elections in U.S.  politics.
| | 2.	Contemporary public policy.
| U.S. History 20% | 1.	European population of the Americas.
| | 2.	World Wars I & II and The Cold War.
| | 3.	American foreign policy since 9/11.
| Economics 15% | 1.	Fundamental economic concepts.
| | 2.	Microeconomics & macroeconomics.
| | 3.	Consumer economics.
| | 4.	Economic causes & impacts of wars.
| | 5.	Economic drivers of exploration and colonization.
| Geography and the World 15% | 1.	Relationship between environment & social development.
| | 2.	Borders between peoples and nations.
| | 3.	Human migration.

GED^® SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS

The GED^® Social Studies course primarily emphasizes guiding students in acquiring essential reasoning skills within a social studies context. The GED^® Social Studies Standards emphasize essential social reasoning, balancing conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency for practical application.

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 effects on Americans. 
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 found 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 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

Additional Information

_ACCOMMODATIONS 

_Federal _and _state _legislation _requires _the _provision _of _accommodations _for _students _with _disabilities _to _address _individual _needs _and _guarantee _equal _access. _Adult _students _with _disabilities _are _required _to _self-identify, _submit _documentation _and _request _the _necessary _accommodations. _Accommodations _for _students _with _disabilities _may _be _necessary _in _various _areas, _including _instructional _methods _and _materials, _assignments _and _assessments, _time _constraints _and _schedules, _learning _environments, _assistive _technology _and _special _communication _systems. _Documentation _detailing _the _requested _and _provided _accommodations _should _be _securely _stored _in _a _confidential _file.

_ADULT _EDUCATION _INSTRUCTOR _CERTIFICATION _REQUIREMENTS

_As _per _s. _1012.39 _(1)(b), _F.S., _each _school _district _shall _establish _the _minimal _qualifications _for _part-time _and _full-time _teachers _in _adult _education _agencies.

https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2011/1012.39

_TECHNICAL _ASSISTANCE

_For _technical _assistance, _please _visit _the _FDOE _Career _& _Adult _Education _Technical _Assistance _Page, _or _contact _the _office _at:
_•	_850-245-0450
•	_FloridaAdultEducation@fldoe.org