Description Of Bulleted Items In Each Rubric

• The first bullet references the use of content and vocabulary
• The second bullet references the manipulation/application of critical thinking skills.
• The third bullet references communication including organization and clarity.

These rubric bullets are used across the grade levels for all sub-domain open response models, thus providing a grading consistency K-12. The rubric was designed to reflect the proposed performance standards for the CATS open response questions in the social studies section of the state assessment. The proposed state social studies performance standards include:

• Content knowledge
• Decisions, concepts, problems (Critical Thinking Skills)
• Vocabulary
• Communication
• Connections (Critical Thinking Skills)

Government and Civics

Sample Government and Civics Open Response Question

Standard I: The study of government and civics allows students to understand the nature of government and the unique characteristics of American democracy including its fundamental principles, structure and role of citizens.

Academic Expectation 2.14: Students should understand the democratic principles of justice, equality, responsibility and freedom and apply them to real-life situations.

Academic Expectation 2.15: Students can accurately describe various forms of government and analyze issues that relate to the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy.

Core Content

Demonstrators

• Governments may take different forms (e.g., constitutional).
• Democratic governments function to preserve and protect the rights (e.g., voting), liberty, and property of their citizens by making, enacting, and enforcing appropriate rules and laws (e.g., constitutions, laws, statutes).
• The Constitution of the US is a flexible document that changes (amendments) and is interpreted (judicial review) over time to meet the needs of its citizens.
• The US Constitution separates power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent the concentration of political power and to establish a system of checks and balances.
• Federal (national) and state governments have both separate and shared powers.
• The United States Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state constitutions guarantee certain rights (e.g., freedom of movement and residence, freedom of religion, freedom of expression and association, personal privacy) for all citizens.
• In order for the US government to function as a democracy, citizens must assume responsibilities (e.g., performing community service, voting in elections) and duties (paying taxes, serving in the armed forces) for it's functioning.

• Demonstrate rights and responsibilities of citizenship in real-life situations. (2.14)
• Analyze the relationship between rights and responsibilities of individuals and groups and the needs of society. (2.14)
• Demonstrate civic participation skills. (2.15)
• Analyze factors that account for continuity and change in political systems. (2.15)
• Compare democratic non-democratic political systems (e.g., American constitutional government, parliamentary government, dictatorship, monarchy). (2.15)
• Generate possible solutions to problems; predict effects of actions. (5.1)
• Analyze the connections between new and existing knowledge in specific situations. (6.3)
• Analyze and prioritize alternatives; select and defend a decision. (5.4)

Culture and Society

Sample Culture and Society Open Rsponse Question

Standard II: Culture is the way of life shared by a group of people, including their ideas and traditions. In America’s multicultural society, students need to understand that culture influences viewpoints, social rules and social institutions.

Academic Expectation 2.16: Students observe, analyze and interpret human behaviors; social groupings and institutions to better understand people and the relationships among individuals and among groups.

Academic Expectation 2.17: Students interact effectively and work cooperatively with the many diverse ethnic and cultural groups of our nation and world.

Core Content

Demonstrators

• Conflict and competition (e.g., political, economic, religious, ethnic) may occur as cultures emerge and develop.

• Modify a social system to effect positive change. (2.16)
• Evaluate individual responsibilities within various social systems. (2.16)
• Analyze the impact of social institutions (e.g., religious, educational, occupational, and political systems) in society. (2.16)
• Develop strategies to work cooperatively with culturally diverse groups. (2.17)
• Analyze the benefits and problems of living in a pluralistic society. (2.17)
• Analyze cultural differences. (2.17)
• Demonstrate an open mind to differing opinions and perspectives when addressing situations. (6.1)

Economics

Sample Economics Open Response Question

Standard III: Economics includes the study of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Students need to understand how their economic decisions affect them, others and the nation as a whole.

Academic Expectation 2.18: Students understand economic principles and are able to make economic decisions that have consequences in daily living.

Core Content

Demonstrators

• The basic economic issues addressed by producers are production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

• Examine ways that cultural heritage influenced economic decisions in American history. (2.18)
• Analyze the effects of economic factors (e.g., supply and demand, want and needs) on decision-making.
• Develop and test concepts based on new information and experience. (5.3)
• Apply criteria to alternative solutions. (5.5)
• Demonstrate an open mind to differing opinions and perspectives when addressing situations. (6.1)

Geography

Sample Geography Open Response Question

Standard IV: Geography is the study of people, places and environments. Students need geographic knowledge to understand the world and their relationship to it. A geographic perspective also enables students to better understand the past and present and to prepare for the future.

Academic Expectation 2.19: Students recognize and understand the relationship between people and geography and apply their knowledge in real-life situations.

Core Content

Demonstrators

• Human settlement develops in different ways based on the culture and needs of settlers.
• Human populations may change and/or migrate because of factors such as war, famine, disease, economic opportunity, and technology.
• The physical environment both promotes and limits human activities (e.g., exploration, migration, trade).

• Evaluate the influence of geographical factors in real-life decisions. (2.19)
• Communicate understanding of complex ideas, issues, or events from multiple perspectives. (6.1)
• Assess newly generated solutions, ideas, to test validity and utility. (5.2)

History

Sample History Open Response Question

Standard V: History is the interpretation of events, people, ideas and their interaction over time. In order for students to understand the present and make plans for their future, they must understand the past.

Academic Expectation 2.20: Students understand, analyze and interpret historical events, conditions, trends and issues to develop historical perspective.

Core Content

Demonstrators

• Primary sources, secondary sources, artifacts, timelines are essential tools in the study and interpretation of history.
• History is a series of connected events shaped by multiple cause and effect relationships, tying the past to the present.
• Different perspectives (e.g., gender, race, region, ethnic groups, nationality, age, economic status, religion, politics) result in different interpretations of historical events in American history.
• America’s diverse society began with the "great convergence" of European, African, and Native American people beginning in the late 15th century.
• The ideals of equality and personal liberty (rise of individual rights, economic freedom, colonial governments, religious diversity, Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States), as developed during the colonial period, were motivations for the American Revolution and proved instrumental in forging a new nation.
• The growth of democracy and geographic expansion were significant in American history (e.g., Louisiana Purchase, Manifest Destiny, impact on Native Americans, early industrialization, early women’s rights movement).
• Political, social, economic, and cultural differences (e.g., slavery, tariffs, industrialism vs. agrarianism, federal vs. states’ rights) among sections of the US resulted in the American Civil War.
• The Age of Exploration produced extensive contact among isolated cultures and brought about massive political, economic, and social changes.

• Use historical perspectives and trends to develop understanding of current personal or social events. (2.20)
• Examine the interpretive nature of historical accounts. (2.20)
• Evaluate the impact of historical factors on the development of current issues. (2.20)
• Monitor the effectiveness of a decision over time. (5.4)
• Access and use information from a variety of sources that reflect multiple perspectives. (6.1)
• Examine factors (e.g., prejudice, age, socioeconomic cultures) which influence perspectives. (6.1)
• Analyze the connections between new and existing knowledge in specific situations. (6.3)
• Analyze and prioritize alternatives; select and defend a decision. (5.4)

Program of Studies

• Examine the impact of significant individuals and groups in early American History. *

  * Found in the Program of Studies but not contained in Core Content. This item should be integrated in the overall focus on History (2.20)