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

• Democratic governments derive their power from its citizens. (U.S. Constitution)
• Democratic government preserves and protects the rights and liberties of their citizens (e.g. U.S. Constitution, U.S. Declaration of Independence.)
• The U.S. Government’s response to contemporary issues and societal problems (e.g. education, welfare system, health insurance, childcare, crime) reflects the needs and wants of its citizens (e.g. individuals, political action committees, political parties).
• The principles of limited government (e.g. rule of law, federalism, checks and balances, majority rule, protection of minority rights) protect individual rights and promote the common good.
• Powers of government are distributed among levels and branches to reflect the "common good."
  • Congress legislates on behalf of the people.
  • The president represents the people as a nation.
  • The Supreme Court acts on behalf of the people as a whole when it interprets the Constitution.
• The rights of one individual (e.g. smoking in public places, free speech) may, at times, be in conflict with the rights of another may be in conflict (e.g. slander, libel) with the rights of another.
• The rights of an individual (e.g. Freedom of Information Act, privacy) may, at times, be in conflict with the responsibility of the government to protect the common good. (e.g. national security, environmental regulations, censorship).
• In order for our government to function as a democracy and preserve individual rights, citizens must assume responsibilities (e.g. seeking and assuming leadership positions, voting), and duties (e.g. serving as a juror, paying taxes, complying with local, state, and federal laws, serving in the armed services) for its functioning.

• Exhibit active democratic behavior and civic responsibility.
• Predict and evaluate consequences of particular actions or behaviors related to democratic principles.
• Participate actively in a variety of civic and political activities.
• Analyze the relationship between authority and power in political systems.
• Propose solutions to problems; predict effects of actions. (5.1)
• Synthesize information to form a new concept and/or modify an old concept; test the concept with new information and modify. (5.3)
• Choose and defend an option; make a decision; monitor and adjust the effectiveness of a decision over time. (5.4)

Culture and Society

Sample Culture and Society Open Response Question

Standard II: Culture is the way of life 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

• Various human needs are met through interaction in social institutions (government, economy, education, religion, family).
• As cultures emerge and develop, conflict and competition may occur (e.g., violence, difference of opinion, stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, genocide).
• Compromise and cooperation are characteristics that may influence social interaction (e.g., conflict resolution, peace studies, treaties).

• Design strategies to resolve and effect change within a social system.
• Examine the societal implications of personal prejudices.
• Demonstrate multicultural understanding through a variety of real life activities.
• Analyze assertions for bias/ relevance/ assumptions. (5.1)
• Implement a solution; evaluate its effectiveness; monitor and adjust as needed. (5.5)
• Justify the strategy and solutions, based on the evaluative criteria. (5.5)

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

• Scarcity of resources necessitates choices both at personal and societal levels.
• Federal, state, and local governments have limited budgets, so they must compare revenues to the costs when planning public projects.
• To make informed choices, consumers must analyze advertisements, consider personal finances (including the importance of savings, investment, use of credit) and examine opportunity cost.
• Specific financial and non-financial incentives often influence individuals differently: e.g., discounts, sales promotions, trends.
• The level of competition in a market is largely determined by the number of buyers and sellers.

• Analyze, demonstrate, and defend real life economic decisions.
• Explain how economic systems reflect real life situations (e.g., trades, deficits, employment).
• Generate, expand, analyze, and create ideas and products using a variety of resources. (5.2)
• Assess the interrelationships between theories and concepts. (5.3)

Program Of Studies

• Analyze the role culture plays in economic issues of production, distribution, and consumption. *
• Analyze how decisions on the distribution of resources can be made by local, state, and/or federal levels of government. *

  * Found in the Program of Studies but not contained in Core Content. This item should be integrated in the overall focus on Culture (2.17) and Economic Decisions (2.18).

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

• Patterns on the Earth’s surface can be identified by examining where things are, how they are arranged, and why they are in a particular location.
• Mental maps, the mental image a person has of an area including knowledge of features and special relationships, become more complex as experience, study, and the media bring new geographic information.
• Places and regions can be stereotyped (e.g., all cities are dangerous and dirty; rural areas are poor).
• Patterns emerge as humans move, settle, and interact on Earth’s surface.
• The location and distribution of human features on Earth’s surface are based on reasoning and patterns (e.g. available transportation, location of resources and markets, individual preference, centralization versus dispersion).
• Technology has facilitated the movements of goods, services, and populations; increased economic interdependence at all levels; and influenced development of centers of economic activity (e.g. cities, interstate highways, airports, or rivers).
• Humans tend to settle in or near urban areas, depending on the availability of resources (e.g. jobs, markets, industry;) therefore, urban areas vary in size, arrangement, and function.

• Evaluate the impact of geographic factors on real-life issues.
• Apply new knowledge from multiple sources to expand the understanding of existing knowledge. (6.3)

Program of Studies

• Recognize various regions in the United States and understand how their local and state governments may operate differently because of regional needs and differences. *

  * Found in the Program of Studies but not contained in Core Content. This item should be integrated in the overall focus on Geography (2.19).

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

• After World War II America experienced economic growth (e.g. suburban growth); struggles for racial and gender equality (Civil Rights Movement), and the extension of civil liberties.

• Synthesize historical perspective with current data in practicing political and civic participation.
• Adjust a personal or group position based on evaluation of alternate perspectives. (6.1)
• Analyze a concept to extract and identify supporting components. (5.3)