The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) states that social studies "is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence." For students to become fully empowered participants in democracy, students must draw upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, sociology as well as content from the humanities to develop broad conceptual understandings in social studies. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions as citizens of a diverse democratic society in an interdependent world.
Announcements
Constitution Day and Citizenship Day - September 17
Tuesday, September 17 is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day! This day commemorates the September 17, 1787 signing of the U.S. Constitution. Each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year is required to hold an educational program about the U.S. Constitution for its students.
The Kentucky Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe particular curricula or lesson plans. The information below contains links to learning resources created and maintained by other public and private organizations. This information is provided for your convenience and as examples of resources on Constitution Day that you might find helpful.
To assist students and educators in their studies, the National Archives and Records Administration offers a variety of resources on
Constitution Day such as:
Standards Revision Process
Senate Bill 1 (2017) calls for the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to implement a process for reviewing all academic standards and aligned assessments beginning in the 2017-18 school year. This process began for social studies in January 2018. New Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Social Studies have been adopted and schools are required to use the
KAS for Social Studies as the basis of their curricula and instruction as implementation of these standards will occur in the 2019-2020 school year.
For more information on the social studies standards revision process, view the
Social Studies Standards Revision Process Critical Fact Sheet, or visit the
Social Studies Standards webpage.
2019-20 Assessment Information
For information on 2019-20 testing, visit the Office of Standards, Assessment and Accountability’s Assessment webpage. Assessment inquires may be directed to dacinfo@education.ky.gov.
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