The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) states “social studies is the study of individuals, communities, systems, and their interactions across time and place that prepares students for local, national, and global civic life.” Effective social studies education challenges students to be prepared for responsible civic engagement in the future. The founders of the United States emphasized that the vitality and security of a democracy depends upon the education and willingness of its citizens to participate actively in society. By developing discipline-specific inquiry skills, students apply their conceptual knowledge through questioning, investigating, using evidence and communicating conclusions so they are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to be civically, economically, geographically and historically informed, engaged citizens. Achieving this aim is the mission of social studies education in Kentucky.
Announcements
Civics Literacy Requirement
KRS 158.141(1) provides that “[b]eginning with the entering ninth grade class of the 2025-2026 school year, and each year thereafter, graduation requirements for each student in every public high school in Kentucky graduating with a regular diploma shall include successful completion of either: (a) A one-half (1/2) credit course in civic literacy that includes instruction in the areas required in subsection (5) of this section; or
(b) A civics test composed of one hundred (100) questions drawn from those that are set forth within the civics test administered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to persons seeking to become naturalized citizens.”
Therefore, the amended requirements passed under HB 535 (2024) will not apply until the cohort of grade 9 students enter high school in the 2025-2026 academic year. At that time, an updated Civics Test Manual will be available to offer potential guidance to districts in preparation for the administration of the legislatively required exam. The updated document will continue to provide considerations for the administration, implementation, and scoring of results on the Civics Test. Additionally, the manual will provide guidance on the new requirement of submitting annual civics testing data to the Kentucky Department of Education. As a reminder, this manual will include two complete 100-question sample versions of the test, both in short answer and multiple-choice formats. We anticipate releasing this revised guidance in the Spring of 2025.
Revised Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies Adopted for 2023-2024 School Year
Section 4(3)(a) of Senate Bill 1 (2022) created
KRS 158.196, which requires the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to incorporate fundamental American documents and speeches into the grade-level appropriate middle and high school social studies academic standards and align corresponding assessments. KDE brought together educators from across the state who serve on the social studies Advisory Panels and Review Committee to incorporate the fundamental documents into the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Social Studies (2022). The revised
KAS for Social Studies were approved by the Kentucky Board of Education in December 2022 and became effective in September 2023 with the final regulatory adoption. The newly adopted standards will be implemented in Kentucky classrooms beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. A
Social Studies Standards At a Glance document and a revised
KAS for Social Studies Glossary of Terms are provided to support educators in understanding how the KAS for Social Studies (2022) were revised to meet the requirements of KRS 158.196. Additionally, A Getting to Know Your KAS for Social Studies module is available on KYstandards.org under
Social Studies Professional Learning Modules to support educators in the implementation of the social studies standards.