A Statement on the African American History Strand
of the new Florida Social Studies Standards
August 3, 2023
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is the largest professional organization devoted exclusively to the teaching and learning of social studies and represents over 10,000 social studies educators. NCSS supports the development and implementation of social studies standards as recognized practices that ensure high-quality teaching and learning in schools. Adopted standards have become the driving force of instructional programs by informing classroom practices, curriculum frameworks, textbooks and other resources, and assessment items and protocols.1 Recently, Florida’s State Academic Standards for Social Studies were revised to include a new strand for African American History. While NCSS supports the Florida Department of Education in incorporating an African American History strand as part of its overall social studies standards, it is deeply concerned by the substance, inaccuracies, and misrepresentations of this strand, which ultimately will negatively impact student achievement and social studies teacher preparation, performance, and retention. In addition, it is equally troubling that, despite the creation of the African American History Task Force in 2021, Florida’s Department of Education chose to circumvent this advisory group when creating the strand.
In June 2021, NCSS released a statement, Developing State and Local Social Studies Standards, recognizing that there “is a great deal of variance among state social studies standards regarding their scope, length, disciplinary focus, and level of content specificity.” These variances allow for standards to best represent and serve all populations across a state. Regardless of these variations, students nationwide deserve a more complete history that includes the perspectives, contributions, and experiences of the people of the United States of America and the world. For example, the inclusion of African American history must not begin with slavery. When teaching ethnic studies and/or studying marginalized groups, it is important not to start with oppression. Beginning African American history with oppression is part of a larger failure to teach Black Joy.
During a thorough review of Florida's new African American History strand, multiple inaccuracies, omissions, and misrepresentations became apparent in both the standard benchmarks and their clarifications. In making this determination, NCSS relied upon its 103 years of experience in supporting the teaching and learning of social studies. Below are four standards and our concerns with the language and intent present in the strand:
History is complex and uncomfortable. Difficult subject matter such as racism has always been present in our nation and our world. History standards should not attempt to simplify or soften the difficult aspects of our nation's past. In order to teach a more complete history, it is important to include a range of voices—especially African American voices—on topics such as the question of African American citizenship and inclusion. An honest and accurate examination and evaluation of history provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary for academic growth and participation in a pluralistic democratic society. Lack of understanding of the past does not position students to understand the present or fully engage civically to make the country a better place.
Our position has remained consistent over the years that the standards that organizations, states, districts, and/or schools and teachers develop or adopt should be grounded in current scholarship, reflect best practices in social studies education, and be inclusive for all student backgrounds and ability levels. We support social studies standards and instructional programs which are grounded in inquiry-based learning, accepted understandings of historical content, and rigorous scholarship. We embrace educators in Florida and seek to promote their work with standards that are developmentally appropriate and that help them to create a space where the African American experience in United States history is appropriately contextualized and accurate. As stated in our Statement on Professional Ethics, it is incumbent upon social studies educators to “develop and use authentic voices and materials that do not oversimplify, distort, or manipulate the truth.” The current strand for African American History released by the Florida Department of Education impedes this essential ethical behavior of its social studies educators and, in turn, fails its students. With the implementation of this strand as is, Florida risks ill-preparing its students to productively participate in civil society.
1 https://www.socialstudies.org/position-statements/developing-state-and-local-social-studies-standards
of the new Florida Social Studies Standards
August 3, 2023
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is the largest professional organization devoted exclusively to the teaching and learning of social studies and represents over 10,000 social studies educators. NCSS supports the development and implementation of social studies standards as recognized practices that ensure high-quality teaching and learning in schools. Adopted standards have become the driving force of instructional programs by informing classroom practices, curriculum frameworks, textbooks and other resources, and assessment items and protocols.1 Recently, Florida’s State Academic Standards for Social Studies were revised to include a new strand for African American History. While NCSS supports the Florida Department of Education in incorporating an African American History strand as part of its overall social studies standards, it is deeply concerned by the substance, inaccuracies, and misrepresentations of this strand, which ultimately will negatively impact student achievement and social studies teacher preparation, performance, and retention. In addition, it is equally troubling that, despite the creation of the African American History Task Force in 2021, Florida’s Department of Education chose to circumvent this advisory group when creating the strand.
In June 2021, NCSS released a statement, Developing State and Local Social Studies Standards, recognizing that there “is a great deal of variance among state social studies standards regarding their scope, length, disciplinary focus, and level of content specificity.” These variances allow for standards to best represent and serve all populations across a state. Regardless of these variations, students nationwide deserve a more complete history that includes the perspectives, contributions, and experiences of the people of the United States of America and the world. For example, the inclusion of African American history must not begin with slavery. When teaching ethnic studies and/or studying marginalized groups, it is important not to start with oppression. Beginning African American history with oppression is part of a larger failure to teach Black Joy.
During a thorough review of Florida's new African American History strand, multiple inaccuracies, omissions, and misrepresentations became apparent in both the standard benchmarks and their clarifications. In making this determination, NCSS relied upon its 103 years of experience in supporting the teaching and learning of social studies. Below are four standards and our concerns with the language and intent present in the strand:
- SS.68.AA.2.3 Examine the various duties and trades performed by slaves (e.g., agricultural work, painting, carpentry, tailoring, domestic service, blacksmithing, transportation). Benchmark Clarifications: Clarification 1: Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.
The clarification is not a historically accepted interpretation of U.S. history. It falsely implies agency (and choice) among some enslaved humans and fails to recognize that individuals could not use these skills within the systems that were in existence. It might be better to have a standard that “Examines the achievements of enslaved peoples despite the oppression and degradation of slavery.” - SS.68.AA.2.1 Explain early congressional actions regarding the institution of slavery (i.e., Northwest Ordinance of 1787, Three-Fifths Compromise, Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves of 1808).
The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise arrived at during the Constitutional Convention. Referring to it as a congressional action diminishes the degree to which slavery was present in founding documents. The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was a result of a compromise made at the Constitutional Convention as well, with no law banning slaves allowed until 1808. Additionally, benchmarks regarding the presence of slavery in the Constitution appear in the grades 9-12 standards, but not in the grades 6-8 standards. A possible benchmark for both the grades 9-12 and 6-8 strands might be, "Examine the compromises made at the Constitutional Convention regarding the continued practice of slavery." - SS.912.AA.3.3 Examine the importance of sacrifices, contributions and experiences of African Americans during wartime from the Spanish-American War through the Korean War.
There is no clear expectation to explore segregated military experiences and why leaders created a segregated military. The timeline also skips from the founding to 1898. This is an opportunity to include the “sacrifices, motivations for joining the military, contributions, and experiences of African Americans during every American war.” - SS.K.AA.1.1 Recognize African American inventors and explorers (i.e., Lonnie Johnson [inventor], Mae C. Jemison, George Washington Carver).
This standard does not help students understand the systemic challenges that individuals of color had to confront in order to make these contributions. A suggested change from “i.e.” to “e.g.” would make a list that is not to be viewed as all inclusive. The overarching standard could be revised to cast the scope further and wider by focusing on the contributions of African Americans to the United States and/or the world. For example, “Evaluate the contributions African Americans have made to American culture, history, and government/politics.”
History is complex and uncomfortable. Difficult subject matter such as racism has always been present in our nation and our world. History standards should not attempt to simplify or soften the difficult aspects of our nation's past. In order to teach a more complete history, it is important to include a range of voices—especially African American voices—on topics such as the question of African American citizenship and inclusion. An honest and accurate examination and evaluation of history provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary for academic growth and participation in a pluralistic democratic society. Lack of understanding of the past does not position students to understand the present or fully engage civically to make the country a better place.
Our position has remained consistent over the years that the standards that organizations, states, districts, and/or schools and teachers develop or adopt should be grounded in current scholarship, reflect best practices in social studies education, and be inclusive for all student backgrounds and ability levels. We support social studies standards and instructional programs which are grounded in inquiry-based learning, accepted understandings of historical content, and rigorous scholarship. We embrace educators in Florida and seek to promote their work with standards that are developmentally appropriate and that help them to create a space where the African American experience in United States history is appropriately contextualized and accurate. As stated in our Statement on Professional Ethics, it is incumbent upon social studies educators to “develop and use authentic voices and materials that do not oversimplify, distort, or manipulate the truth.” The current strand for African American History released by the Florida Department of Education impedes this essential ethical behavior of its social studies educators and, in turn, fails its students. With the implementation of this strand as is, Florida risks ill-preparing its students to productively participate in civil society.
1 https://www.socialstudies.org/position-statements/developing-state-and-local-social-studies-standards
Silver Spring, MD -- On May 3, 2023, results from the 2022 administration of the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade 8 Assessments in both Civics and U.S. History were released.
The percentage of Grade 8 students who demonstrated proficiency in content knowledge and skills was 22% in Civics and 14% in U.S. History. Overall scores in 2022, while not significantly different from the first year of these assessments in 1998 and 1994, respectively, still indicated a decline from gains achieved in recent assessments.
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is deeply concerned by the 2022 NAEP results and
contends that these results point to the continued, devastating effects that reducing or fully eliminating social studies courses and programs from schools — especially at the elementary-level — have on student achievement and preparation for college, career, and civic life. While the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these results, the continued trend of lost instructional time, the lack of a solid and daily foundation in social studies learning beginning in early childhood and elementary education, and the lack of investment in curriculum and teacher professional development all point toward a well-rounded education being out of reach for many children. As it did when the 2018 NAEP results were released, NCSS continues to call upon policy makers and educational leaders to stop this cycle of curricular neglect and make a long-term financial commitment to support social studies educators in teaching social studies in all grades, in all schools, and to all students. NCSS calls for action to ensure that all students — no matter where they attend school — have access to deep, rich subject-area content and exposure to relevant, powerful social studies instruction.
“If our social studies classrooms are laboratories for democracy where students are learning the content knowledge and skills necessary to be responsible community members and engaged citizens, we should be greatly troubled,” said Shannon M. Pugh, NCSS president. “This data suggests that students are not receiving a comprehensive program of social studies education in our nation’s classrooms, and we are especially underserving students from diverse and traditionally marginalized and minoritized backgrounds. If we want to leave our representative democracy in the hands of the next generation, we must ensure that they are receiving a high-quality social studies education that includes daily social studies instruction at all grade levels and that in our younger grades we are not pulling students from social studies instruction for remediation in other subjects. Democracy is important. Our republic is important. Social studies education is important because it supports and protects our nation’s ideals and values. To continue to marginalize social studies and not invest in our students and teachers is a threat to our future as a nation and our role as a leader within the global community.”
“Today’s NAEP results continue to demonstrate the urgent need for immediate attention to restore social studies education in the daily school experience of every child, from early learning to high school graduation,” said Lawrence M. Paska, NCSS executive director. “We have within our power the ability to turn these results around for every student. Just as we began to cut social studies programs, funding, and instructional time from the curriculum years ago, we can just as easily start to restore them now. Invest in social studies every day for all students. Invest in standards-based curriculum. Invest in rigorous assessments. Invest in teacher professional development. These investments alone would be a major step that our children at every grade level, in every school, deserve from our education system.”
Complete information on the NAEP assessment program may be found at nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.
For media inquiries, contact
Joy D. Lindsey
Deputy Executive Director
jlindsey@ncss.org
301-850-7458
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade 8 Assessments in both Civics and U.S. History were released.
The percentage of Grade 8 students who demonstrated proficiency in content knowledge and skills was 22% in Civics and 14% in U.S. History. Overall scores in 2022, while not significantly different from the first year of these assessments in 1998 and 1994, respectively, still indicated a decline from gains achieved in recent assessments.
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is deeply concerned by the 2022 NAEP results and
contends that these results point to the continued, devastating effects that reducing or fully eliminating social studies courses and programs from schools — especially at the elementary-level — have on student achievement and preparation for college, career, and civic life. While the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these results, the continued trend of lost instructional time, the lack of a solid and daily foundation in social studies learning beginning in early childhood and elementary education, and the lack of investment in curriculum and teacher professional development all point toward a well-rounded education being out of reach for many children. As it did when the 2018 NAEP results were released, NCSS continues to call upon policy makers and educational leaders to stop this cycle of curricular neglect and make a long-term financial commitment to support social studies educators in teaching social studies in all grades, in all schools, and to all students. NCSS calls for action to ensure that all students — no matter where they attend school — have access to deep, rich subject-area content and exposure to relevant, powerful social studies instruction.
“If our social studies classrooms are laboratories for democracy where students are learning the content knowledge and skills necessary to be responsible community members and engaged citizens, we should be greatly troubled,” said Shannon M. Pugh, NCSS president. “This data suggests that students are not receiving a comprehensive program of social studies education in our nation’s classrooms, and we are especially underserving students from diverse and traditionally marginalized and minoritized backgrounds. If we want to leave our representative democracy in the hands of the next generation, we must ensure that they are receiving a high-quality social studies education that includes daily social studies instruction at all grade levels and that in our younger grades we are not pulling students from social studies instruction for remediation in other subjects. Democracy is important. Our republic is important. Social studies education is important because it supports and protects our nation’s ideals and values. To continue to marginalize social studies and not invest in our students and teachers is a threat to our future as a nation and our role as a leader within the global community.”
“Today’s NAEP results continue to demonstrate the urgent need for immediate attention to restore social studies education in the daily school experience of every child, from early learning to high school graduation,” said Lawrence M. Paska, NCSS executive director. “We have within our power the ability to turn these results around for every student. Just as we began to cut social studies programs, funding, and instructional time from the curriculum years ago, we can just as easily start to restore them now. Invest in social studies every day for all students. Invest in standards-based curriculum. Invest in rigorous assessments. Invest in teacher professional development. These investments alone would be a major step that our children at every grade level, in every school, deserve from our education system.”
Complete information on the NAEP assessment program may be found at nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.
For media inquiries, contact
Joy D. Lindsey
Deputy Executive Director
jlindsey@ncss.org
301-850-7458
NCSS Response to the Advanced Placement (AP)
African American Studies Course Release February 15, 2023
Over the past several weeks, the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has been monitoring the news coverage and statements related to the decision of the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Articulation not to offer the Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course in the state of Florida. NCSS sought to make sense of the timeline and accuracy of statements by individuals and the media before providing an official response.
NCSS recognizes that states and districts have the right to approve or not approve individual courses and, in so doing, have a responsibility to use a transparent evaluation process that includes educators and other experts in the field. When courses, especially those that were created and supported by some of the United States’ most esteemed scholars and organizations, appear to have been rejected without a transparent process, all educators and community members should be concerned and have the right to request more information on the process used.
Of equal concern to NCSS is that the current political climate might negatively impact the great work that is being done throughout the United States to diversify curricula, use culturally responsive resources, and build content and pedagogical knowledge so that educators might better create lessons and other opportunities to address a longstanding marginalization of Black histories in the American education system. NCSS previously addressed concerns about “divisive concepts” laws that seek “to ban the teaching of such concepts as race, racism, white supremacy, equity, justice, and social-emotional learning, as well as to limit the teaching of content such as slavery, Black history, women’s suffrage, and civil rights.”
NCSS supports the teaching of Black histories in a manner that engages students in learning about the achievements, joy, perseverance, agency, and resilience of Black Americans. An attempt to block courses that fully portray the Black experience, such as the AP African American Studies course, places professional judgment boundaries on teachers’ freedom to teach and denies students the right to learn rich, complex histories that allow for multiple perspectives and deep exploration of the successes and struggles in our collective history across cultures. Every student has the right to learn about Black histories and the Black experience, and every teacher has the right to teach Black histories and the Black experience without the fear of intimidation and retaliation.
NCSS continues to advocate for the inclusion of Black histories and contemporary issues across K–12 curricula and calls on all education officials to provide students with the right to learn about, and from, the experiences of Black Americans. NCSS strongly believes in the educational value of offering diverse learning experiences in schools. We believe all students deserve the opportunity to learn African American studies and should have access to courses that support their pursuit of higher education and the study of African American history and culture in all education settings and throughout life.
NCSS remains committed to monitoring the political landscape of teaching social studies. We reserve the right to issue additional statements in the future regarding the AP African American Studies course if we believe it is necessary to do so.
African American Studies Course Release February 15, 2023
Over the past several weeks, the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has been monitoring the news coverage and statements related to the decision of the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Articulation not to offer the Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course in the state of Florida. NCSS sought to make sense of the timeline and accuracy of statements by individuals and the media before providing an official response.
NCSS recognizes that states and districts have the right to approve or not approve individual courses and, in so doing, have a responsibility to use a transparent evaluation process that includes educators and other experts in the field. When courses, especially those that were created and supported by some of the United States’ most esteemed scholars and organizations, appear to have been rejected without a transparent process, all educators and community members should be concerned and have the right to request more information on the process used.
Of equal concern to NCSS is that the current political climate might negatively impact the great work that is being done throughout the United States to diversify curricula, use culturally responsive resources, and build content and pedagogical knowledge so that educators might better create lessons and other opportunities to address a longstanding marginalization of Black histories in the American education system. NCSS previously addressed concerns about “divisive concepts” laws that seek “to ban the teaching of such concepts as race, racism, white supremacy, equity, justice, and social-emotional learning, as well as to limit the teaching of content such as slavery, Black history, women’s suffrage, and civil rights.”
NCSS supports the teaching of Black histories in a manner that engages students in learning about the achievements, joy, perseverance, agency, and resilience of Black Americans. An attempt to block courses that fully portray the Black experience, such as the AP African American Studies course, places professional judgment boundaries on teachers’ freedom to teach and denies students the right to learn rich, complex histories that allow for multiple perspectives and deep exploration of the successes and struggles in our collective history across cultures. Every student has the right to learn about Black histories and the Black experience, and every teacher has the right to teach Black histories and the Black experience without the fear of intimidation and retaliation.
NCSS continues to advocate for the inclusion of Black histories and contemporary issues across K–12 curricula and calls on all education officials to provide students with the right to learn about, and from, the experiences of Black Americans. NCSS strongly believes in the educational value of offering diverse learning experiences in schools. We believe all students deserve the opportunity to learn African American studies and should have access to courses that support their pursuit of higher education and the study of African American history and culture in all education settings and throughout life.
NCSS remains committed to monitoring the political landscape of teaching social studies. We reserve the right to issue additional statements in the future regarding the AP African American Studies course if we believe it is necessary to do so.
Who represents you on the Nebraska State Board of Education?
Contact your Board member with comments and concerns.
Contact your Board member with comments and concerns.
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http://news.legislature.ne.gov/edu/
Education Committee of the Nebraska Legislature -
During session, the Education Committee meets on Mondays and Tuesdays
in Room 1525 on the 1st Floor of the Capitol.
Sen. Dave Murman, Chairperson
District 38
Room 1107
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2732
Email: dmurman@leg.ne.gov
http://news.legislature.ne.gov/edu/
Education Committee of the Nebraska Legislature -
During session, the Education Committee meets on Mondays and Tuesdays
in Room 1525 on the 1st Floor of the Capitol.
Sen. Dave Murman, Chairperson
District 38
Room 1107
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2732
Email: dmurman@leg.ne.gov
Committee Members
- Sen. Jone Albrecht Email: jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. Tom Briese Email: tbriese@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. Danielle Conrad Email: dconrad@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. Lou Ann Linehan Email: llinehan@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. Rita Sanders Email: rsanders@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. Lynne Walz Email: lwalz@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. Justin Wayne Email: jwayne@leg.ne.gov
