Introduction
Trends in education are constant. The field is always under the influence of new research or
newly identified need in regards to teaching young people. While some complain about this,
making decisions about education when informed by research or newly identified needs is
inherently good. In recent years, one of these emerging trends has been the renewed look at
standards. More specifically, there has been a renewed focus on “skill based” standards.
Sometimes called “competency based learning/education” skill based standards seek to teach
students through a directly identified skill, rather than more abstract content (Gervais, 2016).
Much of the literature on this topic agrees there is no single definition of this skill based
approach to educating. As Gervais (2016) identifies in his study focused on defining what he
calls “Competency Based Education,” the varying definitions center around the idea that
Another emerging trend that needs discussing to help center the topic of this review is the intense
focus on measured contents, specifically at the middle school level. For the purposes of this
review, “measured contents” will refer to contents that are measured by standardized assessment
at a state level. In the state of Illinois, the backdrop for this review, math and english language
arts are the only measured contents at the middle school level. This reality has resulted in a move
This review will discuss literature pertaining to the state of social studies education. More
specifically, this review seeks to focus in on the move away from social studies, and what
existing literature says about creating relevant social studies classes in the current data driven
landscape of education. The ultimate goal of this action research that will accompany this review
Action Research on Impact of Skill Based Standards in Social Studies
is to identify, through research based methodology, the impact on student achievement in other
content areas (specifically english language arts) of a social studies curriculum anchored in a
Standardized testing and the idea of “measured contents” has always put educators in a unique
and difficult position. When reviewing the literature on this topic, one will not find articles that
advocate for decreased time for social studies, or any content for that matter. However, the
reality is that less time is being spent on these subjects every year. This reality is not a new trend.
In a 2011 national survey, teachers identified that social studies as a content has been cut nearly
forty percent at the primary and middle school levels (Testing Obsession, 2017). Again, as stated
previously, the cut in time for social studies is not advertised as positive in nature, but it remains
a reality.
The National Council for Social Studies Education has been collecting information on this
marginalization for some time. It has been found that cutting time in the domain of social studies
is particularly hazardous at the primary and middle school levels. Research has shown that
denying students at the primary level the opportunity to engage in social studies coursework
lowers literacy levels and can lead to an increase in the achievement gap (Purposeful Pedagogy,
2017). While there is not a single component of social studies that aids in these areas, a focus on
In schools where moves away from social studies content has been observed,”teach to the test”
initiatives are often to blame. The same survey that reported a nearly 40 % decrease in time for
social studies education, reported a 51% decrease for schools that were “underperforming”
Action Research on Impact of Skill Based Standards in Social Studies
(Purposeful Pedagogy, 2017). These numbers reveal that schools with the most struggling
students are the first to cut social studies time. It seems a connection between the achievement
Outside of the “measurable” impact of decreased social studies time, teachers in the field are
voicing concerns related to the more intangible effects of this increasing marginalization.
society are commonly identified concerns found across the literature (Purposeful Pedagogy,
2017). Though “teaching to the test” is a phrase often associated with the NCLB era of nearly a
decade ago, it is clear unintended consequences of standardized testing remains an issue across
the landscape of education. In an article written for the Oregon Journal of Social Studies, Foran
and Bergstrom (2013) discussed the importance of these “immeasurable” components that are
part of a properly executed social studies classroom. While citing numerous other works on the
topic, they discuss the understanding that society tends to mirror the education system found in
that society. More specifically, the principles and values of that society are intimately tied to the
education of its citizens. In their article they cite the example of democracy. If a society has
are not reinforced through the education system (Foran & Bergstrom, 2013).While this may
sound heavy handed or an overly dramatic defense of social studies education, numerous sources
point to similar issues that have no realistic measuring device in the world of education. The
question posed by many of the studies found in the literature on this topic revolve around asking
what must be done to make education “see” the consequences or dangers of continued cuts to
If social studies education is clearly tied to student success, why does it seem to always be the
first subject marginalized when time in the schedule is needed? A simple cursory look at the
literature on this question reveals that social studies as a content has fallen behind other subjects
in the manner in which it is taught. In a study conducted of secondary social studies courses, it
was found the method of delivery fell into what was defined as a “traditional” method of
teaching. This traditional method was defined to consist mostly of lecture, textbook, or film
based instruction (Knowles & Theobald, 2013). While this information may not be indicative of
the entire field, the survey was only conducted at the secondary level, it points to a tendency of
social studies instruction to fall into this a model that is perceived as “dated.” Further evidence
indicates that social studies is often viewed a discipline that is almost wholly based in surface
level memorization. In their 2013 study for the Oregon Council for Social Studies, Foran and
Bergstrom (3013) summarized that students indicated knowing specific “people” or “events”
would not be important to their future jobs. From the same survey, students also identified that
the skills learned from mathematics or english were much more likely to be important in future
employment (Foran & Bergstrom, 2013). Not only are social studies course perceived to consist
mostly of memorization based tasks, even the topics of that memorization have been identified as
Not much exists in the way of research on this topic as it relates specifically to social studies.
There is an existing body of research on the general topic of skill based standards in the field of
education. As discussed in the introduction to this review, skill based standards, or competency
based education, does not have a single, solid definition. However, a general theme of structuring
Action Research on Impact of Skill Based Standards in Social Studies
standards more around “skills” has been a focus for some time. At the center of this increased
interest in skill based standards has been the Common Core State Standards. A reading of the
basis for one area of these standards, english language arts, reveals that “skills” are much more
the focus as compared to general content (English Language Arts K-5, 2019). In fact, though
words like “content” and “knowledge” appear across the literature on the Common Core
standards, that information is almost always followed by statements about the “skills” that will
be used to attain or teach that specific content (About the Standards, 2019).
One of the aspects of this topic that ties intimately to social studies is the move away from
content specific information. As stated previously, surveys have identified that students often
equate social studies with surface level memorization of names and dates (Foran and Bergstrom,
2013).
Since this move has taken place, it appears that little research has been done on the impact of
these new skill based social studies standards on student achievement in other contents. There is
a minimal amount of literature these emerging sets of standards and their impact on classrooms.
In an interview conducted for edweek, educator and author Larry Ferlazzo (2016) discussed the
impact of the new Common Core “skill based” standards on the domain of social studies. He
discussed the greater depth of understanding required to address these new skill based tasks as
opposed to the content specific, and often memorization based, skills of previous standard lists.
While he does not discuss specifically the impact of this movement on other content areas, he
does describe how this move is changing the way traditional social studies classes are being
More evidence of this emerging move away from content specific standards in the area of social
studies can be found in recent state standard initiatives. The state of Illinois adopted new
learning standards in the content of social studies in 2015. These standards were set up around a
series of domains, but tied to “inquiry skills”, and “skills” required for success in the 21st
century (Social Science, n.d.) No longer are the standards set up around specific names, dates, or
events. A consistent and intentional effort to address skills over specific content is blatantly
Barriers. One of the issues revealed in the literature on this topic is the communication
and organization issue that exists around the standards movement. The fact that standards can be
different from content to content, state to state, and performance against these standards is often
not communicated in a way that is easy for stakeholders to understand is something that
continues to stand in the way of many initiatives centered around “standards” (Common
Confusion, 2018). An argument could be made that research anchored in performance against
standards will have a disconnect with individuals not “savvy” in the everyday language of
educational theory. This may explain why there is little literature pertaining to the impact of
specific types of standards on student achievement, and could lead to problems of understanding
Another potential barrier is the view by some in the field that relating social studies to other
contents as a way to demonstrate its relevance is “watering down” social studies as a content
(Brugar & Whitlock, 2018). The connection to english language arts skills or standards in social
studies classrooms has led some to view social studies as nothing more than a second english
course, void of the skills that should define a social studies curriculum. It would be necessary to
strike a clear balance between the watering down of the social studies content and highlighting
Action Research on Impact of Skill Based Standards in Social Studies
the potential benefit of a skill based social studies course to performance in other contents. Even
if this balance was achieved, there may be a portion of the social studies community that views
this effort as nothing more than an attempt to further water down what many see as a content that
One additional barrier lies in what teaching these type of skills may ask of teachers who are used
to a more “traditional” format of social studies classroom. The move towards skill based
standards in the social studies classroom has led to a focus on more reading and writing skills in
the content. With the increased focus on teaching literacy skills in the social studies classroom,
many teachers have reported that they feel ill prepared for such a shift (Evans & Clark, 2014).
The move away from content specific standards into skill based standards may require additional
teacher professional development that could slow the process or make teachers less likely to
As previously stated, there is very little information on this specific topic. The prior information
in this review shows much of the information in the related areas of measured contents, the
perception of social studies as a content, the resulting marginalization of social studies, and the
move towards skill based standards. All of that information “dances around” the more specific
question of what impact a skill based social studies curriculum has on student achievement in
other content areas (specifically english language arts). In fact, several of the sources mentioned
in this review make reference to future studies that may choose to touch on the impact of skill
based standards in social studies. Perhaps the most cited article in this review, that of the study
conducted by Foran and Bergstrom (2013), concludes by advocating that future studies compare
achievement and perception of what they call a “traditional” social studies curriculum versus a
Action Research on Impact of Skill Based Standards in Social Studies
curriculum set up around what they identify as a “reformed...21st century” social studies
curriculum.
The studies conducted by Brugar and Whitlock (2018) as well as the article written by Evans and
Clark (2014) seem to represent the most closely aligned literature already existing in the field on
this topic. However, both sources are more based in how to implement the new Common Core
literacy standards in already existing social studies classrooms. They are not explicitly focused
on student achievement in other areas when these or similar skill based standards are
implemented.
As the existing work only deals with parts of the posed question, this action research will fill a
void in the literature surrounding this topic. Much of the literature cited above talked about ways
to identify and gauge the importance and relevance of social studies coursework to the modern
student. This study will provide an avenue to do that by examining how a social studies class set
up around skill based standards impacts student achievement in not only social studies, but other
Though it may seem a compromise to advocate for the value of social studies by measuring its
impact on other areas, much of the existing literature speaks to the “cross curricular” nature of
the social studies content (Powerful Purposeful Pedagogy, 2017). As these other areas, math and
english language arts, have already cemented themselves as the most measured or assessed
contents in many states, speaking to the impact of a social studies curriculum based around skills
on those contents must carry a certain amount of relevancy for some in the field.
Again, the targeted topic and question of this research is very specific, so there is very little in
the existing literature that speaks directly to it. As can be seen by the prior review, most of the
literature deals with the impact of choices and research within the social studies classrooms, not
overall student achievement outside the domain of social studies. The transition to skill based
standards in the topic of social studies is also relatively new. With much of this transition taking
place in the last 5 years, it is possible not enough time has passed to measure and collect data on
such a question.
There is also the issue stated above in the review of communication/issues of understanding
related to standards based initiatives. It is possible gaps in the literature exist as finding a way to
communicate this information to stakeholders may prove difficult if there is not an understanding
of how students are measured against specific standards, or more plainly, why such information
matters. As the standards based movement continues to become more mainstream, specifically
standards based around skills, it seems likely more questions like the one posed here will be
asked.
As identified in much of the literature contained here, the need for this research lies in the
continued marginalization of social studies as a content. The section of this review that address
the immeasurable consequences of an education void of social studies education speaks to the
growing feeling among many educators that a continued turn away from social studies merely
The information revealed by this research may help educators to speak to the importance of a
social studies curriculum. This may also help educators who are seeking to transition their social
Action Research on Impact of Skill Based Standards in Social Studies
studies curriculum from a traditional model to a more dynamic skill based course that
References
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of how the “essential social studies skills and strategies” reflects social studies instruction
[Abstract]. The Clearing House,111-117. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
Common Confusion: Most kids in America aren't on track for success. Why don't they
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(2019). Retrieved June 27, 2019, from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-
Literacy/RF/introduction/
Evans, M., & Clark, S. (2014). Finding a place for CCSS literacy skills in the middle
school social studies curriculum [Abstract]. The Clearing House,88(1), 1-8. Retrieved
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