Standards and Frameworks in All Grades and Disciplines
State Standards are adopted by the State Board of Education in the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) and are reviewed at least every eight years in accordance with the Regulatory Review and Evaluation Act, State Government Article §§ 10-130-10-139 Annotated Code of Maryland. Standards are defined as statements that define what students should know and be able to do in a core content area. The social studies standards in Maryland were last reviewed in 2018 and approved by the State Board of Education in 2020, COMAR 13A.04.08.
Maryland Social Studies Standards
| Standard 1.0 Civics | Students shall inquire about the historical development of the fundamental concepts and processes of authority, power, and influence with particular emphasis on civic reasoning in order to become informed, responsible citizens, engage in the political process, and contribute to society. |
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Standard 2.0 Peoples of the Nations and World | Students shall inquire about the people of the United States and the world using a historically grounded, multidisciplinary approach in order to recognize multiple narratives and acknowledge the diversity and commonality of the human experience. |
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Standard 3.0 Geography | Students shall inquire about the role of culture, technology, and the environment in the location, distribution, and impact of human activities using geographic tools and spatial thinking in order to demonstrate a significance of place. |
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Standard 4.0 Economic | Students shall inquire about decisions made by individuals and groups using economic reasoning in order to understand the historical development and current status of economic principles, institutions, and processes needed to be effective citizens, consumers, and workers participating in local communities, the nation, and the world |
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Standard 5.0 History | Students shall inquire about significant events, ideas, beliefs, and themes to identify patterns and trends and to analyze how individuals and societies have changed over time to make connections to the present in their communities, Maryland, the United States, and the world. |
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Standard 6.0 Skills and Processes | Students shall inquire about civics, geography, economics, history, and people and nations of the world using disciplinary literacy skills and processes to critically evaluate content through a variety of source materials across disciplines and use reading, writing, and other forms of communication to develop, defend, and critique arguments in order to take informed action. |
The MSDE Protocol for Developing and Revising Standards defines state frameworks as guides for school systems as they develop local school curricula. The social studies frameworks are developed, reviewed, and revised by teams of Maryland educators and may also include national models.