Laos Books

Our friends at the Fordham Institute issued a new report this week that is critical of Ohio’s United States’ History content standards. Lacking in both clarity and rigor, Ohio scored a 3 of a possible 10, earning a less than acceptable grade of D.
Ohio’s standards claim to outline the “essential knowledge” that students should acquire through the social studies curriculum. Unfortunately, the state does not seem to consider substantive historical content to be “essential,” since very little is included.
In the elementary grades, Ohio’s standards place little emphasis on U.S. history. Early grades’ guiding themes include such general concepts—typical of the “expanding environments” approach to social studies—as “The Classroom Community” (preKindergarten), “A Child’s Place in Time and Space” (Kindergarten), “Families Now and Long Ago, Near and Far” (first grade), “People Working Together” (second grade), and “Communities: Past and Present, Near and Far” (third grade). The history strand in these grades is divided between “historical thinking and skills” and “heritage” topics. A small number of very general content statements touch on basic concepts such as change.
Ohio’s Social Studies Content Standards have been focus of concern for the last year. As recently as last Monday, members of the State Board’s Achievement Committee failed to support the model curriculum based on the content standards. Action on the model curriculum was moved to the March meeting.