The Georgia Department of Education is seeking input on the first Georgia Standards of Excellence for science and social studies. If approved, the standards will be implemented in the 2017-18 school year, following a full year of teacher training.
The input period will run from Jan. 15 until March 14. Go to www.gadoe.org to view the social studies and science standards, and for the links to the surveys. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for the press release from Jan. 15 under “news” on the righthand side. The press release contains links to the standards and the surveys.
The standards, if approved, will replace the current Georgia Performance Standards in science and social studies with the Georgia Standards of Excellence. They were developed based on a formal review and evaluation process which included opportunities for teachers, parents and families, students, business and industry, and community members to participate through surveys and committees.
As part of the process of review that produced the proposed new standards, science and social studies teachers across the state were asked to provide feedback for every single standard and element in their grade level or high school course. The science and social studies surveys each drew more than 9,000 teachers, with participation from every school district. Regional Education Service Agencies assisted in development of the survey, and the University System of Georgia provided a third-party analysis of the survey results.
Students, parents and families, business and industry, and community members were also invited to provide feedback on the existing standards. SEDL, an affiliate of American Institutes for Research, assisted in management of the survey, and Georgia State University provided a third-party analysis of the results.
Practicing Georgia social studies and science teachers used the survey results to guide revisions made to the existing standards. Advisory and academic committees also took part in the revision, these included district-level instructional leaders and representatives from business and industry, Georgia’s university and technical college systems, nonprofit organizations, and other education-related state agencies.
