Social Studies Standards Comparison

The proposed social studies standards discourage inquiry-based learning and emphasize rote memorization. They wildly deviate from current social studies standards and will upend the curriculum for every teacher, every classroom and every school. The proposed standards are too time specific and only focus on events from 1492 to 2008 raising many questions about how teachers would approach teaching current events.

While some South Dakota and Native American history standards are included in the proposed standards, they are mostly afterthoughts or lumped in with other standards. There is no other opportunity for students, especially at the lower grades, to immerse themselves in the rich history and culture of our great state and the Native American tribes of South Dakota. All students should be afforded the opportunity to have at least a semester of South Dakota and Native American History, not just those who reside in a school district that can afford to offer it as an elective at the high school level.

It should also be noted that the proposed standards lack any robust geography. Pointing to a map is the expectation in the newest proposed standards instead of understanding how human movement and culture have contributed to our history and our country.

Click below to compare the standards at each grade level.

Please note:
The documents compare the 2015 approved social studies and the 2022 proposed standards. This document does not compare the merit of the content or provide analysis of either set of standards. The side-by-side view does not align similar language between the two sets. This document simply provides a copy of each set of standards made available by the South Dakota Department of Education. The 2015 K-8 standards are organized by the following content: History, Civics, Geography, and Economics. The 2022 standards provide a “letter” behind each standard to streamline the identification process. These letters are: SS Social Studies WH World History E Economics AH American History C U.S. Government/American Civics G Geography H History.