The NCHE Board of Directors Statement Regarding the Virginia Social Studies Standards

January 31, 2023

NCHE Supports Six Organizations’ Response to January 2023 Draft of Virginia History Standards

Since 1990, The National Council for History Education (NCHE) has provided professional and intellectual leadership to foster an engaged community committed to the teaching, learning, and appreciation of diverse histories. With this mission and our membership in mind, the NCHE Board of Directors finds it necessary to issue a statement of support for the collaborative response of the American Historical Association (AHA), National Council for the Social Studies, Virginia Association of Curriculum Development (VASCD), Virginia Council for the Social Studies, Virginia Geographic Alliance, & Virginia Social Studies Leader Consortium (VSSLC) to the Draft History and Social Science Standards released by the Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction (VSPI) on January 5, 2023.

At the core of NCHE’s work are the History’s Habits of Mind. NCHE believes that historical thinking develops a unique capacity to comprehend human situations, challenges, and interactions. Thinking historically introduces students to the wonders of the past and fosters the ability to make judgments about the present. History’s Habits of Mind articulates this distinctive approach, one that leads towards engaging with and understanding the contemporary world and serves as a foundation for life-long, productive learning and active citizenship.

After careful review, the NCHE Board of Directors finds that the Collaborative Draft Standards created by VSSCL, VASCD, and AHA more clearly reflect and support History’s Habits of Mind and will best guide history and social science instruction.

This is best evidenced by the Collaborative Standards SOL.1 skills and the addition of inquiry questions that accompany each content standard. The inquiry questions for each standard embed historical thinking within the curriculum to encourage instruction that scaffolds deeper learning, understanding, and application. For example, the Kindergarten standard about community is framed around the compelling question, “How has my community changed over time?” In 4th grade Virginia Studies, the standard about early Virginia is framed around the compelling question, “How did different cultures contribute to the make-up of the Virginia colony?” In 11th grade Virginia/U.S. History, the standard about the enslavement of Africans in the New World is framed around the compelling question, “How do lived experiences influence culture?” All of these examples illustrate how the Collaborative Standards aim to balance content knowledge with historical thinking skills and application.

This consistent and purposeful balance of content, skills, and inquiry questions align with several of the NCHE History Habits of Mind. These include:

• Read critically, to discern differences between evidence and assertion and to frame useful and appropriate questions about the past
• Interrogate texts and artifacts, posing questions about the past that foster informed discussion, reasoned debate and evidence-based interpretation
• Grasp the significance of the past in shaping the present
• Appreciate the diversity of cultures and variety of historical contexts, as well as to distinguish elements of our shared humanity
• Negotiate a complex, often uncertain and ambiguous world, equipped with the appreciation for multiple perspectives
• Understand the impact made by individuals, groups and institutions at local, national and global levels both in effecting change and in ensuring continuity

The Board finds that the VSPI standards eliminate essential content areas needed to understand American history and do not as clearly align with History’s Habits of Mind. Below are a couple of examples (History Habits of Mind are in quotes):

“Understand the impact made by individuals, groups, and institutions at local, national, and global levels both in effecting change and in ensuring continuity.”

• The VSPI standards omit all previous standards (2008 - 2015) dealing with the history of labor unions, strikes, and changes in working conditions.

“Interrogate texts and artifacts, posing questions about the past that foster informed discussion, reasoned debate, and evidence-based interpretation.”

• The VSPI standards significantly increase the number of specific people and events that students will need to learn. This increase is likely to lead instruction, particularly in the elementary grades, towards rote memorization and significantly reduce opportunities for students to properly develop age-appropriate historical thinking skills.

NCHE supports the teaching of history that includes all, particularly the voices that reflect all students’ lives and experiences. NCHE also encourages reflection on this Habit of Mind for all students, teachers, and decision-makers in the education community to “Negotiate a complex, often uncertain and ambiguous world, equipped with the appreciation for multiple perspectives.” We urge the Virginia Board of Education to adopt the Collaborative Standards because they offer a way forward based on collaboration and will provide more authentic opportunities for students to investigate the past, engage in the present, and shape the future.

Download the statement here.