The document above will clarify testing information regarding social studies.

https://www.socialstudies.org

National Council for the Social Studies

NCSS– Explore the national site for information and opportunity!

Founded in 1921, National Council for the Social Studies is the largest professional association in the country devoted solely to social studies education. NCSS engages and supports educators in strengthening and advocating social studies. With members in all the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 35 countries, NCSS serves as an umbrella organization for elementary, secondary, and college teachers of history, civics, geography, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and law-related education. The NCSS membership represents K-12 classroom teachers, college and university faculty members, curriculum designers and specialists, social studies supervisors, and leaders in the various disciplines that constitute the social studies.

Membership in National Council for the Social Studies is open to any person or institution interested in the social studies.

Become a Member

Vision

A world in which all students are educated and inspired for lifelong inquiry and informed civic action.
 

Mission

The mission of National Council for the Social Studies is to advocate and build capacity for high-quality social studies by providing leadership, services, and support to educators.

Also….From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is a private, non-profit association based in Silver Spring, Maryland, that provides leadership, support, and advocacy for social studies education.^[1]

The council is affiliated with various regional or state-level social studies associations, including the Middle States Council for the Social Studies, the Washington State Council for the Social Studies, the New York City UFT Association for the Teaching of Social Studies, the Michigan Council for the Social Studies, the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies, and the Virginia Council for the Social Studies. 

The association publishes several journals. Its flagship publication, Social Education,^{[2][dead link]} is a peer-reviewed^[3] journal which, according to its website, aims to strike “a balance of theoretical content and practical teaching ideas.”^[4] They sponsor the high school honor society Rho Kappa.^[5]

NCSS is currently a member of the National Coalition Against Censorship.^[6]

History

Founded in 1921, NCSS engages and supports educators in strengthening and advocating social studies. With members in all the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and 69 foreign countries, NCSS serves as an umbrella organization for elementary, secondary, and college teachers of history, geography, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and law-related education. Organized into a network of more than 110 affiliated state, local, and regional councils and associated groups, the NCSS membership represents K–12 classroom teachers, college and university faculty members, curriculum designers and specialists, social studies supervisors, and leaders in the various disciplines that constitute the social studies.

Social Studies

NCSS defines social studies as “the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence”. Within the school program, social studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. In essence, social studies promotes knowledge of and involvement in civic affairs. And because civic issues—such as health care, crime, and foreign policy—are multidisciplinary in nature, understanding these issues and developing resolutions to them requires multidisciplinary education. These characteristics are the key defining aspects of social studies.

Expectations of Excellence

In 2010, the council published National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: A Framework for Teaching, Learning and Assessment. This publication is an update and revision of Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies originally published in 1994. The National Curriculum Standards provides an articulated K–12 social studies program that serves as a framework for the integration of other national standards in social studies, including U.S. and world history, civics and government, geography, global education, and economics. NCSS standards ensure that an integrated social science, behavioral science, and humanities approach for achieving academic and civic competence is available to guide social studies decision makers in K–12 schools.

The NCSS framework consists of ten themes incorporating fields of study that correspond with one or more relevant disciplines. The organization believes that effective social studies programs include experiences that provide for the study of: Culture; Time, Continuity, and Change; People, Places, and Environments; Individual Development and Identity; Individuals, Groups, and Institutions; Power, Authority, and Governance; Production, Distribution, and Consumption; Science, Technology, and Society; Global Connections; and Civic Ideals and Practices.

Awards

The NCSS gives a number of awards^[7] including:

• Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Awards –This award is given to exceptional social studies teachers K-12. ^[8]
• Award for Global Understanding Given in Honor of James M. Becker. Since 2003, this award has been given in honor of James M. Becker to social studies educators who have made significant contributions to the teaching and learning of social studies.^[9]
• Fund for the Advancement of Social Studies Education (FASSE) Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars Award and Grant. In honor of Christa McAuliffe, this award and grant is given to educators who have a dream to make a difference in social studies education.^[10]
• NCSS Research Awards . There are three sponsored research awards-  the exemplary research award, the exemplary dissertation award, distinguished career research award. ^[11]
• Carter G. Woodson Book Awards. The award was established in 1974 and is awarded to exemplary social science books written for young children. ^[12]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Council_for_the_Social_Studies

Greetings, West Virginia social studies teachers!

I am sharing the minutes from this week’s WVCSS meeting and our amended Rising Star Award information which we worked on during Monday night’s meeting.  We will be holding a special WVCSS meeting on December 2, 2024, to vote on these proposed changes to our WVCSS Constitution.  

Registration is still open for our WVCSS Friends and Family Field Trip to Matewan on November 2nd.  If you would like to attend, please complete the form linked below.  If you have any questions, please email me at mrsbarnettemiller@gmail.com.  

WVCSS Friends and Family Field Trip Form

Please also consider nominating a colleague for our Distinguished Teacher of the Year award.  This nomination closes on December 14, 2024. 
WVCSS Distinguished Teacher of the Year Nomination

We hope to see each of you soon at a WVCSS meeting or event!  Have a great weekend!
Adena Barnette-Miller

WVCSS President

West Virginia Council on Social Studies

Sent on behalf of CFWV, FBI Teen Academy, and WV Public Broadcasting:

College Application and Exploration Week, The FAFSA Completion Campaign, and College Decision Day are the Pathway to CFWV Champion of College Access and Success!
Register today for all events!

Registration is open for the 2024-2025 CFWV Pathway to Champion events! By registering NOW, your school will receive a FREE mailing at the beginning of the school year containing CFWV outreach materials to help you implement and promote your college access and career exploration events. Additionally, you will find guidebooks, lessons, social media posts, and other downloadable, customizable activity templates onCFWV’s resource pages.

Elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as home school groups, community organizations, and adult education groups will use this registration.

High schools that complete the required milestones and post-event surveys for each event will be named 2025CFWV Champions and celebrated next fall.

Priority registration will remain open until September 30, 2024. After September 30th, we cannot guarantee that schools who register will receive a complete box of materials in time for College Application and Exploration Week.

Please complete only one registration form per school. We will send only one mailing per school, so please coordinate with others in your building. Schools and organizations serving seniors, please note that this box of materials is intended for use during both of your milestone events.

PATHWAY TO CHAMPION EVENTS

#WhyApplyDay: September 20, 2024 **

College Application and Exploration Week: October 28 – November 1, 2024 */***

FAFSA Completion Campaign: October 2024-April 2025 *

WV FAFSA Day: February 6, 2025 **/***

College Decision Day: April-June 2025 */***

* required Champion of College Access and Success milestone
** suggested Champion of College Access and Success milestone
*** has a post-event survey

Please note that websites are currently being updated and to check back regularly for new updates and materials.

Coming 2025/2026: College & Middle School Champions of College Access and Success!

Coming 2026/2027: Elementary Champion of College Access and Success!
Details coming soon!

FBI Teen Academy 

The FBI Pittsburgh Division’s Community Outreach Program will host five Teen Academy programs this fall and will support the CJIS Teen Academy in Clarksburg.

Teen Academy is a one-day hands-on program for rising High School Juniors and Seniors (2024-2025 school year) who live within the FBI Pittsburgh Division’s area of responsibility in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The dates and locations for the 2024 Fall Program are below:

• FBI Beckley, WV Teen Academy; October 8, 2024
• FBI Charleston, WV Teen Academy; October 9, 2024
• FBI CJIS (Clarksburg, WV) Teen Academy; October 15, 2024
• FBI Pittsburgh, PA Teen Academy; October 17, 2024
• FBI Wheeling, WV Teen Academy; October 29, 2024
• FBI Martinsburg, WV Teen Academy; November 13, 2024

The FBI’s Teen Academy program in Pittsburgh and West Virginia allows a diverse group of high school students the opportunity to develop leadership skills and to investigate the world of law enforcement. Active explorations of fitness and forensic science grow students’ minds and bodies while age-appropriate lessons on topics such as violence prevention, sextortion, and hoax threats teach them how to stay safe. FBI staff, including special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff, lead discussions and interactive sessions focused on the work we do, how we do it, and, most importantly, why we choose this work in service of all Americans.

Any student with an interest in leadership and service is welcome to apply for this free opportunity. An interest in a law enforcement career is not a pre-requisite. 

Please visit the following link to view a sneak peek of our Teen Academy program and to download an official application, which includes an essay requirement. When you click on the city of your choice, make sure you click on the link to download the file, complete the application on your computer, and return via e-mail to the POCs listed below.

FBI TEEN ACADEMY APPLICATIONS – FALL 2024

Application dates vary. See the site above for more information.

• Pittsburgh applications should be sent to: fatrovato@fbi.gov 
• Beckley, Charleston, Wheeling, and Martinsburg applications should be sent to: wnbarnhart@fbi.gov

Please contact me with any questions you may have.

Regards,

Whitney

Whitney N. Barnhart

Community Outreach Specialist

FBI Pittsburgh – Charleston Resident Agency

E-mail:  wnbarnhart@fbi.gov

Desk:  304.346.2432

Cell:  412.334.1979

June 3rd Meeting of social studies teachers from around the district sharing and learning together. The day had legislative updates from WV House of Delegate Member Elliott Pritt, Inquiry Driving instruction in social studies classrooms, West Virginia Public Broadcasting segment with WVPB Education Specialist Autumn Meadows, Literacy making sense of our world. Tying it all together, and a gaze into AI in our social studies world!

The new social studies standards are out for public comment, and the WVDE welcomes your feedback.

See the links below to review the standards and share your thoughts. 

68-18044-57085-2024-04-10-08-06-39-344 (wv.gov)  

Online Comment Form (state.wv.us)

West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) Policies (state.wv.us)

Good afternoon,

The West Virginia Department of Education and the West Virginia Department of Tourism are recruiting heavily for the Governor’s School for Tourism. It is very important for every county to be represented in this school as students will be serving as ambassadors for Tourism in our state. We need your help. Any 9^th and 10^th grade student may apply for this school. Please have conversations with all freshmen and sophomores and encourage them to apply.

The dates for 2024 are June 20-June 29. This is honestly an opportunity of a lifetime for students. We’re going whitewater rafting, staying at WV State Parks, and visiting all 9 of the travel regions in WV. We’ll be traveling on charter buses and it’s all free!

Please help us recruit in your county. Share the information with all students, parents, teachers, principals, and school counselors.

This exploration of WV will not disappoint!

The applications may be found on our website along with all other relevant information. The deadline to apply is April 26, 2024.

Hello, social studies teachers!

My name is Tanya Baldwin, I am the new Social Studies Coordinator with the West Virginia Department of Education.  I would like to share a bit of information about myself with you. I was a classroom social studies teacher for sixteen years. I have taught both middle school and high school social studies.

I began my teaching career in Logan County and later moved to Mercer County. Over the years I taught a variety of social studies subjects. Most of my time was spent teaching at the high school level. The last few years in the classroom, I mainly taught U.S. History. 

About three years ago, I moved into higher education and went to work at Concord University. I enjoyed working with students at the college level but am now happy to return my focus to the K-12 classroom.  I am excited to work with the WVDE where I can help West Virginia students and classroom teachers.

Please let us know how we can support you and your classrooms!

Tanya Baldwin

WVDE Secondary Social Studies Coordinator

PK-12 Academic Support

1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East-Room 500

Charleston, WV 25305-0330

Phone: 304-558-8098 Ext. 53348 

Fax: 304-558-1613

Email: tlbaldwi@k12.wvde.us

9-12 Current Social Studies Teachers

9-12 SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS: Any teacher who is endorsed in Social Studies and employed in that capacity at the 9-12 grade level for the 2023-2024 school year is eligible to receive a permanent advanced credential in Personal Finance Specialist without completing any additional coursework/professional learning requirements. Eligible candidates need to submit an application to the county certification officialprior to June 30, 2024. The application requires verification from the County that the applicant is currently employed in a Social Studies position for the current 2023-24 school year. Any candidate who applies for initial, renewal, or conversion of this credential on or after July 1, 2024, shall meet the requirements as listed in WVBE Policy 5202. For additional information, please email Alyssa Keedy (Alyssa Keedy) or call 304-558-7010.

The candidate will need to print a paper application Form 30 from the WVDE website (wvde.us under certification) and submit the application to the county certification official prior to June 30, 2024. .  The non-refundable processing fee is $35.00 payable at https://wveis.k12.wv.us/certpayment. 

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Dustin Lambert, M.Ed.

Coordinator

West Virginia Governor’s Schools

Student Enrichment Programs

Middle School CTE & Social Studies 6-12

West Virginia Nonpublic Schools & Homeschool

Division of Career Exploration & Student Engagemen

https://theclio.com/tour/2416

https://archive.wvculture.org/history/archives/blacks/timeline.html