Assessment Design and
Framework

Field 031: Middle Grades Social Studies

The assessment design below describes general assessment information. The framework that follows is a detailed outline that explains the knowledge and skills that this assessment measures.

Assessment Design

Format	Computer-based test (CBT) and online-proctored test
Number of Questions	125 multiple-choice questions
Time*	180 minutes
Passing Score	220

*Does not include 15-minute tutorial

Framework

Pie chart of approximate test weighting outlined in the table below.

Domain		Range of Competencies	Approximate Percentage of Assessment Score
I	History	0001–0008	40%
II	Geography and Culture	0009–0011	21%
III	Government	0012–0014	19%
IV	Economics	0015–0016	10%
V	Ohio in the United States	0017	10%

Domain I–History

0001 Understand historical concepts, terms, sources, perspectives, and research skills. (6%)

Includes:

Demonstrate knowledge of basic historical terms and concepts such as nation-state, theocracy, dynastic cycle, chronology, and periodization.
Apply knowledge of basic reference sources used in historical research, including almanacs, information technology, bibliographies, periodical guides, encyclopedias, and biographical dictionaries.
Distinguish between primary and secondary sources of historical information.
Evaluate the uses and limitations of various historical source materials, including oral histories, newspapers, diaries, artifacts, personal correspondence, archival materials, census data, videos, and materials accessed through information technologies.
Analyze cause-and-effect relationships between historical events and developments.
Recognize central theses, main ideas, and supporting evidence in various sources of historical information.
Draw inferences and conclusions from historical texts and interpretations.
Analyze the purpose and perspective of diverse sources of historical information, including potential bias and the assumptions on which historical arguments are based.
Interpret graphic representations of historical issues and events found in charts, diagrams, maps, timelines, political cartoons, and graphs.

0002 Understand major developments in world history from the beginnings of human society to 1350 CE. (7%)

Includes:

Examine the Neolithic Revolution and the birth of human civilization, including the growth of agriculture, the domestication of animals, the organization of government, and the emergence of towns.
Demonstrate knowledge of major geographic, social, political, economic, and cultural characteristics of early civilizations in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas to 500 BCE.
Analyze major events, developments, characteristics, and contributions of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations.
Examine the principal beliefs, sacred texts, and historical development of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
Examine major geographic, social, political, economic, and cultural characteristics of major civilizations and empires of Asia, Africa, and the Americas between 500 BCE and 1350 CE.
Examine major geographic, social, political, economic, and cultural characteristics of the Islamic and Byzantine civilizations.
Demonstrate knowledge of the growth, principal features, and decline of medieval civilization in Europe.
Recognize the contributions of significant individuals and chronological relationships between major global events to 1350 CE.
Analyze major social, economic, and cultural trends in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas from 4000 BCE to 1350 CE.

0003 Understand major developments in world history from 1350 to 1850. (7%)

Includes:

Examine the origins, major developments, significant individuals, and lasting consequences of the European Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation.
Analyze European expansion between 1450 and 1650, including the effects of colonization on Europeans and the indigenous societies they encountered.
Examine the central ideas of major thinkers of the Scientific Revolution and the European Enlightenment and the influence of these ideas on events and developments in Europe and the Americas.
Analyze the similarities, differences, and consequences of the English, American, and French revolutions and the wars for independence in Latin America.
Evaluate economic, social, and political factors related to the emergence and spread of industrialization and the growth of urban centers in Europe.
Demonstrate knowledge of major literary, artistic, intellectual, and scientific developments of this period in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Recognize the contributions of significant individuals and chronological relationships between major global events and developments of this period.
Analyze major social, economic, and cultural trends in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas from 1350 to 1850.

0004 Understand major developments in world history from 1850 to the present. (2%)

Includes:

Analyze the causes and consequences of European imperialism, including interactions between imperialist powers and the people of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Analyze the causes, major events, and consequences of World War I and the origins, major events, and consequences of World War II.
Evaluate major developments and issues related to the process of decolonization in postwar Asia, Africa, and the Middle East and demonstrate knowledge of the causes, major developments, and consequences of the Cold War.
Examine major global challenges of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, including environmental degradation, terrorism, limited natural resource supplies, and economic imbalances among the world's peoples.
Recognize the contributions of significant individuals and chronological relationships between major global events and developments of this period.
Analyze major social, economic, and cultural trends and demonstrate knowledge of major literary, artistic, intellectual, and scientific developments in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas from 1850 to the present.

0005 Understand major developments in early U.S. history from the precontact period to 1789. (7%)

Includes:

Demonstrate knowledge of important social, economic, and political features of major Native American cultures at the time of their first contact with Europeans.
Examine major events and developments related to European exploration of North America.
Analyze coexistence and conflict between Europeans and Native Americans, including differences in beliefs, values, and attitudes.
Analyze economic, social, political, and cultural developments in Great Britain's North American colonies, including the growth of slavery and similarities and differences between the New England, mid-Atlantic, and southern colonies.
Examine the French and Indian War and the major causes, events, and consequences of the Revolutionary War.
Analyze the growth of the trans-Appalachian West, including the settlement of the Ohio River valley and the Northwest Territory.
Analyze the evolution of national and state governments during and after the Revolution, including problems under the Articles of Confederation and major debates and compromises in the creation and ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
Recognize the contributions of significant individuals and chronological relationships between major events and developments in U.S. history during this period.
Analyze major social, economic, and cultural trends in the colonies and the new nation from the beginnings of settlement to 1789.

0006 Understand major developments in U.S. history from 1789 to 1877. (7%)

Includes:

Examine major political and constitutional developments of the early national and Jacksonian eras.
Analyze events and developments related to westward expansion, including the impact of western settlement and growth on the Native American peoples.
Analyze the causes and consequences of economic growth, industrialization, immigration, and the development of a national market economy during the first half of the nineteenth century.
Demonstrate knowledge of major events and developments in U.S. foreign relations during this period, including the War of 1812, the Monroe Doctrine, and the Mexican War.
Analyze events and developments related to the spread of slavery and the evolution of a distinctive African American culture.
Assess the origins and objectives of major reform movements of the period and the activities and achievements of key reformers.
Analyze the principal causes, significant events, and major developments of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Demonstrate knowledge of major developments in literature, the arts, popular culture, science, and technology in the United States from 1789 to 1877.
Recognize the contributions of significant individuals and chronological relationships between major events and developments in U.S. history during this period.

0007 Understand major developments in U.S. history from 1877 to 1929. (2%)

Includes:

Examine the settlement of the western United States, the consequences of expanding settlement for Native Americans, the industrialization of the U.S. economy, and the impact of immigration and urbanization on U.S. society.
Demonstrate knowledge of the racial division of southern society after 1877; racial segregation and discrimination in the North; and the efforts of African Americans to resist segregation, disenfranchisement, and violence.
Examine the economic, political, and social development of the United States during the Progressive Era and the 1920s, including the impact of Progressive reforms and the woman suffrage movement.
Analyze the rise of the United States as a world power, key issues in the debate over U.S. expansionism, and the causes and consequences of U.S. participation in World War I.
Demonstrate knowledge of major developments in literature, the arts, popular culture, science, and technology in the United States from 1877 to 1929.
Recognize the contributions of significant individuals and chronological relationships between major events and developments in U.S. history during this period.

0008 Understand major developments in U.S. history from 1929 to the present. (2%)

Includes:

Analyze the causes of the Great Depression and the government response to economic collapse and social dislocation during the 1930s.
Examine major events and developments related to U.S. participation in World War II, including war mobilization and the impact of the war on the U.S. economy and society.
Analyze major social, economic, political, and constitutional developments in the United States since 1945, including the postwar economic boom, the movement of African American equality, and economic globalization.
Analyze major events and developments in U.S. foreign policy from the beginnings of the Cold War to the Iraq War, and immigration to the United States and changes to U.S. immigration policy during this period.
Demonstrate knowledge of major developments in literature, the arts, popular culture, science, and technology in the United States from 1929 to the present.
Recognize the contributions of significant individuals and chronological relationships between major events and developments in U.S. history during this period.

Domain II–Geography and Culture

0009 Understand geographic terms, concepts, sources, and research skills. (7%)

Includes:

Demonstrate knowledge of the five fundamental geographic themes (i.e., location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region).
Apply the six essential elements of geography (i.e., the world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical systems, human systems, environment and society, and the uses of geography).
Apply basic geographic terms and concepts such as habitat, ecology, interdependence, assimilation, demographic cycle, and cultural diffusion.
Recognize basic characteristics of maps and globes and the advantages and disadvantages of standard map projections.
Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and uses of various geographic reference sources, tools, and technologies.
Interpret geographic information presented in various visual formats.
Apply skills and procedures used in geographic research, including formulating appropriate research questions, identifying main ideas, analyzing cause-and-effect relationships, and drawing conclusions.

0010 Understand physical features, physical systems, and the interaction between the environment and human societies. (7%)

Includes:

Recognize major landmasses, significant landforms, and important bodies of water in the United States and in other parts of the world.
Recognize the principal elements of climate and major global and regional climatic patterns.
Demonstrate knowledge of the ways physical processes shape the physical features of the earth.
Recognize the location, distribution, and uses of natural resources in the United States and throughout the world, and the influence of natural resources on human populations.
Analyze ways human societies modify the physical environment and adapt to environmental change, including the role of technological innovation and development in the creation and solution of environmental problems.
Analyze the effects of physical factors such as climate and topography on the development and characteristics of human societies.
Demonstrate knowledge of the causes and effects of current environmental problems such as global warming and tropical deforestation.
Examine how geographic factors have influenced historical events and developments.

0011 Understand human systems. (7%)

Includes:

Demonstrate knowledge of the linguistic, social, religious, economic, and political features of contemporary cultural groups in major world regions.
Analyze the diffusion of ideas, beliefs, and cultural traits from one culture to another.
Examine historical and contemporary patterns of human settlement, how human settlements have changed over time, and the influence of physical environments on human societies and cultures.
Demonstrate knowledge of the distribution of the world's human population, the reasons for population growth and decline, the causes and consequences of human migrations, and contemporary trends in world population.
Analyze how cooperation, conflict, and diversity shape cultural interactions, create political divisions, and influence control of the earth's resources.

Domain III–Government

0012 Understand political science concepts, terms, perspectives, and research skills. (6%)

Includes:

Demonstrate knowledge of basic political science terms and concepts, such as gerrymandering, enumerated and implied powers, sovereignty, judicial review, balance of power, and social contract theory.
Analyze the emergence and spread of democratic and representative government.
Recognize major characteristics of various forms of government (e.g., democracy, theocracy, dictatorship, monarchy, oligarchy), and similarities and differences between the political system of the United States and other contemporary and historical political systems.
Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and uses of various political science reference sources and research tools.
Interpret historical and contemporary political science information represented in various visual and graphic formats.
Apply skills and procedures used in political science research, including formulating appropriate research questions, collecting and presenting information, and drawing conclusions.

0013 Understand the foundations of U.S. government, the U.S. political process, and the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship. (7%)

Includes:

Analyze major principles and ideas contained in key documents of the United States, including the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, the Northwest Ordinance, the Seneca Falls Declaration of 1848, and the Gettysburg Address.
Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental principles, key articles, and significant amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Analyze the significance of landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including Marbury v. Madison, Brown v. Board of Education, and United States v. Nixon.
Examine the major features of the U.S. electoral system, the ways citizens participate in the political process, and the skills needed for effective participation in public affairs.
Demonstrate knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship.
Analyze developments and events in U.S. history that have increased or diminished individual rights and popular participation in the political process.

0014 Understand the structure, organization, and operation of different levels of government in the United States. (6%)

Includes:

Demonstrate knowledge of the organization and responsibilities of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government.
Analyze the ways in which the constitutional principles of separation of powers and checks and balances influence the operation of the federal government.
Examine how laws are enacted at the federal and state levels of government in the United States, including the role of lobbyists and special interest groups in the legislative process.
Examine how U.S. foreign policy is made, the roles of the president and Congress in the foreign policy process, and factors influencing the formulation of U.S. foreign policy.
Demonstrate knowledge of the structure and functions of state and local governments in the United States, and the ways in which federal, state, and local governments divide and share power and responsibility.

Domain IV–Economics

0015 Understand basic economic concepts, microeconomics, and consumer economics and personal finance. (8%).

Includes:

Apply basic economic terms and concepts, such as scarcity, competition, the laws of supply and demand, opportunity cost, specialization, economic incentives, inflation, and recession.
Compare fundamental features of traditional, market, command, and mixed economic systems.
Demonstrate knowledge of the factors of production (i.e., land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship) and how they are combined to produce goods and services.
Analyze the organization and operation of market economies, including the roles of entrepreneurs, competition, prices, and the laws of supply and demand.
Demonstrate knowledge of basic forms of business organization and of factors affecting business operations and decisions.
Apply basic principles of consumer economics to accessing information, evaluating advertising claims and marketing promotions, making purchases, and utilizing consumer protection laws.
Demonstrate knowledge of basic principles of personal finance, budgeting, credit, and savings and investment.

0016 Understand macroeconomics and international economics. (2%)

Includes:

Demonstrate knowledge of the major components of the U.S. economic system, including banks, financial markets, corporations, and consumers.
Analyze the causes and effects of unemployment, inflation and deflation, and factors influencing the business cycle.
Recognize the functions of monetary policy and the role of the Federal Reserve System in regulating the nation's money supply and moderating inflation and recession.
Demonstrate knowledge of how fiscal policy and government regulation influence economic activity.
Analyze the reaction of the federal government to economic crises in U.S. history.
Demonstrate knowledge of basic principles of international economics and of factors influencing the operation of the international economic system.

Domain V–Ohio in the United States

0017 Understand major historical developments, geographic and cultural features, and political and economic institutions and developments in Ohio as it relates to the United States. (10%)

Includes:

Recognize the role of American Indians in the development of Ohio and demonstrate knowledge of major developments in Ohio history from the prehistoric period to statehood (e.g., colonial wars, early settlements and life in Ohio, French and Indian War, American Revolution, Northwest Ordinance and the movement for statehood).
Demonstrate knowledge of major developments in Ohio history from 1803 to 1920 (e.g., War of 1812, Underground Railroad, political and social reform movements, Constitutional changes of 1851 and 1912, American Civil War, urbanization, industrialization).
Demonstrate knowledge of major developments in Ohio history from 1920 to the present (e.g., social and cultural conflict during the 1920s, Great Depression and New Deal, Ohio in World War II, civil rights movement in Ohio, Kent State shootings, student activism, women's activism, major challenges of the late twentieth century).
Locate major geographic features of Ohio on a map; recognize characteristics of Ohio's physical geography; examine the positive and negative consequences of human modification of the environment in Ohio; and analyze the influence of geographic factors on the state's political, social, and economic development.
Recognize the experiences and major contributions of cultural and ethnic groups in Ohio, examine the causes and effects of historical and contemporary immigration and settlement patterns, and analyze interactions among the state's diverse ethnic groups.
Recognize major principles and ideas contained in the Ohio Constitution; demonstrate knowledge of the structure, organization, and operation of state and local government in Ohio; analyze the role of political parties, interest groups, and direct democracy in the state's political process; and examine Ohio's role as a swing state and home state of presidents throughout much of the political history of the United States.
Examine major economic developments in Ohio history (e.g., early Ohio's economy; post–Civil War industrialization; post–World War II economic boom; economic stagnation, decline, and revival after 1970); recognize major technological innovations, labor unions, and business enterprises that originated in Ohio; and demonstrate knowledge of ways in which Ohio influenced economic development in the United States.

Assessment Design and Framework

Field 031: Middle Grades Social Studies