A National Perspective on the Effects of High-Stakes Testing and Standardization on Elementary Social Studies Marginalization

Fitchett, Paul G.; Heafner, Tina L.

doi:10.1080/00933104.2010.10473418

Cited by 143 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Findings of this study echo those of previous studies examining the frequency of social studies instruction (see Fitchett and Heafner (2010) and Heafner et al (2007)) in that social studies instruction was rarely, if ever, observed over the course of the semester by PSTs. In fact, 67% of participants reported seeing only two or fewer lessons related to social studies education, with 28.6% of participants stating that they had not seen a single social studies lesson (see Fig.…”

Section: Frequency Of Social Studies Instructionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Fitchett and Heafner (2010) found a substantial difference in instructional time devoted to social studies when compared with other content areas: 2.9 h/week for social studies, while 11 h/week devoted to language arts and 5 h/week dedicated to mathematics. Heafner et al (2007) discovered that only 33.8% of teachers taught social studies at least 2-3 days per week.…”

Section: The Status Of Social Studies In Elementary Classroomsmentioning

confidence: 93%

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Where is the Content?: Elementary Social Studies in Preservice Field Experiences

Hawkman

Castro

Bennett

et al. 2015

The Journal of Social Studies Research

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Anecdotal evidence has long lamented the status of social studies in elementary classrooms as observed by preservice teachers. As standardized testing has risen for mathematics and language arts, social studies has been pushed aside. In the aftermath of accountability legislation such as No Child Left Behind, research indicates that social studies is less visible in elementary classrooms due to an instructional focus on tested content areas (e.g. math, language arts, reading). In this study, approximately 90 elementary preservice teachers enrolled in a social studies methods course responded to a survey and indicated the frequency and quality of lessons they observed over the course of a single semester. Findings report that preservice elementary teachers witnessed few, if any, lessons in social studies in the elementary classroom. Implications for teacher education are discussed.

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Section: Frequency Of Social Studies Instructionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: The Status Of Social Studies In Elementary Classroomsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Where is the Content?: Elementary Social Studies in Preservice Field Experiences

Hawkman

Castro

Bennett

et al. 2015

The Journal of Social Studies Research

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“…Now the Common Core State Standards (CCSS; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010), setting forth what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade in school, call for a balance of literary and informational text (non-fiction) in elementary classrooms. Although incorporating informational texts directly into content area instruction is recommended (Palincsar & Magnusson, 2000), instructional time in science and social studies have been negatively affected by demands of highstakes testing (Fitchett & Heafner, 2010;Judson, 2013). Because of this, CCSS requirements of informational text reading may fall to selections in basal reading series or the addition of children's informational books into reading instruction.…”

Section: Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Pre- and in-Service Teachers Reading and Discussing Informational Texts

Deeney

2016

Sage Open

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This study investigates U.S. elementary (kindergarten-Grade 6, ages 5-12) pre-and in-service teachers' discussions of informational texts to understand current practices and identify needs with respect to how teachers support students in building knowledge from complex informational text as specified in the grade-level expectations of the Common Core State Standards adopted in many U.S. states. Transcripts and reflections from 17 in-service and 31 pre-service teachers' informational text discussions were analyzed for teachers' focus on the text, background knowledge, and text/background knowledge. In addition, transcripts were analyzed for the types of text ideas teachers targeted (details/main ideas), the comprehension demands placed on students, how teachers used follow-up moves to encourage higher level thinking, and how teachers use transcripts of their discussions to analyze and critique their own practice. Findings suggest that both preand in-service teachers draw heavily on students' background knowledge and text details in their questioning; but differences exist in how pre-and in-service teachers use follow-up responses to promote knowledge building. Findings also suggest that both pre-and in-service teachers can use their transcripts to recognize areas of need, and offer themselves suggestions to better support students' understanding. Implications are offered for teacher education and professional development.

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“…Recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results reveal social studies is the core subject area students perform lowest in, prompting many to reiterate concerns about the danger of neglecting social studies at the elementary level (Fitchett, Heafner, & Van Fossen, 2014). This historical trend of marginalization has only grown as standardized testing mandates emphasize mathematics and language arts, drawing more instructional time away from social studies (Fitchett & Heafner, 2010). Zaho and Hoge (2005) found that many students dislike social studies because it is boring and has little application or use in their own lives.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%