Learning Support Services is excited to share with our community that we are currently going through a pilot process for adopting a new Elementary K- 5 History Social Studies curriculum for our elementary schools. PUSD is piloting two State Board approved publishers, Studies Weekly and Teacher Curriculum Institute (TCI). The pilot team includes 20 individuals from a variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, school sites and experiences, which includes teachers, a Library Media Technician, principals and parents/guardians.
A History/Social Science Community Forum was held on March 16th and 18th. Below you can access the recorded community forums and slide presentation used for both sessions. While both sessions contained the same content there were different questions addressed based on the questions asked by participants in each session.
March 16, 2021 Recorded History/Social Science Community Forum Presentation
March 18, 2021 Recorded History/Social Science Community ZOOM Forum Presentation
Passcode: 1R?&hY1Q
Slide presentation
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RESOURCES
PUSD Instructional Materials Adoption Board Policy (BP) and Administrative Regulations (AR)
CA State Standards for History Social Studies
- Educational standards are the learning goals for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. The standards are WHAT is being taught.
CA Framework for History Social Studies
- The framework is research-informed models for course design that help teachers align learning goals with classroom activities, create motivating and inclusive environments, and integrate assessment into learning. The framework supports HOW the standards are taught.
PILOT MATERIALS
To preview the pilot materials, individuals can utilize the links below. There are links to two separate Google Forms to submit feedback for each of the programs. The feedback forms will remain open until March 29, 2021. Feedback will be shared with the pilot committee as they discuss and determine the textbook recommendation to the Board.
Please note: Parent/guardians and community members will continue to have opportunities to preview materials using the links below up until the May 13th Board meeting where the Board will vote on the recommendation.
FAIR ACT (Senate Bill 48): California has added legislation to diversify the History/Social Science curriculum course of study, classroom instruction, and instructional materials which prescribes the inclusion of the contributions and narratives of various groups in the history of California and the United States.
The Materials References identifies where the FAIR Act is presented in the two State-Board adopted publishers that PUSD is piloting. The references of the FAIR Act have been provided to PUSD from each of the publishers.
UPDATE: APRIL 6, 2021 ELEMENTARY HISTORY-SOCIAL SCIENCE ADOPTION RECOMMENDATION
The History/Social Science (H/SS) pilot committee had its final meeting on March 30, 2021. The pilot committee, including teachers and parents, is recommending an eight-year subscription to TCI as the H/SS curriculum. An eight-year subscription provides K-5 students with textbooks and materials until the next State Board of Education H/SS curriculum adoption date of November, 2028. LSS will be bringing the recommendation to the Board for a first reading April 8, 2021, to follow with the second reading action item on May 13, 2021, with a request for formal approval.
The elementary H/SS pilot has been an engaging process. In addition to the three pilot meetings we conducted as a team, PUSD facilitated two History/Social Science Community Forums with approximately 200 participants. The pilot process generated a lot of conversation. We opened the two publishers’ content for our community to review, provided specific resources regarding the FAIR Act and engaged in multiple individual conversations with community members. We achieved our purpose of the pilot by taking a deep look at the resources, reviewed feedback from teachers, parents/guardians and community members to ensure:
- Alignment to state Framework and Standards.
- Materials are engaging for students and will maintain students’ interest and lead to further discussion and thinking.
- Materials include contributions from multiple ethnic backgrounds.
- Materials avoid expressed or implied stereotyping of groups of people by age, gender, ethnicity, or occupation.
- Materials are appropriate to the age, grade, and maturity level of the students for whom they are selected.
Thank you to our pilot committee, parents and community for their participation in the piloting process.
The TCI resources will remain available for examination and are accessible on this webpage.