Civilization is not inherited; it has to be learned and earned by each generation anew...[and]education is the transmission of civilization.

- Will Durrant

The DESK Standards identify the essential skills and knowledge for each of the social studies courses.  They are the focus of instruction and learning in Davis School District history and social science classrooms.

Priority Standards clearly define the essential skills for each course.  These skills are taught and practiced through the study of the course content identified in the Utah State Board of Education Social Studies Standards.

A primary goal of all social studies courses is to encourage civic engagement.  The Civic Preparedness Statement describes the skills, habits, and qualities of character that should be developed through the incorporation of current issues and current evens in all social studies courses.

Proficiency scales are broad descriptions of a student's general ability-level on a specific standard.  Teachers use assignment-specific and assessment-specific grading rubrics to determine a student's level, from 0-4, on the proficiency scale.  All social studies proficiency scales are cumulative; i.e. a student who is at a level 3, for example, has mastered all the skills at levels 1 and 2.  

• Utah Studies
• US History 1
• World Geography
• Current Issues
• World History
• US History 2
• US Government and Citizenship
• Sociology
• Psychology
• Effective Communication (all courses)
• Civic Engagement (all courses)

Davis School District supports the Utah State Legislature in promoting civic education for graduating students in public schools.  Utah law, and Davis School District, requires students to take and pass a civics tests based on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Civics Test. 

The full text of the law. 
Guidance from the USBE regarding implementation. 

• The test must include 50 of the 100 questions used on the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Civics Test.
• The questions to be used are selected by the individual school districts.
• Students must answer at least 35 questions correctly to “pass.”
• Students may take the test as many times as needed.
• Students with disabilities and/or IEPs may be required to take an alternate test consistent with their needs.
• The test may be given to students beginning in the 8th grade.
• This law applies to all students who graduate on or after January 1, 2016
   

The guiding principle in Davis School District has been to use this law to best suit the educational needs of its students.  Therefore:

• The test will be administered to 12th-grade students enrolled in US Government and Citizenship courses. 
• The test questions have been selected to align with the DESK standards for that course.
• The Civics Test will serve as the end-of-level exam for students in the course.
• Students may also take the test at the Northern Utah Testing Center (no cost) located at 120 North Main Street in Farmington.  Call 801-402-5385 to make an appointment.

Teacher Resources

Three units (three years) of Social Studies credit are required for graduation. 
The table below indicates the required course, the credit requirement, and acceptable alternative courses.   

Notes:

World Geography is offered as both a year-long course and also as a semester course.  Students are encouraged, but not required, to take the full year. AP Human Geography is offered only as a full-year course.

The US History 2 requirement is not satisfied by HIST 1700 or FDAMF 101 (American Foundations, BYU-Idaho) because these are semester-length courses.

AP US Government and Politics is offered as a full-year course at some schools and as a semester course with others.  When offered as a semester it is typically paired with AP Comparative Government and Politics.  The US Government and Citizenship requirement is not satisfied by AP Comparative Government and Politics.

Core credit is not granted for experiential conferences or events, e.g., Boys or Girls State, People to People or other travel programs, etc.  Some of these programs do enable students to earn college credit which will show on their transcripts but does not fulfill the graduation requirement for social studies courses.

ABC-CLIO is the primary instructional resource for the following courses with this guidance. 

• Civics 
• US Government and Citizenship
• Current Issues
• US History 1
• US History 2
• World Geography
• World History

District-developed materials are the primary instructional resources in Utah Studies.

Cengage has been approved as a supplemental resource in Psychology and Sociology.

Newsela has been approved as a supplemental resource in all secondary social studies classrooms with this guidance.