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Assessment_Guide_For_Educators_Social_Studies (Page 8)
8 Assessment Guide for Educators: Social Studies Chapter 1: Assessment Targets Social Studies Content T opics The Social Studies Content Topics describe key concepts that are widely taught in a variety of high-school social studies courses and are relevant to the lives of GED® test-takers. The content topics are designed to provide context for measuring the skills defined in the social studies practices section of this document. The Social Studies Practices maintain a close relationship with the Social Studies Content Topics. More specifically, the primary focus of the GED® Social Studies test continues to be the measurement of essential reasoning skills, such as analysis, evaluation, inference, and so on, applied in a social studies context. However, test-takers should still be generally familiar with each of the basic concepts listed in the Social Studies Content Topics and subtopics, and they should be able to recognize and understand, in context, each of the terms listed there. Nevertheless, test-takers are not expected to have an in-depth and comprehensive knowledge of each subtopic. Rather, the stimuli used in the GED® Social Studies test provide necessary details about social studies-related figures, events, processes, and concepts. For example, a question may include answer options and stimuli that contain specific terms drawn from the content subtopics; however, test-takers will never be asked to formulate their own definition of a social studies term. Focusing Themes The content topics for the Social Studies test reflect two main themes. These themes have been designed to ensure both (1) that the test covers a wide range of important concepts and ideas in social studies, and (2) focus is placed on distinct subsets of ideas within each content topic. Content that falls outside these themes is not tested on the Social Studies test. • Development of Modern Liberties and Democracy explores the development of current ideas about democracy as well as human and civil rights from ancient civilizations to the present. It examines contemporary thinking; policies and structures; major events that have shaped our democratic values; and major thinkers who contributed to American ideas of democratic government. • Dynamic Responses in Societal Systems explores how the systems, structures, and policies in societies respond to To learn more about the reference column, see Appendix C.