Overview of Framework
High School American government provides Maryland students with the opportunity to learn the Constitutional framework and democratic process that structure the State and national political system. The American Government establishes a knowledge base that supports the development of skills needed for citizens in a participatory democracy. Effective citizens possess a clear understanding of government: its structure, its purposes, and its processes. They gather, communicate, and utilize information in order to evaluate the competing goals and varying points of view related to public issues. Utilizing their knowledge and skills, effective citizens purposely choose to be involved in their political system and exert influence in a participatory democracy. To assist students in acquiring these skills, the content of the course is arranged around five of the six state social studies standards:
Framework
American Government Framework – A detailed framework that supports the teaching of American Government in high school. The framework uses the inquiry arc to connect the Enduring Understanding and Unit Questions to the essential questions, topics, indicators, objectives, and assessment limits.
Framework Instructional Supports
The following resources are designed to support instruction in American Government.
Street Law - Maryland
| Instructional materials for the court cases that are cited in the American Government course.
| Standard 1.0
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| Maryland Item Bank | MSDE iTem/pra is the item bank which houses released practice items for instructional and formative assessment uses. | Standards: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0 |
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Content CR Scoring Rubric | A four-point scoring rubric will be used to score content CRs. | Standards: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 |
Source Work Crosswalks
The crosswalks illustrate the connection between Maryland’s 6.0 Skills and Processes and commonly used source analysis approaches.
SHEG Crosswalk
| Crosswalk between Maryland’s 6.0 Skills and Processes and the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG) Approach. | Standard 6.0 |
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APPARTS Crosswalk | Crosswalk with College Board’s Pre-AP APPARTS Document Analysis Method. | Standard 6.0 |
| SOAPSTONE Crosswalk | Crosswalk with College Board’s Advanced Placement SOAPSTONE Document Analysis Method. | Standard 6.0 |
Evidence-Based Argument Sets (EBAS)
The EBAS assesses three social studies skills and processes from Maryland Social Studies Standard 6.0: Skills and Processes. These skills were selected by the Local School System social studies supervisors and a teacher workgroup. These skills are:
Evaluate the credibility of the sources by considering the authority, origin, type, context, and corroborative value of each source.
Identify credible, relevant information contained in the sources.
Construct arguments using claims and evidence from multiple sources.
The EBAS is organized around a compelling question and provides students with 4-5 sources that allow for the development of an answer to the compelling question.
| Five Point EBAS Rubric | The EBAS has a five-point rubric used to score the assessment: 5-point Rubric for EBAS CR. | Standard 6.0 |
Assessment Resources
Please visit the Division of Assessment
MCAP Government page for specific assessment information, including additional sample items.