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Board receives progress report on 2024 social‑studies course of study; draft to be released in August
Summary
Committee leads told the Alabama State Department of Education board the social‑studies course of study is being redrafted with statewide input; the committee plans a public draft in August and expects to present to the board in November with an anticipated vote in December.
The Alabama State Department of Education received a detailed progress update on the 2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies during its work session.
Ron Snell, superintendent of Geneva City Schools and chair of the social‑studies committee, told the board the revision effort is a statewide, collaborative process involving K‑12 teachers, museum professionals, higher‑education faculty and other stakeholders. "They're professional educators. They're museum people. They're higher ed people," Snell said, adding that committee members come from "all corners of the state."
Dr. Busman, who leads the course drafting team, reviewed the committee schedule and research base. The committee said it reviewed NAEP and AP frameworks, consulted state and national model standards, considered Fordham Institute ratings of other states' standards and included Department of Defense standards in part because of Alabama's sizable military‑connected student population.
The committee said it will release a draft in August for public review, collect feedback through October and bring a revised draft to the state board on Nov. 14, with an anticipated board vote on Dec. 12, according to the timeline presented. The presenters emphasized the process will include repeated cycles of review and comment so public feedback is incorporated into draft standards before formal submission.
Presenters cautioned that the draft preview would be "somewhat shy on specifics like actual standards" because the committee intends to withhold detailed standards until the public draft is released. Committee leaders also said the revision will place greater emphasis on civic education and the social‑studies skills framework and will embed Alabama history across grades rather than isolating it in a single year.
No formal vote on the new course of study is recorded in the provided transcript excerpt; the session recorded committee milestones, public‑review plans and an anticipated adoption timeline.
