Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Studies Standards topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee recommends adoption of revised Maryland social studies frameworks, adds Holocaust instruction guidance for middle school
Summary
The committee recommended adoption of revised social studies frameworks that refine grade-level language, add Holocaust instruction in middle school grade bands in line with national guidance, and remove most instances of "and/or" to promote balanced global coverage. Public comment period produced 15 responses, mostly supportive.
The Education Policy Committee voted to recommend adoption of revised Maryland Social Studies Frameworks, following a public comment review and targeted edits by the Social Studies Frameworks and Standards Validation Committee (SFEC).
Peter Ramsey, director of social studies in MSDE—s Office of Teaching and Learning, told the committee the SFEC used a "scalpel approach" to refine the frameworks rather than overhaul them. Ramsey said the public comment window produced 15 responses, with 87% either supporting the proposals or supporting with amendments. Concerns were concentrated on wording choices rather than the frameworks— overall structure.
Notable revisions described by Ramsey include:
- Explicit inclusion of Holocaust education in middle grades (both sixth and seventh grade), aligned with guidance from national organizations such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Facing History and Ourselves; the SFEC said this aligns instruction with developmental readiness and national recommendations.
- Removal of almost all instances of "and/or" in sixth-grade objectives to reduce the risk that districts could selectively omit regions or topics and to encourage more comprehensive global coverage.
- Clarified wording around treatment of authoritarian regimes to make clear the Holocaust is an example of human-rights abuses by authoritarian regimes rather than being linked to unrelated economic or technological factors.
Ramsey said the frameworks continue to emphasize world history and geography and to encourage inquiry-based learning; the frameworks frame contemporary events through a historical lens to 1980 while allowing educators flexibility to integrate current events via inquiry.
Committee members voiced general support for the revisions and asked clarifying questions about language and implementation. The committee voted unanimously to recommend adoption and planned to present the revised frameworks to the full board for final action.
Why it matters: Framework revisions determine scope and sequence for social studies instruction in Maryland schools and influence curriculum adoption, teacher professional learning, and classroom planning. The inclusion and framing of Holocaust education and the removal of ambiguous "and/or" language are intended to ensure consistent, historically grounded instruction across districts.
