Social Science 6 to 12

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Competencies and Skills and Blueprint

The test design below describes general testing information. The blueprints that follow provide a detailed outline that explains the competencies and skills that this test measures.

Test Design

table describing the format of the test, including test time, number of questions, and required passing score
Format Computer-based test (CBT)
Number of Questions Approximately 80 multiple-choice questions
Time 2 hours and 30 minutes
Passing Score A scaled score of at least 200

 

Competencies, Skills, and Approximate Percentages of Questions

Pie chart of approximate test weighting outlined in the table below.



table describing the competencies, skills, and approximate percentage of each competency's weight toward overall test score
Competency Approximate Percentage of Total Test Questions
1 Knowledge of geography 10%
2 Knowledge of economics 15%
3 Knowledge of political science 15%
4 Knowledge of world history 25%
5 Knowledge of U.S. history 25%
6 Knowledge of social science and its methodology 10%

Competencies and Skills

Competency 1—Knowledge of geography

  1. Apply the six essential elements of geography.

  2. Identify the ways natural processes and human-environment interactions shape the Earth's physical systems and features.

  3. Identify the ways natural processes and human-environment interactions shape cultural features (e.g., communities, language, technology, political and economic institutions).

  4. Analyze geographic information from maps, charts, and graphs.

Competency 2—Knowledge of economics

  1. Analyze how scarcity and opportunity cost influence choices about how to allocate resources.

  2. Identify how economic systems (e.g., market, command, traditional) answer the three basic economic questions.

  3. Analyze the interaction of supply and demand in determining production, distribution, and consumption.

  4. Analyze how macroeconomic factors (e.g., national income, employment, price stability) influence the performance of economic systems.

  5. Evaluate the roles of government, central banking systems, and specialized institutions (e.g., corporations, labor unions, banks, stock markets) in market and command economies.

  6. Analyze the features of global economics (e.g., exchange rates, terms of trade, comparative advantage, less developed countries) in terms of their impact on national and international economic systems.

  7. Evaluate the functions of budgeting, saving, and credit in a consumer economy.

Competency 3—Knowledge of political science

  1. Identify the features and principles of the U.S. Constitution, including its amendments, the separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism.

  2. Identify the functions of U.S. political institutions, including the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

  3. Identify the effects of voter behavior, political parties, interest groups, public opinion, and mass media on the electoral process in the United States.

  4. Identify the elements and functions of state and local governments in the United States.

  5. Analyze the guiding concepts, principles, and effects of U.S. foreign policy.

  6. Compare various political systems in terms of elements, structures, and functions.

  7. Analyze the key elements of U.S. citizenship, including rights, privileges, and responsibilities.

Competency 4—Knowledge of world history

  1. Identify characteristics of prehistoric cultures and early civilizations (e.g., Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Indus Valley, Chinese).

  2. Evaluate the influence of ancient civilizations (e.g., Greek, Roman, Indian, Chinese) on the evolution of modern civilization.

  3. Identify the major contributions of African, Asian, and Mesoamerican societies before 1500.

  4. Identify the major contributions of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Reformation period to Western civilization.

  5. Identify the social, cultural, political, and economic characteristics of African, Asian, and eastern European societies from 1500 to 1900.

  6. Evaluate the significant scientific, intellectual, and philosophical contributions of the Age of Reason through the Age of Enlightenment.

  7. Identify the causes, effects, events, and significant individuals associated with the Age of Exploration.

  8. Assess the social, political, and economic effects of the Industrial Revolution.

  9. Identify the causes, effects, events, and significant individuals associated with the Age of Revolution.

  10. Evaluate the impact of imperialism and nationalism on global social, political, geographic, and economic development.

  11. Analyze the causes and effects of political transformations and military conflicts in the 20th century.

  12. Analyze major contemporary global political, social, economic, and geographic issues and trends.

  13. Identify major world religions and ideologies.

Competency 5—Knowledge of U.S. history

  1. Evaluate the impact of the Age of Exploration on the Americas.

  2. Analyze the social, cultural, political, and economic development of the Americas during the colonial period.

  3. Identify the causes, significant individuals, and effects of the events associated with the Revolutionary era.

  4. Identify the causes, significant individuals, and effects of the events associated with the Constitutional era and the early republic.

  5. Evaluate the impact of westward expansion on the social, cultural, political, and economic development of the emerging nation.

  6. Identify the social, cultural, political, and economic characteristics of the antebellum period.

  7. Identify the causes, significant individuals, and effects of the events associated with the American Civil War and Reconstruction eras.

  8. Evaluate the impact of agrarianism, industrialization, urbanization, and reform movements on social, cultural, political, and economic development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

  9. Evaluate the impact of immigration on social, cultural, political, and economic development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

  10. Identify the causes, significant individuals, and effects of the events associated with the World War I era.

  11. Identify social, cultural, political, and economic developments (e.g., Roaring Twenties, Harlem Renaissance, Great Depression, New Deal) between World War I and World War II.

  12. Identify the causes, significant individuals, and effects of the events associated with the World War II era.

  13. Identify the causes, significant individuals, and effects of the events associated with domestic and foreign affairs during the Cold War era.

  14. Identify the causes, significant individuals, and effects of the events associated with movements for equality, civil rights, and civil liberties in the 19th and 20th centuries.

  15. Identify the causes, significant individuals, and effects of the events associated with contemporary domestic and foreign affairs.

  16. Identify key individuals, events, and issues related to Florida history.

Competency 6—Knowledge of social science and its methodology

  1. Identify social science disciplines (e.g., anthropology, psychology, sociology).

  2. Identify social science concepts (e.g., culture, class, technology, race, gender).

  3. Analyze the interrelationships between social science disciplines.

  4. Interpret tabular and graphic representations of information related to the social sciences.

  5. Identify appropriate strategies, methods, tools, and technologies for the teaching of social science.

  6. Evaluate examples of primary (e.g., letters, photographs, political cartoons) and secondary (e.g., historical texts, encyclopedias) sources.