A new study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute gave Illinois’ civics and U.S. history education standards failing grades. The Fordham study assigned letter grades for each state’s civics and U.S. history standards. Illinois brought home an F in U.S. history and an F in civics: these failing grades placed Illinois 44th on the ranking of states.
The Fordham Institute’s study reported that students, not just in Illinois but across the nation, suffer from bad civics and U.S. history education. The Fordham Institute concluded that 75% of students in America lack proficiency in U.S. history and 85% lack proficiency in civics.
The Fordham Institute’s conclusions mirrored other researcher’s claims. The Brown Center found that civics knowledge lagged in eighth grade students despite improvements in math and reading.
Illinois suffers from a lack of clarity and specific content within the state’s civics and U.S. history standards, according to Fordham’s analysis. Illinois’ civics standards scored 1 out of 7 points for content and rigor and 1 out of 3 points for clarity and organization. Illinois’ U.S. history standards scored 2 out of 7 points for content and rigor and not a single point for clarity and organization.
Fordham offered a list of the good and bad qualities of Illinois’ civics standards. The state’s civics standard succeeded in its clear outline of the “inquiry skills” that students should learn: This was Fordham’s only compliment for civics education in Illinois.
Notably, Illinois’ standards failed to guide teachers with a list of specific civics concepts. Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., provide each grade with recommended civics topics like the branches of government, the Constitution and Supreme Court cases. Illinois’ standards, instead, offer a series of unspecific goals for elementary students. Illinois’ guidelines for high school students offer similar vague objectives and make no mention of the recent civics class required in all Illinois high schools.
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