Committee forwards revised 6th–7th grade social studies frameworks to full State Board

The Maryland State Board of Education’s Education Policy Committee voted to send a recommendation to the full board to publish and adopt revised sixth‑ and seventh‑grade social studies frameworks.

Peter Finn, a member of the Maryland State Department of Education social studies team, told the committee the frameworks are “the culmination” of extensive stakeholder work and emphasized an inquiry‑based, geography‑centered approach designed to build background knowledge and literacy. He said 15 of the state’s 24 local education agencies participated in the work group that drafted the frameworks and that academic reviews were completed by Dr. Todd Kenrick (Towson University) and Dr. Richard Russo (Frostburg State University).

The frameworks reorganize middle‑grade social studies around four geographic themes — movement, human systems, human interaction with the environment, and place and region — rather than a strictly chronological structure. Finn said the shift aims to strengthen students’ reading comprehension by embedding background knowledge and discrete skill work such as claim construction and evidence evaluation.

MSDE staff also outlined a professional learning plan that will include supervisor drop‑ins, supervisor review sessions, site visits to classrooms, and paid teacher participants to help develop aligned instructional resources. "Professional learning is going to be key in this rollout," Finn said, describing a multiweek learning lab scheduled for February.

Committee members questioned the timing and alignment of the frameworks with literacy and other content‑area standards. Dr. Collins (MSDE) said the agency is working to align frameworks with a statewide literacy plan and to sequence standards and framework reviews to avoid overburdening LEAs.

Maylee McCarthy moved that the committee forward a recommendation to the full board to adopt and publish the sixth‑ and seventh‑grade frameworks; the motion was seconded and the chair characterized the vote as unanimous. The recommendation will be placed on the full State Board agenda for final action at its next meeting.

The decision to forward the frameworks follows MSDE’s stated goals of alignment with state standards, providing LEA support through high‑quality instructional materials, and promoting instructional innovation. The frameworks themselves, MSDE staff said, are advisory documents meant to guide local curriculum development rather than mandatory standards.

MSDE will return to the committee and the full board with scheduling details and implementation supports as districts prepare to adopt curricula aligned to the new frameworks.