By Summer of 2010, my plan is to implement a course structure for all Summer School Social Studies courses in which students take a pre-test based on the State Core Standards.  Since the Summer School courses are remediation courses, it will be assumed that any student who demonstrates proficiency on certain parts of the core does not need remediation in those areas.  Students will then complete assignments in the other areas of the core to demonstrate proficiency.

For this course, the state core standards as identified by a team of BESD teachers are as follows:

1. Students will understand how war affected the early 20th century.
   • Investigate how the US became involved in imperialism and the Spanish-American War.
   • Examine how World War I affected the military and home frong of the United States.
2. Students will understand how Americans reacted to rapid social change during the 1920s.
   • Analyze how the US coped with rapid economic and technological advances.
   • Examine the experiences of Black Americans and women in the early 20th century.
3. Students will understand how the Great Depression and the New Deal affected the United States.
   • Investigate the impact of the Great Depression on the United States.
   • Analyze the long-term effects of the New Deal on the United States.
4. Students will understand how World War II impacted the US.
   • Determine how America shifted from isolationism to intervention.
   • Examine the impact WWII had on the American home front.
   • Evaluate how the rules and weapons of war changed during WWII.
5. Students will understand the United States' domestic and international position in the Cold War.
   • Analyze U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War.
   • Analyze the Cold War ideology of the United States' involvement in Asia.
   • Summarize the political, social, and economic reactions to the Cold War in the US.
   • Investigate the end of the Cold War and examine America's role in the changing world.
6. Students will understand the emergence and development of the human rights movement and culture in the modern era
   • Analyze how the civil rights movement affected US society.
   • Analyze the impact of the counter culture since the 1960s.
7. Students will understand the economic and political changes of contemporary America.
   • Analyze the economy of the contemporary United States.
   • Determine how politics was changed by the Cold War.