Representative Mark Pody discussed the topic of seventh grade world history and discussions of Islam in his latest newsletter Friday. Representative Pody’s office has been fielding several calls about this issue and says It is important to clarify the role of your State Board of Education in this process.The state board establishes the standards for K-12 education for the entire state. The current content of the social studies standards was created by a committee of Tennessee teachers and was available for the public to review and provide feedback before its adoption in July 2013. Standards are the sets of grade — specific goals that define what all students are expected to know and what they should be able to do by the end of the grade or course.
Local districts determine the curriculum and instruction, adapting what classroom instruction looks like for the students and teachers.
There are no State Board of Education requirements regarding the length of time to be devoted to any topic or guidelines on how that topic is taught in the classroom.
The focus on each religion depends on the context and influence of the relevant time period.
This year the Tennessee General Assembly, building on the governor’s standards review process and in coordination with the State Board of Education, passed HB 1035, which set out a remarkably transparent and ground-breaking process of ongoing standards review and revision.
The social studies standards review website will be launched in January, and we encourage all Tennesseans to utilize this opportunity to provide critical feedback. For more information please visit: https://tn.gov/education/article/social-studies-standards
