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Skills available for District of Columbia high school social studies standards

Standards are in black and IXL social studies skills are in dark green. Hold your mouse over the name of a skill to view a sample question. Click on the name of a skill to practice that skill.

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K-12 Social Studies Standards (adopted in 2023): Government and Civics K-12 Social Studies Standards (adopted in 2023): Government and Civics
K-12 Social Studies Standards (adopted in 2023): US History II: Reconstruction through the Present K-12 Social Studies Standards (adopted in 2023): US History II: Reconstruction through the Present

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1 Foundations of American Democracy

GC.1 Analyze major tensions within the United States' constitutional democracy: majority rule and individual rights, liberty and security, state and national authority in a federal system, civil disobedience and the rule of law and the relationship between religion and government.
GC.2 Analyze the foundational principles of democratic societies, including respect for individual civil and political rights, fair and competitive elections, and the equal exercise of power by the governed over their government.
GC.3 Analyze the historic events and philosophies that shaped the perspectives of the authors of the US Constitution, and assess the impact of these perspectives on the government they created, including an analysis of the Declaration of Independence.
GC.4 Evaluate the debates about rights, power, civic participation, slavery and decision-making during the creation of the US Constitution that shaped its design.
- The Constitutional Convention (CG-B.4)
GC.5 Evaluate the principles of the US Constitution, including the rule of law, consent of the governed, limited government, separation of powers, and federalism, and evaluate the way in which these principles function today.
GC.6 Analyze the structures and functions of the three branches of the US government in order to evaluate current conflicts between them.
GC.7 Analyze the means by which a bill becomes a law, and identify opportunities for citizens to influence the process.
- How a bill becomes a law (CG-D.2)
- Introduction to state and local government (CG-E.1)
GC.8 Analyze the ways in which the US Constitution established limited government, and evaluate the ongoing tension between an empowered but limited federal government, including the evolution of the use of the Necessary and Proper and Commerce Clauses.
GC.9 Assess the appropriate balance of power between the federal, state and tribal governments, including an analysis of significant Supreme Court rulings such as McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden, and United States v. Lopez.
GC.10 Evaluate historic and current efforts by marginalized groups to be represented and protected by the US Constitution.
- Constitutional amendments (CG-C.3)
- What are civil liberties and civil rights? (CG-F.1)
GC.11 Assess how different interpretations and perspectives of the US Constitution have promoted or limited civic virtues and democratic principles in the past and present.
GC.12 Analyze past and present efforts to adapt and redesign the US Constitution and political institutions both formally and informally.

2 Rights and Responsibilities

GC.13 Evaluate the credibility of different perspectives and sources about an event in civil or human rights' history, and use the analysis to develop a claim in response to a specific question.
- Supreme Court cases on the Bill of Rights (CG-F.2)
- Supreme Court cases on the Fourteenth Amendment: incorporation (CG-F.3)
GC.14 Analyze the ways in which the US Constitution and Bill of Rights protect individual rights and liberties from undue governmental influence, analyzing to what extent these rights have expanded or been abridged over time.
GC.15 Evaluate the historic and contemporary impact and effectiveness of the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments in expanding access to rights and freedoms in the United States.
- Constitutional amendments (CG-C.3)
- Supreme Court cases on the Fourteenth Amendment: incorporation (CG-F.3)
GC.16 Evaluate the evolution of civil liberties over time, including landmark Supreme Court cases such as the Slaughter-House Cases, Gideon v. Wainwright, Miranda v. Arizona, Schenck v. United States, Tinker v. Des Moines, Loving v. Virginia, Obergefell v. Hodges and Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
GC.17 Evaluate how the right to citizenship has evolved over time, including the impact of United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, United States v. Wong Kim Ark and the current rights of citizens living in US territories.
- Immigration and naturalization (CG-G.2)
- The U.S. naturalization test (CG-G.3)
GC.18 Analyze the evolution of what is considered a constitutional right and civil liberty, comparing their application over time with a specific focus on marginalized and underrepresented groups.
GC.19 Analyze the reasons for the evolution of Indigenous Nations' sovereignty over time, including the impact of significant treaties and Supreme Court cases on the rights of Indigenous Nations.
GC.20 Evaluate the extent to which the Constitution protects individuals from discrimination in contemporary society.
- Constitutional amendments (CG-C.3)
- What are civil liberties and civil rights? (CG-F.1)
GC.21 Analyze the origin and continued efforts of at least two organized social movements fighting to expand civil and/or voting rights, including public action, protests, courts, and the passage of laws and amendments specific to women.
GC.22 Analyze a political, economic, environmental or social issue relating to civil rights or liberties, and advocate for a specific change in current government policy or law.
- What are civil liberties and civil rights? (CG-F.1)

3 Citizenship in a Digital World

GC.23 Find and evaluate a range of digital sources and claims about a current political issue, and decide which are worth investing time to read to learn about the political issue using lateral reading and click restraint.
- Role of the media (CG-I.1)
GC.24 Evaluate the utility of different resources (e.g., fact checking organizations, news organizations) to reference while evaluating online sources and claims.
GC.25 Evaluate the perspective and claims of an editorial, editorial cartoon, or op-ed commentary and its impact on a public policy issue at the local, state, or national level.
GC.26 Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of traditional news media organizations (newspapers, magazines, radio, and television) in creating an informed public, including an analysis of the use of fact checkers, editors, framing and focus.
- Role of the media (CG-I.1)
GC.27 Use research from national and international sources to analyze the impact of media and social media on democracy, and develop a public policy proposal to strengthen democratic expression and participation in American civil life.
- Role of the media (CG-I.1)
GC.28 Evaluate the role of government, individuals and corporations in ensuring public access to accurate information, including the impact of algorithms and machine learning in directing and influencing individuals' access to information.
- Role of the media (CG-I.1)
GC.29 Develop and iterate a plan to use technology and online platforms for civic engagement and to drive social change.

4 Political Participation and Engagement

GC.30 Analyze opportunities for civic engagement within local, state, and federal government, and assess the extent to which participants enjoy equitable access and influence.
GC.31 Analyze the expansion and contraction of voting rights throughout US history, including movements by different groups to access the right to vote.
- Constitutional amendments (CG-C.3)
- What are civil liberties and civil rights? (CG-F.1)
GC.32 Analyze civic participation in the political process over time (including voter trends, restrictions, and expansions) and the evolution of opportunities to engage with the government.
- The two-party system (CG-H.1)
- Presidential elections (CG-H.2)
GC.33 Analyze how political parties, interest groups and other organizations provide people with opportunities for civic involvement, evaluating how each impacts the powers of citizens.
GC.34 Compare historic or contemporary examples in which groups of people attempted to resist unjust economic conditions, evaluating short- and long-term impacts.
GC.35 Evaluate the use of the court system to achieve or restrict equality historically, including an analysis of Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Korematsu v. United States, Mendez v. Westminster, Brown v. Board of Education, Loving v. Virginia, and Obergefell v. Hodges.
GC.36 Evaluate voting rights, laws, and practices in Washington, DC, a state or a territory, and develop a proposal for a specific change in current government policy or law to impact voting rights or civic engagement.
GC.37 Compare different forms of political engagement and the efficacy of different methods for taking actions.
GC.38 Analyze the ways that young people are impacting change, including individual changemakers and through youth-led organizations, with attention paid to organizations led by historically marginalized groups.
GC.39 Analyze a local, state, national or international issue, and develop a corresponding plan of action for making change.

5 Public Policy

GC.40 Analyze and explain the process by which various levels and branches of government and outside organizations shape, implement, amend and enforce public policy.
GC.41 Evaluate the extent to which different groups of Americans impact domestic and foreign policy, and identify the reasons and consequences of disparities in influence.
GC.42 Evaluate the extent to which specific public policies are successful in implementation, and explain the reasons for success and failure of public policy.
- Free trade and protectionism (CG-J.2)
GC.43 Evaluate the environmental impact of at least one policy decision on a geographic region within the United States.
GC.44 Evaluate the effectiveness of the United States government's response to the threat of climate change, and develop a corresponding plan of action.
GC.45 Assess different policies for the collection and use of federal, state, and local taxes to fund government-provided goods and services, including income taxes, payroll taxes, property taxes and sales taxes.
- Government services and taxes (CG-J.3)
GC.46 Analyze the process by which competition among buyers and sellers determines a market price, and evaluate the consequences of government intervention in the marketplace.
- Economic systems (CG-J.1)
- Free trade and protectionism (CG-J.2)
GC.47 Evaluate the role of government in a market economy, including providing for national defense, addressing environmental concerns, defining and enforcing property rights, attempting to make markets more competitive, resolution of market failures and protecting consumers' rights.
GC.48 Compare and contrast at least three economic systems (capitalism, mercantilism, communism, socialism, libertarianism), and produce a claim about the strengths and weaknesses of at least one economic or political-economic system.
- Economic systems (CG-J.1)
GC.49 Analyze the origins of a public policy issue, and present a proposal defending a position or invoking a call to action at the local, state or national level.

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1 Foundations of American Democracy

GC.1 Analyze major tensions within the United States' constitutional democracy: majority rule and individual rights, liberty and security, state and national authority in a federal system, civil disobedience and the rule of law and the relationship between religion and government.

GC.2 Analyze the foundational principles of democratic societies, including respect for individual civil and political rights, fair and competitive elections, and the equal exercise of power by the governed over their government.

GC.3 Analyze the historic events and philosophies that shaped the perspectives of the authors of the US Constitution, and assess the impact of these perspectives on the government they created, including an analysis of the Declaration of Independence.

GC.4 Evaluate the debates about rights, power, civic participation, slavery and decision-making during the creation of the US Constitution that shaped its design.

GC.5 Evaluate the principles of the US Constitution, including the rule of law, consent of the governed, limited government, separation of powers, and federalism, and evaluate the way in which these principles function today.

GC.6 Analyze the structures and functions of the three branches of the US government in order to evaluate current conflicts between them.

GC.7 Analyze the means by which a bill becomes a law, and identify opportunities for citizens to influence the process.

GC.8 Analyze the ways in which the US Constitution established limited government, and evaluate the ongoing tension between an empowered but limited federal government, including the evolution of the use of the Necessary and Proper and Commerce Clauses.

GC.9 Assess the appropriate balance of power between the federal, state and tribal governments, including an analysis of significant Supreme Court rulings such as McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden, and United States v. Lopez.

GC.10 Evaluate historic and current efforts by marginalized groups to be represented and protected by the US Constitution.

GC.11 Assess how different interpretations and perspectives of the US Constitution have promoted or limited civic virtues and democratic principles in the past and present.

GC.12 Analyze past and present efforts to adapt and redesign the US Constitution and political institutions both formally and informally.

2 Rights and Responsibilities

GC.13 Evaluate the credibility of different perspectives and sources about an event in civil or human rights' history, and use the analysis to develop a claim in response to a specific question.

GC.14 Analyze the ways in which the US Constitution and Bill of Rights protect individual rights and liberties from undue governmental influence, analyzing to what extent these rights have expanded or been abridged over time.

GC.15 Evaluate the historic and contemporary impact and effectiveness of the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments in expanding access to rights and freedoms in the United States.

GC.17 Evaluate how the right to citizenship has evolved over time, including the impact of United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, United States v. Wong Kim Ark and the current rights of citizens living in US territories.

GC.18 Analyze the evolution of what is considered a constitutional right and civil liberty, comparing their application over time with a specific focus on marginalized and underrepresented groups.

GC.19 Analyze the reasons for the evolution of Indigenous Nations' sovereignty over time, including the impact of significant treaties and Supreme Court cases on the rights of Indigenous Nations.

GC.20 Evaluate the extent to which the Constitution protects individuals from discrimination in contemporary society.

GC.21 Analyze the origin and continued efforts of at least two organized social movements fighting to expand civil and/or voting rights, including public action, protests, courts, and the passage of laws and amendments specific to women.

GC.22 Analyze a political, economic, environmental or social issue relating to civil rights or liberties, and advocate for a specific change in current government policy or law.

3 Citizenship in a Digital World

GC.23 Find and evaluate a range of digital sources and claims about a current political issue, and decide which are worth investing time to read to learn about the political issue using lateral reading and click restraint.

GC.24 Evaluate the utility of different resources (e.g., fact checking organizations, news organizations) to reference while evaluating online sources and claims.

GC.25 Evaluate the perspective and claims of an editorial, editorial cartoon, or op-ed commentary and its impact on a public policy issue at the local, state, or national level.

GC.26 Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of traditional news media organizations (newspapers, magazines, radio, and television) in creating an informed public, including an analysis of the use of fact checkers, editors, framing and focus.

GC.27 Use research from national and international sources to analyze the impact of media and social media on democracy, and develop a public policy proposal to strengthen democratic expression and participation in American civil life.

GC.28 Evaluate the role of government, individuals and corporations in ensuring public access to accurate information, including the impact of algorithms and machine learning in directing and influencing individuals' access to information.

GC.29 Develop and iterate a plan to use technology and online platforms for civic engagement and to drive social change.

4 Political Participation and Engagement

GC.30 Analyze opportunities for civic engagement within local, state, and federal government, and assess the extent to which participants enjoy equitable access and influence.

GC.31 Analyze the expansion and contraction of voting rights throughout US history, including movements by different groups to access the right to vote.

GC.32 Analyze civic participation in the political process over time (including voter trends, restrictions, and expansions) and the evolution of opportunities to engage with the government.

GC.33 Analyze how political parties, interest groups and other organizations provide people with opportunities for civic involvement, evaluating how each impacts the powers of citizens.

GC.34 Compare historic or contemporary examples in which groups of people attempted to resist unjust economic conditions, evaluating short- and long-term impacts.

GC.35 Evaluate the use of the court system to achieve or restrict equality historically, including an analysis of Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Korematsu v. United States, Mendez v. Westminster, Brown v. Board of Education, Loving v. Virginia, and Obergefell v. Hodges.

GC.36 Evaluate voting rights, laws, and practices in Washington, DC, a state or a territory, and develop a proposal for a specific change in current government policy or law to impact voting rights or civic engagement.

GC.37 Compare different forms of political engagement and the efficacy of different methods for taking actions.

GC.38 Analyze the ways that young people are impacting change, including individual changemakers and through youth-led organizations, with attention paid to organizations led by historically marginalized groups.

GC.39 Analyze a local, state, national or international issue, and develop a corresponding plan of action for making change.

5 Public Policy

GC.40 Analyze and explain the process by which various levels and branches of government and outside organizations shape, implement, amend and enforce public policy.

GC.41 Evaluate the extent to which different groups of Americans impact domestic and foreign policy, and identify the reasons and consequences of disparities in influence.

GC.42 Evaluate the extent to which specific public policies are successful in implementation, and explain the reasons for success and failure of public policy.

GC.43 Evaluate the environmental impact of at least one policy decision on a geographic region within the United States.

GC.44 Evaluate the effectiveness of the United States government's response to the threat of climate change, and develop a corresponding plan of action.

GC.45 Assess different policies for the collection and use of federal, state, and local taxes to fund government-provided goods and services, including income taxes, payroll taxes, property taxes and sales taxes.

GC.46 Analyze the process by which competition among buyers and sellers determines a market price, and evaluate the consequences of government intervention in the marketplace.

GC.47 Evaluate the role of government in a market economy, including providing for national defense, addressing environmental concerns, defining and enforcing property rights, attempting to make markets more competitive, resolution of market failures and protecting consumers' rights.

GC.48 Compare and contrast at least three economic systems (capitalism, mercantilism, communism, socialism, libertarianism), and produce a claim about the strengths and weaknesses of at least one economic or political-economic system.

GC.49 Analyze the origins of a public policy issue, and present a proposal defending a position or invoking a call to action at the local, state or national level.