Course Standards
General Course Information and Notes
Version Description
Access Courses: Access courses are intended only for students with a significant cognitive disability. Access courses are designed to provide students with access to the general curriculum. Access points reflect increasing levels of complexity and depth of knowledge aligned with grade-level expectations. The access points included in access courses are intentionally designed to foster high expectations for students with significant cognitive disabilities.Access points in the subject areas of science, social studies, art, dance, physical education, theatre, and health provide tiered access to the general curriculum through three levels of access points (Participatory, Supported, and Independent). Access points in English language arts and mathematics do not contain these tiers, but contain Essential Understandings (or EUs). EUs consist of skills at varying levels of complexity and are a resource when planning for instruction.
General Notes
Career and Education Planning – Per section 1003.4156, Florida Statutes, the Career and Education Planning course must result in a completed, personalized academic and career plan for the student, that may be revised as the student progresses through middle and high school; must emphasize the importance of entrepreneurship and employability skills; and must include information from the Department of Economic Opportunity’s economic security report as described in Section 445.07, Florida Statutes. The required, personalized academic and career plan must inform students of high school graduation requirements, including diploma designations (Section 1003.4285, Florida Statutes); requirements for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship; state university and Florida College System institution admission requirements; and, available opportunities to earn college credit in high school utilizing acceleration mechanisms. For additional information on the Middle School Career and Education Planning courses, visit http://www.fldoe.org/academics/college-career-planning/educators-toolkit/index.stml.
Career and Education Planning Course Standards – Students will:
1.0 Describe the influences that societal, economic, and technological changes have on employment trends and future training.
2.0 Develop skills to locate, evaluate, and interpret career information.
3.0 Identify and demonstrate processes for making short and long term goals.
4.0 Demonstrate employability skills such as working in a group, problem-solving and organizational skills, and the importance of entrepreneurship.
5.0 Understand the relationship between educational achievement and career choices/postsecondary options.
6.0 Identify a career cluster and related pathways through an interest assessment that match career and education goals.
7.0 Develop a career and education plan that includes short and long-term goals, high school program of study, and postsecondary/career goals.
8.0 Demonstrate knowledge of technology and its application in career fields/clusters.
English Language Development ELD Standards Special Notes Section:
Teachers are required to provide listening, speaking, reading and writing instruction that allows English language learners (ELL) to communicate information, ideas and concepts for academic success in the content area of Social Studies. For the given level of English language proficiency and with visual, graphic, or interactive support, students will interact with grade level words, expressions, sentences and discourse to process or produce language necessary for academic success. The ELD standard should specify a relevant content area concept or topic of study chosen by curriculum developers and teachers which maximizes an ELL’s need for communication and social skills. To access an ELL supporting document which delineates performance definitions and descriptors, please click on the following link: https://cpalmsmediaprod.blob.core.windows.net/uploads/docs/standards/eld/ss.pdf.
Additional Instructional Resources:
A.V.E. for Success Collection is provided by the Florida Association of School Administrators: http://www.fasa.net/4DCGI/cms/review.html?Action=CMS_Document&DocID=139. Please be aware that these resources have not been reviewed by CPALMS and there may be a charge for the use of some of them in this collection.
General Information
- Class Size Core Required
Educator Certifications
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorials
In this interactive 2-part tutorial series, you'll learn ALL about the Electoral College, the often-confusing mechanism used for picking the President of the United States.
This is part 2 in a two-part series. Click HERE to open Part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this 2-part interactive tutorial series, you'll learn ALL about the Electoral College, the often-confusing mechanism used for picking the President of the United States.
This is part 1 in a two-part series. Click HERE to open Part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Part 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the impeachment process detailed in the U.S. Constitution, including what it is, who can be impeached, why someone would be impeached, and some famous examples of impeachment in action.
This is Part 2 in a two-part series. Click HERE to open Part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Part 1 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the impeachment process detailed in the U.S. Constitution, including what it is, who can be impeached, why someone would be impeached, and a bit about the process.
This is Part 1 in a two-part series. Click HERE to open Part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about the forms governments take, including monarchy, democracy, autocracy, and oligarchy. You'll also learn about the advantages of a constitutional republic, the chosen form of government of the United States.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about three economic ideologies--capitalism, socialism, and communism--as well as economic systems.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, unlock the language of propaganda and learn about bias and symbolism in political propaganda.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about the famous Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison, which established the principle of judicial review. You'll examine the details of the case and its important legacy in American history.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, explore several landmark cases of the Supreme Court to see how the Court's decisions have impacted the rights of individuals and society throughout American history.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial hosted by "Bill" O. Rights, learn in great detail about the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment: religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this tutorial, learn about two different types of democracies. You'll compare and contrast presidential and parliamentary systems of government using the examples of the United States and the United Kingdom.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about three systems of government: federal, unitary, and confederal (a confederation).
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, you'll examine the powers and workings of the three branches of our federal government. You'll learn what Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court really do. Enjoy!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, explore the impact of federal, state, and local governments on your daily life.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about 5 international conflicts involving the United States from 1961 to the present, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Iraq War in this interactive tutorial. For each, you'll learn how the conflict began and how the U.S. responded.
Click HERE to open the companion tutorial, "International Conflicts: 1914 to 1975."
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, explore the state government of Florida and learn how its three branches are modeled after those in the federal government.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, you'll identify the impacts of individuals, interest groups, and the media on monitoring and influencing the government of the United States.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about six important amendments to the U.S. Constitution. These amendments ended slavery, ensured equal rights for all citizens, and guaranteed voting rights to women, African Americans, and other minority groups.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about one of the most important principles in American democracy: rule of law. You'll explore this important concept and learn about its application to a famous Supreme Court decision: United States v. Nixon.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the election process, register to vote, and participate in a mock election to pick the mayor of Tutorial Town in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn how to evaluate candidates running for political office. You'll play the role of a voter choosing between two candidates running for mayor of your town!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of American citizenship.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore the three branches of the U.S. federal government with a special emphasis on the checks and balances that allow our government to achieve a proper separation of powers in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Simulate the experience of serving on a jury and deciding a case in this interactive tutorial. Learn all about trial by jury and why it's such an important part of our society, as well as an obligation of citizenship.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, you'll compare the viewpoints of the two groups on opposite sides of the great debate over ratifying the U.S. Constitution: Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, analyze all 10 Amendments that make up the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. You'll learn not only about the rights and freedoms guaranteed by each, but also the limits of those rights.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
This interactive tutorial will help you answer the questions: What can individuals do on their own to make change? When can your government help you? To which government can you turn? Learn about responsible citizenship and how you might make positive changes in your own community.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, explore the sources and types of laws in the American legal system.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Investigate the limiting factors of a Florida ecosystem and describe how these limiting factors affect one native population-the Florida Scrub-Jay-with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, explore the similarities and differences between the federal Constitution of the United States and the state Constitution of Florida. You'll also learn about our system of federalism and how it is expressed in these Constitutions.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about 4 international conflicts in which the United States was involved between 1914 and 1975: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. For each conflict, you'll learn how and why the U.S. became involved and what the outcome was.
Click HERE to open the companion tutorial, "International Conflicts: 1961 to Present."
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn what genetic engineering is and some of the applications of this technology. In this interactive tutorial, you’ll gain an understanding of some of the benefits and potential drawbacks of genetic engineering. Ultimately, you’ll be able to think critically about genetic engineering and write an argument describing your own perspective on its impacts.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn why Great Britain and her 13 American colonies split between 1763 and 1776. At the end of this time span, Britain and America were at war, and the Declaration of Independence had announced the United States of America as a brand new nation, no longer colonies of Britain.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn all about citizenship in the United States of America: what citizenship is, why some Americans have citizenship from birth, and how others became U.S. citizens through a process called naturalization with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
This interactive tutorial teaches you all about the process of amending (changing) the United States Constitution.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the United States' foreign and domestic policy in this interactive tutorial. You'll also take an "international flight" to see how the U.S. conducts foreign policy abroad with the help of the State Department.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn how to analyze the ideas, grievances (complaints), and language found in the Declaration of Independence, one of the most important documents in the history of the United States.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Analyze the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution -- line by line, word by word -- in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the international organizations with which the United States government and its citizens are involved. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn about intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the United Nations.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn all about political parties in the U.S., including what they are and how they function in our political system. You'll learn lots about the two major parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, and also about third parties and what it means to be a political "Independent."
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the different levels of our federal judicial system, from federal district courts all the way up to the one and only Supreme Court. In this interactive tutorial, you'll also learn about the landmark Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines, which set an important precedent for students' right to free speech in schools.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice identifying and examining the evidence used to support a specific argument. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read several short texts about the exploration of Mars to practice distinguishing relevant from irrelevant evidence. You'll also practice determining whether the evidence presented is sufficient or insufficient.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn how the decisions of the United States Supreme Court have affected the equal rights of Americans. You'll learn the outcomes and impacts of two famous cases: Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the Articles of Confederation, our nation’s first written constitution, in this interactive tutorial. You'll identify its major weaknesses and their consequences and explain the reasons why America's Founders replaced the Articles of Confederation with the government we still use today, the U.S. Constitution.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to identify the three branches of the federal government as established by the Constitution of the United States. In this interactive tutorial, you will also learn to identify the structure and function of each branch of government.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, compare and contrast different forms of government, including democracy, socialism, communism, monarchy, oligarchy, and autocracy.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how Enlightenment ideas like separation of powers, natural law, and the social contract influenced the Founders and their design of the United States government in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn how and why American citizens are governed by TWO governments which share power: the federal government of the United States and the government of the state in which they live.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how several famous documents influenced the views of American colonists when they sought their independence from Great Britain and formed their own government. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn about the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, and Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn how a bill becomes a law. You will see how bills (ideas for laws) are passed by Congress and signed into law by the president, and you'll learn how all three branches of government play a role in determining the laws of our land.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Tutorials
Learn about Article II, Section II of the U.S. Constitution and the president's role as the commander in chief in this tutorial video provided by Khan Academy and the National Constitution Center.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the birth of the U.S. Constitution in this tutorial video by Khan Academy and the Aspen Institute. You'll learn why the Constitution was needed and what its famous Preamble means. Referred to as a "bundle of compromises," the Constitution sought to create a government based on separation of powers and checks and balances.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the history of the Democratic Party, the party of Jackson, Wilson, FDR, and LBJ, in this tutorial video by Khan Academy. From its early roots in the era of Thomas Jefferson to the present day, the Democratic Party has played an integral role in shaping the government, policies and history of America.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the history of the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, Hoover, Eisenhower, and Reagan, in this tutorial video by Khan Academy. From its early roots tied to Alexander Hamilton to the present day, the Republican Party has played an integral role in shaping the government, policies and history of America.
Type: Tutorial
Learn more about the 1954 landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. This case was a pivotal moment in the struggle for racial equality in America.
Type: Tutorial
View a documentary about the First Amendment protections of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. You'll review the historic origins of these rights and then go into detail about the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in New York Times v. United States, the Pentagon Papers case. Enjoy!
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial, you will view an outstanding video on the meaning and history of habeas corpus: the law that prevents a person being held in jail or prison without being able to hear and contest the charges being brought against them. You'll then learn about 4 recent Supreme Court cases where habeas corpus has been called into question in the context of the global war on terror.
Type: Tutorial
In this video, you will hear from Supreme Court Justices O'Connor, Breyer and Kennedy as they recount the landmark Supreme Court decision on the Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954. This case was instrumental in the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement and to desegregating public schools in America. The video also include discussion of a key event that followed the Brown v. Board ruling, specifically that of the nine students who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957, a group known as the Little Rock Nine. Enjoy this conversation on the Constitution!
Type: Tutorial
Video/Audio/Animation
This 3-part video from Mount Vernon details the struggles that led delegates from the 13 colonies to hold a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. At this convention, under the leadership of George Washington, the delegates rejected the Articles of Confederation in favor of a new, stronger federal government. After the Constitution's ratification, Washington become the new nation's first president.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation