Civic Readiness Initiative

The New York State Board of Regents is committed to civic education that empowers all students to make informed decisions for the public good as members of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. Civic education facilitates the development of civic competencies, which are needed for a democratic society to flourish. Through civic education, students learn how to identify and address problems in their community or school community. Students also learn how to demonstrate respect for the rights of others, respectfully disagree with other viewpoints, and provide evidence for a counterargument. Civic education can strengthen the relationships of schools and students with parents, families, civic leaders, and organizations and community partners.

In January 2020 The Civic Readiness Task Force appointed by the Board of Regents presented their recommendations to the Board of Regents. The recommendations include a Seal of Civic Readiness, a definition of Civic Readiness and the elements of a Civic Capstone Project.

Civic Readiness Task Force

Name	Title	Organization
Allison Armour-Garb	Senior Advisor P-20 Policy Coordination and Strategic Planning	New York State Department of Education
Dawn Bartz	Director of Social Studies	Yonkers CSD
Laura Bierman	Executive Director	New York State League of Women Voters
Brian Carlin	Social Studies Instructional Coach	New York City Department of Education
Michael Coppoteli	Associate Superintendent Public Policy and Student Services	Archdiocese of New York
Cheryl Couser	Deputy Director of Public Information	New York State Board of Elections
Barry Derfel	Assistant Superintendent for Instruction	Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES
Michael DiMezza	Director of Career Technical Education	Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery BOCES
April Francis	Social Studies/Online Learning Curriculum and Staff Development Specialist	Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES
DeNora Getachew	New York City Executive Director	Generation Citizen
Bill Hecht	District Superintendent	Orange-Ulster BOCES
Joseph Karb	Middle School Social Studies Teacher	New York State United Teachers
Jessica Karnes	Coordinator of Staff Development, Curriculum, Differentiated Instruction and Data, K-12 Social Studies	Erie 1 BOCES
Lisa Kissinger	Academic Administrator for Social Studies, Grades 6-12	Shenendehowa CSD
Steve LaMorte	Director of Social Studies	Rochester City SD
Debra Lesser	Director	Justice Resource Center
Tony Lopez	Executive Director	Zone 126 Neighborhood Community Schools
Nicholas Norman	Field Liaison	United Federation of Teachers
Kamorudeen Olayokun Jr.	Assistant Principal	PS 78, Staten Island
Aruna Patel	Instructional Specialist	New Visions for Public Schools
Charles Perreaud	Jury Commissioner for the NY State Courts in Monroe Co. and Court Interpreting Coordinator	7th Judicial District
Christy Radez	Associate, Office of Curriculum and Instruction, Lead Facilitator for the Civic Readiness Initiative	New York State Department of Education
Michael Rebell	Executive Director, Center for Educational Equity, Chairman of the Civic Readiness Task Force	Teachers College, Columbia University
Joe Rogers	Director of Public Engagement, Senior Researcher, Center for Educational Equity	Teachers College, Columbia University
Jenna Ryall	Social Studies Instructional Coach	NYC DOE
Peter Sawyer	History Department Chair, Director for Service Learning and Civic Engagement	Hudson Valley Community College
Joe Schmidt	Social Studies Instructional Coach	New York City Department of Education
David Scott	Law and Civics Educator Coordinator	Northport CSD
Chris Sperry	Director of Curriculum, Project Looksharp	Ithaca College
Ellen Sullivan	Assistant in Educational Services	New York State United Teachers
Tara Thibault-Edmonds	School Media Library Specialist	Roundout CSD
Christine Zapata	Social Studies Instructional Lead, District 31	New York City Department of Education
Joseph Zaza	Founding Principal	Nicotra Early College Charter School

Updates

Seal Of Civic Readiness

The Seal of Civic Readiness may be a 4+1 pathway.
The Seal of Civic Readiness may also be a stand-alone diploma seal for students who choose a different 4+1 pathway.

Students who receive the NYSED Seal of Civic Readiness must earn a total of 6 points, with at least 2 points from column #1 (Criteria for Demonstrating Proficiency in Civic Knowledge) and at least 2 points from column #2 (Criteria for Demonstrating Civic Participation).

Criteria for Demonstrating Proficiency in Civic Knowledge

Criteria for Demonstrating Civic Participation

Civic Readiness for All Students

Definition:

Civic readiness is the ability to make a positive difference in the public life of our communities through the combination of civic knowledge, skills and actions, mindsets, and experiences.

Background:

Civic Ready students use civic knowledge, skills and mindsets to make decisions and take actions for themselves, their communities, and public good as members of a culturally diverse, democratic society. Schools, therefore, must provide students meaningful opportunities to develop specific civic knowledge, skills, and mindsets—and to participate in authentic actions and experiences—that are necessary for them to function as productive civic participants within their schools, communities, states, our country and the world.

The New York State Education Department is committed to empowering the civic agency of students and ensuring all students achieve civic readiness as a result of their prekindergarten - 12th grade education. The Regents have also emphasized this position in their Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Plan. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) understands that the results we seek for all our children can only be fully achieved by incorporating an equity and inclusion lens in every facet of our work.

Civic education strengthens the relationships between schools and students, as well as students’ relationships with parents, caregivers and families, civic leaders, community partners, and among each other. The responsibility of ensuring all students are Civic Ready is a chief aim of social studies education.

Civic Readiness Domains:

Civic readiness is continuously developed throughout students’ prekindergarten - 12th grade education and should include:

Civic Knowledge

Demonstrate a fundamental and functional knowledge of government, law, history, geography, culture, economics, and current events. These may include inequities within our democratic system at the federal, state and local level. Students should know how to apply this knowledge to different circumstances and settings.

Civic skills and action

Demonstrate a broad array of critical analytic, verbal, communication, media literacy and other skills and participate in a wide variety of actions. Students should practice such actions both inside and outside of school on a regular basis.

Civic Mindsets

Demonstrate the mindset of a participant in a democratic society. A civic mindset is a commitment to democratic interpersonal and intrapersonal values, virtues, attitudes, and beliefs and informed actions that promote and facilitate meaningful participation in civic life. It is an understanding of self as part of and responsible to larger social groups.

Civic Experiences

Participate in developmentally appropriate civic experiences. Civic readiness should be developed in a variety of settings and ways—inside and outside of the classroom, across content areas, and for multiple purposes. Civic Readiness should be promoted by engaging students in relevant experiences that include students as active participants.

Domain Examples:

Civic Knowledge

Fundamental civic knowledge in grade level appropriate forms includes:

The structure and functioning of government, law, and democracy at the federal, state, local, and school levels, and how to participate therein;
Civil and educational rights and responsibilities guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, the Constitution of the State of New York, and federal, state and local statutes and regulations;
History, geography, economics, and current events within our country and in our global society;
The impact of individual and collective histories in shaping contemporary issues;
View and analyze history and current issues from multiple perspectives
The importance of civic rights and responsibilities, such as voting, volunteering, serving on a jury, and the importance of ensuring a free press;

Civic Skills & Actions

Critical intellectual and participatory civic skills students should develop and actions they should take in grade-level appropriate forms include the ability to:

Demonstrate respect for the rights of others in discussions and classroom debates, and how to respectfully disagree with other viewpoints and provide evidence for a counterargument;
Participate in activities that focus on a classroom, school, community, state or national issue or problem;
Identify, describe and contrast the roles of the individual in opportunities for social and political participation in different societies;
Work to influence those in positions of power to achieve extensions of freedom, social justice, and human rights;
Fulfill social and political responsibilities associated with participation in a democratic society and the interdependent global community by developing awareness of and/or engaging in the political process;
Analyze and evaluate news (news literacy), media, social media and other sources of information for accuracy, bias, reliability, and credibility.
Engagement in working toward the public good

Civic Mindsets

Key civic mindsets students should develop in grade-level appropriate ways include:

Valuing equity, inclusivity, diversity, and fairness;
Recognizing the need to plan for both current needs and the good of future generations;
Empathy, compassion, and respect for the views of people with other opinions and perspectives;
Committing to balancing the common good with individual liberties;
Demonstrating a sense of self as an active participant in society, willing to contribute to solving local and/or national problems;
Respecting fundamental democratic principles, such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the rule of law.

Civic Experiences

Examples of civic experiences in which students should be able to participate in grade-level appropriate ways include:

Completing a civic readiness capstone or, civic engagement project;
Engaging in service-learning;
Engaging in civil discourse around controversial issues;
Engaging with news and digital tools, such as social media, responsibly;
Participating in civic-centered co-curricular and extracurricular activities such as Model UN, Student Government, Debate Club, Moot Court, Student Journalism or Mock Trial;
Participating in school governance;
Voting, volunteering and participating in community organizations and governmental systems, such as community boards, youth advisory councils, etc., to promote continuous improvement;
Engaging with local officials and government institutions through activities such as providing public comment before a government agency, or meeting with public and elected officials.

Civic Capstone Project

Participation in government and in our communities is fundamental to the success of American democracy^{^[1]}. Students choose to complete the Civic Readiness Capstone project to demonstrate their readiness to make a positive difference in the public life of their communities through the applied combination of civic knowledge, skills and actions, mindset, and experiences. Through this project, students will apply knowledge and skills they have learned through their P-12 Social Studies education, as well as other subject areas.

In this Civic Readiness Capstone project, students will:

Identify a civic issue (problem) facing them, their school, or their community
Analyze a civic issue (problem), evaluate alternative solutions, design and/or execute a solution for this problem.
Take informed action to address the civic issue.
Reflect on what they have learned about their school or community from the Capstone project.
Make a presentation about their Civic Readiness Capstone project

High School Capstone Projects completed for the Civic Readiness Diploma Seal include these essential elements based on the Definition of Civic Readiness:

Essential Elements	Civic Knowledge	Civic Skills	Civic Mindset
Examine Community	Demonstrate an understanding of the structure and function of government and democracy at the appropriate level, and how to participate therein. Identify, describe, and evaluate the relationships between people, places, regions, and environments by using geographic tools to place them in a spatial context. For example, students can conduct community walks/drives and asset map their community.	Define and frame questions about events and the world in which we live, form hypotheses as potential answers to these questions, use evidence to answer these questions, and consider and analyze counter-hypotheses.	Identify opportunities for and the role of the individual in social and political participation in the school, local, and/or state community.
Identify Issues	Integrate alternate, divergent, or contradictory perspectives or ideas. Describe the impact of individual and collective histories in shaping contemporary issues.	Analyze a civic issue (problem) in the community For example, include data to describe the number of people affected by the issue, the age/gender/socio-economic status of the people affected by the issue, the geographic impact of the issue, the environmental impact of the issue, etc. Integrate evidence from multiple disciplines into Capstone Project.	Reflect on how different cultures have values, norms and beliefs that shape how they understand their communities and the problems they face.
Conduct Research	Describe how the issue affects the daily lives and shapes the perspectives of similar and different stakeholder groups. For example, conducting interviews and administering surveys will help students understand the issue from different perspectives, including diverse cultural groups.	Analyze and evaluate news, media, social media and other sources of information for accuracy, bias, reliability, and credibility.
Analysis	Analyze a civic issue (problem) in the community, describe past attempts to address the issue, generate and evaluate alternative solutions to a civic problem.	Weigh appropriate evidence from multiple disciplines to support claims, which may include political science, history, natural sciences, economics, geography, and sociology.	Reflect on how personal attitudes and beliefs are different and the same from those of other cultures and communities. Integrate what can be learned through engagement with diversity into the Capstone Project.
Develop Strategies and Solutions	Design and/or execute a solution for this problem.	Evaluate the feasibility of proposed actions to address the community or civic issue. For example, determine an appropriate course of action; deconstruct and construct plausible and persuasive arguments using evidence.	Analyze factors that influenced the perspectives of stakeholders involved in the civic issue central to the Capstone Project. Integrate alternate, divergent, or contradictory perspectives or ideas.
Take Informed Action		Design and implement a Capstone Project that engages the school and/or out-of-school community. For example, determine an appropriate course of action; work to influence those in positions of power to strive for extensions of freedom, social justice, and human rights; develop an awareness of and/or engage in the political process.
Communicate		Communicate in a civic context, showing the ability to express ideas, discuss, persuade, debate, negotiate, build consensus and compromise to organize and conduct civic action. Strategically use different forms of communication to persuade/advocate and express ideas. Demonstrate respect for the rights of others in discussions and debates; respectfully disagree with other viewpoints.
Reflection			Analyze Capstone Project experience, reflecting on the process that was implemented, challenges faced, project limitations, successes, future civic actions and transferable skills. Demonstrate and reflect on a sense of self as an active participant in society, willing to contribute to solving local and/or national problems.

¹Based on the New York State Social Studies Practices, Grades 9-12, the New York State Performance Level Descriptors for the Global History & Geography II and the U.S. History & Government Regents exam, the NYSED Definition of Civic Readiness, and the American Association of Colleges and University VALUE Rubric for Civic Engagement.

Relevant Definitions:

Asset map: Asset Mapping is a tool that relies on a core belief of asset-based community development; namely, that good things exist in communities and that those things can be highlighted and encouraged — these are assets suited to advancing those communities. There are six categories of community assets: physical, economic, stories, local residents, local associations, local institutions. For more information about asset mapping, visit vistacampus.gov
Communication methods include in-person/face-to-face, print, digital (i.e., social media)
Perspective(s): outlook, point of view, position on or towards an issue
Stakeholder: a member of a particular status group that holds a specific self-interest in regard to a particular social problem or public policy

Middle School Capstone Projects include these Essential Elements based on the Definition of Civic Readiness:

Essential Elements	Civic Knowledge	Civic Skills	Civic Mindset
Examine Community	Identify situations in which social actions are required.	Participate in activities that focus on a classroom, school, community, state, or national issue or problem with the support of the classroom teacher.	Identify opportunities for and the role of the individual in social and political participation in the school, local, and/or state community.
Identify Issues		With the support of the classroom teacher, identify a civic issue (problem) in the community. For example, define and frame questions about events and the world in which we live, and use evidence to answer these questions.	Identify rights and responsibilities as a citizen of the community and the state.
Conduct Research	Describe how the issue affects the daily lives and shapes the perspectives of similar and different stakeholder groups. For example, conducting interviews and administering surveys will help students understand the issue from different perspectives, including diverse cultural groups.	Analyze and evaluate news, media, social media and other sources of information for accuracy, bias, reliability, and credibility.
Analysis		With the support of the classroom teacher, evaluate alternative solutions to address the community problem.
Develop Strategies and Solutions		With the support of the classroom teacher, identify or develop solution(s) in the form of a public policy. For example, recognize an argument and identify evidence that supports the argument; examine arguments that are related to a specific social studies topic from multiple perspectives; deconstruct arguments, recognizing the perspective of the argument and identifying evidence used to support that perspective. Communicate in a civic context, showing the ability to express ideas, discuss, and persuade when presenting ideas.
Take Action		With the support of the classroom teacher, Develop an awareness of and/or engage in the political process. Create a political action plan to enlist local or state authorities to adopt their proposed policy.	Demonstrate respect for the rights of others in discussions and classroom debates; respectfully disagree with other viewpoints. Work to influence those in positions of power to strive for extensions of freedom, social justice, and human rights.
Communicate		Participate in persuading, negotiating, and compromising in the resolution of differences and conflict; introduce and examine the elements of debate. Demonstrate respect for the rights of others in discussions and debates; respectfully disagree with other viewpoints.
Reflection			Analyze the experience, reflecting on the process that was implemented, challenges faced, successes, and future civic actions.

Based on the New York State Social Studies Practices, Grades K-12

New York State Education Department

Social Studies

Additional Resources

Civic Readiness Initiative