Can the Civics Test Make You a Good Citizen? Reconciling the Civics Test with Inquiry-Based Instruction

Abstract

In this article, the authors tackle the tension between a fact-based civics test and inquiry-based teaching and learning. The authors begin with a short history on the civics test and the new standards in Kentucky before turning their attention to one approach to the civics test using an Inquiry Design Model (IDM) inquiry--"Does the civics test make you a good citizen?" In doing so, the authors confront the pervasive content versus skills debate that so often balkanizes social studies educators.