List of Benchmarks for Civics |
| Standard 14. | Understands issues concerning the disparities between ideals and reality in American political and social life |
| | Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K) |
| | 1. | Not appropriate for this level |
| | Level I (Grades K-2) |
| | 1. | Not appropriate for this level |
| | Level II (Grades 3-5) |
| | 1. | Not appropriate for this level |
| | Level III (Grades 6-8) |
| | 1. | Knows some important American ideals (e.g., liberty and justice for all, an informed citizenry, civic virtue or concern for the common good, respect for the rights of others) |
| | 2. | Knows why political and social ideals are important, even if they cannot be fully achieved |
| | 3. | Knows some of the discrepancies that have arisen between American ideals and the realities of political and social life in the United States (e.g., the ideal of equal justice for all and the reality that the poor may not have equal access to the judicial system) |
| | 4. | Knows some of the efforts that have been put forth to reduce discrepancies between ideals and the reality of American public life (e.g., abolition, suffrage, civil rights, environmental protection movements) |
| | 5. | Knows how various individual actions, social actions, and political actions can help to reduce discrepancies between reality and the ideals of American constitutional democracy |
| | Level IV (Grades 9-12) |
| | 1. | Understands the importance of established ideals in political life and why Americans should insist that current practices constantly be compared with these ideals |
| | 2. | Knows discrepancies between American ideals and the realities of American social and political life (e.g., the ideal of equal opportunity and the reality of unfair discrimination) |
| | 3. | Knows historical and contemporary efforts to reduce discrepancies between ideals and reality in American public life (e.g., union movements, government programs such as Head Start, civil rights legislation and enforcement) |
