Test Design and 
Test Framework

Field 244: Social Science: Economics

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The test design below describes general test information. The framework that follows is a detailed outline that explains the knowledge and skills that this test measures.

Test Design

Format	Computer-based test (CBT)
Number of Questions	100 multiple-choice questions
Time*	3 hours, 15 minutes
Passing Score	240

*Does not include 15-minute CBT tutorial

Test Framework

Subarea 1—Social Science Foundational Skills

Objective 0001—Understand basic sources, tools, and methods of social science inquiry and interdisciplinary connections among the social sciences.

For example:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and uses of various types of source materials and tools of social science inquiry.
• Apply knowledge of the methods social scientists use to investigate and answer questions about the human experience and the methods and technologies used to gather and analyze social science data from multiple sources.
• Recognize appropriate research questions and apply knowledge of procedures for interpreting research results and for organizing and presenting research findings in an appropriate format.
• Apply knowledge of ethical practices for conducting research and interpreting findings.
• Apply knowledge of the structures, purposes, and methodologies within the social science disciplines.
• Analyze connections among history, geography, political science, economics, and the behavioral sciences; relationships between the social sciences and other learning areas; and interdisciplinary approaches to social science instruction.
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students how to use basic sources, tools, and methods of social science inquiry and make connections among the social sciences and with other learning areas, including using grade-level-appropriate literature and resources, instructional resources and technologies, and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

Objective 0002—Understand the use of analysis, interpretation, and evaluation in social science inquiry and basic historical concepts.

For example:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the strengths and limitations of primary and secondary sources of evidence (e.g., documents, artifacts, Internet), the importance of using multiple credible sources before reaching a conclusion or making an interpretation, and how to assess the credibility and authority of sources and research findings.
• Distinguish between fact and conjecture, fact and interpretation, and evidence and assertion, and recognize the value of informed opinion based on systematic analysis of evidence.
• Recognize the complexity of causation, analyze cause-and-effect relationships, distinguish between causation and correlation, compare and contrast competing narratives and multiple perspectives, and critique conclusions.
• Identify the central concepts addressed in a narrative and draw inferences and summarize information from a variety of sources.
• Compare and contrast alternative interpretations and points of view in the social sciences.
• Apply knowledge of the tentative nature of interpretation in the social sciences, the role of culture in interpretation, and differences among perspectives in the social sciences.
• Interpret and evaluate information presented in various formats (e.g., maps, charts, tables, other graphic representations).
• Apply knowledge of basic historical concepts (e.g., chronological thinking, periodization, cause-and-effect relationships, historical succession and duration, patterns of continuity and change, historical context).
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students how to use analysis, interpretation, and evaluation in social science inquiry, basic historical concepts, and major historical interpretations, including using grade-level-appropriate literature and resources, instructional resources and technologies, and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

Objective 0003—Understand the process of reading, and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' reading development in the social science classroom.

For example:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the reading process (e.g., the construction of meaning through interactions between a reader's prior knowledge, information in the text, and the purpose of the reading situation), and apply knowledge of strategies for integrating the language arts into social science instruction to support students' reading and concept development (e.g., providing purposeful opportunities for students to read, write about, and discuss content in order to improve their understanding).
• Apply knowledge of strategies that foster reading in the social science classroom (e.g., incorporating relevant literature for adolescents in the curriculum; building and maintaining a classroom library; encouraging students' independent reading, research, and inquiry related to social science).
• Demonstrate knowledge of the role of vocabulary knowledge in supporting students' reading comprehension and concept development, and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' discipline-specific vocabulary development (e.g., recognizing structural and/or meaning-based relationships between words, using context clues, distinguishing denotative and connotative meanings of words, interpreting idioms and figurative language, consulting specialized reference materials).
• Apply knowledge of strategies for preparing students to read text effectively and teaching and modeling the use of comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading, including strategies that promote close reading (e.g., breaking down complex sentences, monitoring for comprehension to correct confusions and misunderstandings that arise during reading).
• Apply knowledge of strategies for developing students' ability to comprehend and critically analyze discipline-specific texts, including recognizing organizational patterns unique to informational texts; using graphic organizers as an aid for analyzing and recalling information from texts; analyzing and summarizing an author's argument, claims, evidence, and point of view; evaluating the credibility of sources; and synthesizing multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats.
• Apply knowledge of strategies for evaluating, selecting, modifying, and designing reading materials appropriate to the academic task and students' reading abilities (e.g., analyzing instructional materials in terms of readability, content, length, format, illustrations, and other pertinent factors).
• Apply knowledge of strategies for providing continuous monitoring of students' reading progress through observations, work samples, and various informal assessments and for differentiating social science instruction to address all students' assessed reading needs.

 

Subarea 2—Social Science Foundational Knowledge

Objective 0004—Understand political concepts, systems, features, and processes in the United States and other world areas.

For example:

• Apply knowledge of the basic functions of government and important concepts used in the study of government and politics (e.g., political socialization, representation, authority).
• Demonstrate knowledge of different types of political systems (e.g., democracy, autocracy, oligarchy, monarchy, totalitarianism), their characteristics, and their significance for different people and regions of the world.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of constitutional government (e.g., separation of powers, checks and balances, individual rights, federalism), the historical development of constitutional government in the United States and Illinois, the sources and functions of law, and the rule of law.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the organization and functions of government at the national, state, and local levels in the United States (e.g., roles of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches; functions of and relationships between national, state, and local governments).
• Analyze how public policy is formulated and implemented in the United States at the local, state, and national levels; the public policy role of each branch of government; factors that influence public policy debates (e.g., interest groups, political parties, public opinion, mass media); public policy formation and implementation in other nations; and differing perspectives on public policy issues.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society (e.g., rights extended to U.S. citizens through the Bill of Rights and other amendments, role of the U.S. Supreme Court in defining and protecting rights, responsibilities of citizenship and their significance) and how to promote students' civic engagement and social responsibility.
• Analyze the development and implementation of U.S. foreign policy and various influences on U.S. foreign policy.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the functions of major international organizations (e.g., UN, NATO, NGOs, trade alliances) and the influence of international organizations on world affairs.
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students about political concepts, systems, features, and processes in the United States and other regions of the world, including using various modes of inquiry; grade-level-appropriate literature and resources; social science processes, skills, and concepts; instructional resources and technologies; and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

Objective 0005—Understand economic concepts and systems, the operation of the U.S. and world economies, and personal finance.

For example:

• Apply knowledge of basic economic concepts, terms, and theories (e.g., scarcity, opportunity cost, incentives, voluntary exchange, supply and demand theory, characteristics and functions of money, marginal analysis).
• Recognize and compare different types of economic systems (e.g., command, traditional, market, mixed), including factors that influence consumer and producer decisions (e.g., government roles and policies, values and beliefs) and the role of financial institutions in saving, borrowing, and investing in a market economy.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the key components and operation of the U.S. economy (e.g., principles of free enterprise; competition; entrepreneurship; investment; roles of the federal government and the Federal Reserve System and effects of their policies; causes and effects of inflation and unemployment; relationships between households, firms, and government agencies).
• Apply knowledge of personal finance and consumer decision making (e.g., credit, budgeting, insurance, purchasing, influence of advertising) and how to promote students' financial literacy and consumer skills.
• Demonstrate knowledge of international economic structures, processes, and relationships (e.g., specialization, globalization, comparative advantage, economic interdependence, free trade, trade incentives and disincentives, factors affecting economic growth and stability, global effects of resource supply and demand, international economic organizations).
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students about economic concepts and systems, the operation of the U.S. and world economies, and personal finance, including using various modes of inquiry; grade-level-appropriate literature and resources; social science processes, skills, and concepts; instructional resources and technologies; and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

Objective 0006—Understand major developments and patterns of continuity and change in world history.

For example:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the progression from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural and industrial societies and the evolution and distinctive characteristics of major Asian, African, and American societies and cultures prior to 1500 CE.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the development of ancient and classical civilizations of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe; their major achievements and legacies; and factors contributing to their historical changes.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the origins, central ideas, and historical influences of major religious and philosophical traditions (e.g., Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism).
• Demonstrate knowledge of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation periods, including the social, cultural, political, and economic aspects of each period.
• Demonstrate knowledge of political, religious, scientific, and industrial revolutions from 1450 to 1850 and how these revolutions contributed to social, political, economic, and cultural change.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the culture and ideals of the modern world since the Age of Enlightenment and the origin and impact of capitalism and other economic systems.
• Demonstrate knowledge of nineteenth- and twentieth-century ideologies (e.g., liberalism, republicanism, socialism, Marxism, nationalism, communism, fascism, Nazism) and their global influence; and the causes, major events, and consequences of twentieth-century world wars, the Holocaust, and other examples of genocide.
• Analyze the origins and consequences of cultural encounters (e.g., exploration, imperialism, independence and decolonization); factors and contexts that influenced people's perspectives during different historical eras; the process of cultural diffusion; the effects of religious and ethnic diversity; and changing relations among social classes, ethnic groups, religious denominations, and genders.
• Demonstrate knowledge of environmental factors in human and technological development; the economic and environmental significance of technological changes; the influence of changes in transportation and communication on societies; and the effects of the globalization of the world economy.
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students about major developments and patterns of continuity and change in different historical eras and regions of the world, including using various modes of inquiry; grade-level-appropriate literature and resources; social science processes, skills, and concepts; instructional resources and technologies; and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

Objective 0007—Understand major developments and patterns of continuity and change in U.S. and Illinois history.

For example:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the migration and settlement patterns of people moving to and within the United States and Illinois from prehistory to the present and the interaction and contributions of various peoples in North America.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the origins and development of democracy in the United States, including political ideas that influenced the development of U.S. constitutional government, the evolution of the two-party system, and the development of government and political institutions in Illinois.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the evolution of U.S. foreign policy, relationships between foreign policy and domestic affairs, the emergence of the United States as a world power, and the role of the United States in world affairs (e.g., wars, trade, human rights, alliances, peacekeeping) in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
• Analyze the social, economic, and political tensions that led to various conflicts and examine the effects of these conflicts on the United States.
• Analyze causes and effects of major social, political, and economic policies and movements (e.g., abolition, woman's suffrage, immigration, labor, civil rights, Native American rights) in U.S. history.
• Analyze examples of continuity and change in U.S. society, culture, arts, literature, education, religion, and values.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the development of the U.S. and Illinois economies, including the agricultural, industrial, and service sectors; the relationship between geography and economic developments in the United States and Illinois; and the changing role of corporations and labor.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the role of economic and technological change in the transformation of U.S. society, the impact of capitalism and urbanization, and the changing role of the U.S. economy within the global economy.
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students about major developments and patterns of continuity and change in U.S. and Illinois history, including using various modes of inquiry; grade-level-appropriate literature and resources; social science processes, skills, and concepts; instructional resources and technologies; and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

Objective 0008—Understand tools, concepts, and processes of human and physical geography.

For example:

• Demonstrate knowledge of geographic representations, tools, and technologies (e.g., mental and other maps, aerial photography, satellite images, geographic information system [GIS]) and their use in obtaining information about people, places, and environments; making decisions about location; forming public policy; posing and answering questions about spatial distributions and patterns; and solving problems.
• Analyze how culture, cultural change, experience, and technology influence human perceptions and use of places and regions and how places and regions serve as cultural symbols.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the human and physical characteristics of places and regions, the role of human and physical processes in creating different types of places and regions, the effects of changes in places and regions over time, and connections among places and regions.
• Analyze how physical processes and human activities influence spatial distributions, including world population trends, issues, and patterns; the effects of human migration on physical and human systems; and the influence of cooperation and conflict on spatial patterns.
• Analyze the role of science and technology in expanding the human capacity to modify physical and human environments; the functions and spatial arrangements of cities and other human environments; factors influencing spatial patterns and interactions within and among urban, suburban, and rural regions; changes affecting physical and human environments; and the global impact of human action on the physical environment.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the causes and effects of increased global interdependence, including how the spatial distribution of resources affects the location of economic activities and contributes to conflict and cooperation and how international economic issues, opportunities, and problems result from increased global interdependence.
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students about tools, concepts, and processes of human and physical geography, including using various modes of inquiry; grade-level-appropriate literature and resources; social science processes, skills, and concepts; instructional resources and technologies; and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

Objective 0009—Understand concepts, terms, and theories related to human behavior and development, the study of cultures, the structure and organization of human societies, and the processes of social interaction.

For example:

• Demonstrate knowledge of basic psychological concepts (e.g., cognition, development, personality, behavior); psychological perspectives and methods of inquiry; fundamental theories of learning, motivation, and development; cognitive, physiological, emotional, and motivational influences on behavior; and applications of psychological knowledge.
• Demonstrate knowledge of major theories of personality (e.g., psychoanalytic, trait, behaviorist, humanist, social-cognitive); types of psychological disorders; and the physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and moral changes associated with different stages of life.
• Demonstrate knowledge of basic sociological and anthropological concepts (e.g., acculturation, ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, institutions), sociological and anthropological perspectives, and methods of inquiry, and how to apply a behavioral science point of view to general social phenomena and specific social situations.
• Demonstrate knowledge of social organization in various time periods (e.g., ancient, preindustrial, industrial, postindustrial) and how social institutions (e.g., educational, religious), social relationships, social class, social customs, cultural values, and norms influence behavior and life decisions.
• Analyze how common values and beliefs develop within societies; the nature and significance of human unity and cultural diversity; and the roles of tradition, the arts, and social institutions in the development and transmission of culture.
• Demonstrate knowledge of sociological approaches to and perspectives on conformity and deviancy.
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students about concepts, terms, and theories related to human behavior and development, the study of cultures, the structure and organization of human societies, and the processes of social interaction, including using various modes of inquiry; grade-level-appropriate literature and resources; social science processes, skills, and concepts; instructional resources and technologies; and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

 

Subarea 3—Foundations of Economics and Characteristics of Market Economies

Objective 0010—Understand economic concepts, terms, theories, skills, perspectives, and systems.

For example:

• Apply knowledge of basic economic concepts, terms, theories, and perspectives (e.g., scarcity, opportunity cost, supply and demand, unintended consequences, public goods, externalities, fiscal and monetary policy).
• Demonstrate knowledge of the theories of major past and present economists (e.g., Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, Milton Friedman), the values and assumptions on which these theories are based, and the ways in which they have influenced economic thought and public policy.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the factors of production and their role in the production of goods and services.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and functions of money.
• Demonstrate knowledge of various types of economic systems (e.g., command, market, mixed, traditional, transitional) and their characteristics, strengths, and limitations.
• Apply knowledge of different types of economic systems and different national economies in terms of economic goals (e.g., growth, equity, freedom, stability, efficiency); how scarce resources are allocated; relationships between businesses, households, and governments; and factors (e.g., values, beliefs, geography, government directives, market forces) that influence decisions related to production, consumption, and distribution.
• Demonstrate knowledge of methods and tools used to measure economic activity.
• Apply skills for interpreting economic data in charts and graphs, analyzing economic data and trends, and using economic analysis to evaluate past and present economic and social decision making.
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students about economic concepts, terms, theories, skills, perspectives, and systems, including using various modes of inquiry, grade-level-appropriate literature and resources, instructional resources and technologies, and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

Objective 0011—Understand market economies.

For example:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the role of voluntary exchange, incentives, and self-interest in competitive markets and factors that encourage competition (e.g., ease of entry, availability of information, quantity of substitute goods and services).
• Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of different market structures (e.g., monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic and perfect competition), the role of incentives and competition, and how levels of competition affect decisions about production and consumption in different market structures.
• Apply knowledge of the functioning of supply and demand in market economies, including how changes in supply and demand affect changes in price, nonprice determinants of supply and demand, and the relationship between price elasticity and consumer decisions.
• Demonstrate understanding of the business cycle, including its phases and their significance.
• Demonstrate knowledge of how market economies enable entrepreneurs to take the risks of organizing resources to produce goods and services and the role of entrepreneurship, investment, and technology in fostering economic growth and productivity.
• Analyze how market imperfections (e.g., imperfect information, imperfect competition, collusion, externalities) can lead to inefficient outcomes.
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students about market economies, including using various modes of inquiry, grade-level-appropriate literature and resources, instructional resources and technologies, and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

 

Subarea 4—U.S. and International Economic Systems

Objective 0012—Understand the components, structure, organization, and operation of the U.S. economy.

For example:

• Demonstrate knowledge of financial institutions and markets (e.g., commercial and investment banks, insurance companies, stock exchanges) and their characteristics and roles in the U.S. economy.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the types, characteristics, and functions of various business organizations (e.g., sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations) in the U.S economy, including the effects of business organization on investment and economies of scale.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the operation of labor markets, factors that influence personal income (e.g., labor supply and demand, productivity, technology, labor unions, discrimination), and income distribution in the U.S. economy.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the components of the U.S. money supply, factors that influence interest rates, and the role of interest rates in economic decision making.
• Analyze the role of prices and nonprice factors (e.g., taste and preferences, related goods, demographics, expectations) in determining what is produced and consumed in the U.S. economy.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the causes and effects of inflation, deflation, and unemployment in the U.S. economy and types of unemployment (e.g., frictional, structural, cyclical, seasonal).
• Demonstrate understanding of key economic indicators (e.g., gross domestic product, price indices, productivity, orders for new equipment, changes in inventories, personal income, unemployment rate), including their meaning, uses and limitations, and impact on U.S. economic policies.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the role of consumers in the U.S. economy, the determinants of consumer demand (e.g., preferences, price, income, advertising), and ways in which consumer behavior is influenced by the principles of scarcity and opportunity cost.
• Analyze relationships between consumer income, saving, and spending and the effect of interest rates on consumer decisions about saving, investing, and purchasing.
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students about the components, structure, organization, and operation of the U.S. economy, including using various modes of inquiry, grade-level-appropriate literature and resources, instructional resources and technologies, and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

Objective 0013—Understand the role of government in the U.S. economy.

For example:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the goals of federal and state economic policies and government interventions in the United States (e.g., increasing employment, stabilizing prices, responding to market failures).
• Demonstrate knowledge of the ways in which government provides incentives for entrepreneurship, production, and economic growth (e.g., tax policy, enforcement of property rights, contract enforcement, liability rules).
• Analyze factors (e.g., economic growth, unemployment rate, inflation rate) that influence the formulation of economic policy and the costs and benefits of specific government policies.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the Federal Reserve System and its role in determining monetary policy, including the tools of monetary policy (e.g., open market operations, changes in the discount rate, changes in the reserve requirement).
• Analyze ways in which fiscal and monetary policy and other public policy decisions influence the economy (e.g., employment, output, growth, inflation, international trade).
• Demonstrate knowledge of the principles and functions of taxation and the types, characteristics, and incidence of taxes.
• Demonstrate knowledge of government transfer payments (e.g., Social Security, income assistance, Medicaid) and their effects on the U.S. economy.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the difference between a budget deficit and the national debt and the impact of budget deficits and the national debt on economic growth and stability.
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students about the role of government in the U.S. economy, including using various modes of inquiry, grade-level-appropriate literature and resources, instructional resources and technologies, and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

Objective 0014—Understand international economics and global economic interdependence.

For example:

• Apply knowledge of fundamental concepts of international economics (e.g., specialization, comparative advantage), the benefits of international trade, and factors that affect international trade (e.g., differences in the availability of resources and production costs).
• Demonstrate knowledge of international economic structures and organizations (e.g., World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization), their roles, and the effects of their decisions.
• Demonstrate knowledge of past and present trading patterns and relationships, major trade alliances, and their influence on the international economic system.
• Demonstrate understanding of various types of trade policies (e.g., tariffs, subsidies, quotas, major trade alliances), the effects of such policies, and why nations adopt them.
• Analyze how trade among nations increases global economic interdependence and how globalization trends and policies affect economic growth, labor markets, citizens' rights, the environment, and resource and income distribution in different nations.
• Analyze causes and effects of changes in the balance of trade, balance of payments, capital flows, and exchange rates.
• Apply knowledge of approaches for teaching students about international economics and global economic interdependence, including using various modes of inquiry, grade-level-appropriate literature and resources, instructional resources and technologies, and assessment instruments and approaches that meet the diverse needs of learners.

 

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