Civic Education Benchmarks: Grades 9-12

Go to Benchmarks for Grades K-3 | 4-5 | 6-8

Civic education benchmarks in Delaware have been designed to cover four basic categories of understanding with respect to civics for grades K-12: government, politics, citizenship, and participation.

Benchmarks for Grades 9-12

Civics 1 (Government)

  • Analyze the ways in which the structure and purposes of different governments around the world reflect differing ideologies, cultures, values, and histories.

Civics 2 (Politics)

  • Examine and analyze the extra-Constitutional role that political parties play in American politics.
  • Understand that the functioning of the government is a dynamic process which combines the formal balances of power incorporated in the Constitution with traditions, precedents, and interpretations which have evolved over the past 200 years.

Civics 3 (Citizenship)

  • Understand that citizens are individually responsible for keeping themselves informed about public policy issues on the local, state, and federal levels; participating in the civic process; and upholding the laws of the land.

Civics 4 (Participation)

  • Develop and employ the skills necessary to work with government programs and agencies.
  • Understand the process of working within a political party, a commission engaged in examining public policy, or a citizen’s group.