Disciplinary literacy and student-centered assessment in the secondary social studies classroom

Assessment Learning Network with Darin Stockdill

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Date

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Time

8:30 am - 11:00 am

Location

Webinar
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Resources

ALN Schedule 2025-26

This session examines disciplinary literacies in history and other social studies subjects, highlighting the importance of problem framing and inquiry to establish an authentic purpose for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing within these disciplines. Participants will explore how to develop authentic social science inquiry experiences that engage students in tackling disciplinary problems and questions using specific literacy practices and tools. Additionally, we will discuss assessment methods and tools that support students’ learning and literacy development as they enhance their thinking and communication skills in history and other social studies courses. 

Framing Questions:    

  1. Why are social studies courses necessary now more than ever?  
  2. What unique ways of using language and literacies in the social science disciplines and related professions are most closely associated with social studies coursework (history, civics, economics, geography) ?  
  3. What role do curricular materials and equitable assessment practices play in supporting student learning and literacy development in social studies?  

Presenter: Darin Stockdill

Darin Stockdill is the Instructional and Program Design Coordinator for CEDER, the Center for Education Design, Evaluation, and Research in the Marsal Family School of Education at the University of Michigan. In this role, he partners with educational organizations, teachers, and UM faculty, staff, and students to design innovative learning experiences and resources for K-12 educators and their students. This work is driven by his intersecting interests in social justice, adolescent and disciplinary literacies, design thinking, and inquiry driven learning. Darin has worked in the field of education for over 25 years; his first job was as a teacher’s aide in a preschool run by his mother. He graduated from UM with a degree in history and went on to teach adult literacy in Chicago before returning to Michigan to work with Detroit youth at a community center. These experiences motivated him to become a teacher, and for 10 years he taught middle and high school social studies and English in Detroit. He became interested in teacher education and returned to UM to pursue a doctoral degree in Education Studies with a focus on Literacy, Language, and Culture and carried out research on adolescent and disciplinary literacy. After completing his doctorate in 2011, Darin worked at Oakland Schools ISD as a literacy and social studies consultant, and in 2015 he returned to UM to work at CEDER. Outside of work, Darin loves spending time with his family, reading, watching movies, and exercising. He is most at peace when on a beach or on a mountain trail.

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