Center for Geography Assessment

The content standard: advanced knowledge and skills

In order to become a Scholar of Distinction in Applied Geography, students must demonstrate advanced understanding and skill development. The list of knowledge and skills, combined with a summary statement, are known collectively as the content standard. The content standard for Applied Geography is summarized as follows:

Students will demonstrate understanding of interaction between people and their environments by applying concepts and skills of spatial analysis to real world issues in human geography.

Students should know:

1. The broad range of geographic subject matter;
2. That geography is the study of space and spatial relationships;
3. That geography is fundamental to understanding change in physical and human environments;
4. The vocabulary of geography as used in oral, written and graphic communication, and
5. Methods for acquiring and presenting information.

Students should be able to:

1. Apply the principles of geography to real life situations;
2. Interpret interactions between physical and human environments;
3. Use the concept of global interdependence to evaluate their location and the location of economic and cultural activities;
4. Use the concept of region as a principle to organize a geographic understanding of the world;
5. Relate geographic concepts to topics in other subject areas and diverse contexts; and
6. Exhibit well-developed geographic skills including:
   a. asking geographic questions and posing geographic problems;
   b. acquiring geographic information;
   c. organizing geographic information;
   d. answering geographic questions and proposing solutions; and
   e. communicating answers and problem solutions using a style and format appropriate to the audience,
   purpose and situation.

The nature of geographic experitise

High school students performing at the level of distinction possess the skills necessary to identify, access, analyze and present complex geographic information. They are able to define and use the vocabulary specific to geography, distinguish between factual evidence, speculation, and hypothesis; recognize the nature and importance of spatial relationships; and specify and evaluate alternatives to geographic issues based on available data. These students are able to analyze new situations by drawing on their geographic knowledge and skills to solve problems. Since geography focuses on interactions between people and their environments, students must be able to interpret the variety of human experience represented by the world's cultures. In so doing, these students will be better prepared to function in the complex global community of the twenty-first century.

Knowledgeable students understand that we all depend on products, information and ideas from beyond our immediate environment and that such interdependency creates networks of ideas and activities that are interactive and complex. These students understand the concept of region in both physical and human terms. They know how geographers define regions and how those definitions change. These students use their knowledge to respond constructively to new situations and problems. They possess a sufficiently well-developed repertoire of skills and a knowledge base in geography to effectively address the range of challenges they will face in their day-to-day adult lives.

In addition to using geography in their personal lives, these students are able to comprehend and apply the foundations of the discipline in sophisticated ways. Moreover, the complexity of issues often requires them to go beyond the discipline of geography to other subject areas. These students can identify and use spatial relationships at a variety of levels and incorporate them in analyzing issues pertaining to other physical and social sciences and the humanities. They recognize that geography is expressed in multiple forms of biophysical science, a study in human ecology, an investigation of societal and environmental relationships, an inquiry about the nature of the landscape, an assessment of the purpose and structure of regions, and an analysis of the distribution of physical and human phenomena.

Students performing at the level of distinction are also skilled researchers. They know how to locate and acquire useful geographic information and organize it effectively to extend their knowledge of geography and create hypotheses of their own design. They go beyond the immediate issues or questions. They integrate diverse sources and types of data in order to develop comprehensive answers to issues in geography that are both contemporary and historical, physical and human, local and global. They have well-developed analytic and evaluative skills that they can apply in a variety of contexts. They can write clearly, develop an argument and carry it through to a conclusion. Students who achieve the Standard of Distinction in Applied Geography understand that change is the constant that defines both the physical and human realms of their world. Their ability to question, examine and seek a more complete understanding of geographic issues sets them apart from other students. They are independent thinkers who enjoy the challenge of structuring and managing their own learning. Finally, these students understand that geography is part of the seamless and enduring fabric of knowledge.