For Stephen Masyada, civics education has been a lifelong interest. Now, his work in the field will help shape how civics knowledge and skills are assessed for students across the country.

Masyada, director of the , has been selected as one of 20 members of the panel that will help revise the framework for the civics portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for the 2032 assessment.

The appointment recognizes his extensive experience in civics education and provides an opportunity to bring his perspective to a national conversation about what students should know and be able to do as engaged citizens.

“I think it’s a recognition of the work we do here at the Lou Frey Institute and at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ in civic education and the impact we’ve had on civics in Florida and in some cases nationally,” Masyada says.

Shaping How Civics Education Is Assessed

The NAEP civics assessment provides data used to understand students’ civic knowledge nationally. While only a sample of students take the assessment, the results provide a broader picture of civic education across the country.

Masyada says the framework is particularly important because it can influence how policymakers and educators understand what should be emphasized in civics education.

“The content of the framework will dictate to states what is seen as important and what they’ll be comparing what’s happening in the states to when they release data,” Masyada says.

He also expects the framework to play a role in national evaluations of state standards for civics and government.

As a member of the framework committee, Masyada hopes to help broaden the way civic education is considered and assessed. Rather than focusing solely on students’ ability to recall facts, he believes assessments should also consider how students apply their knowledge.

“I think we really need to think about something beyond just knowledge, but also scenarios,” Masyada says. “What does the knowledge look like in practice, taking it to that next level?”

He also hopes the conversation will consider how civics education can begin earlier, including at the K-5 level.

For Masyada, effective civic education includes foundational knowledge of the nation’s founding principles, rights and liberties and the responsibilities of citizenship. It also includes dispositions that encourage students to participate in their communities, work with others to address problems and seek solutions to public policy issues.

“How do we measure these different dispositions necessary?” Masyada says. “I think that’s part of the conversation for the committee that’s involved with this.”

Bringing a National Perspective to Civics Education

The committee’s work will bring together perspectives from across the country. Masyada says that is important because civic education varies significantly from state to state.

“We have 50 states and 50 different ways to approach civic education in this country,” Masyada says. “I know what’s actually happening and being taught in Florida’s classrooms. I’ve been involved heavily in standards in this state and helping teachers understand what the standards mean and what they look like.”

A U.S. Air Force veteran, Masyada earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Florida and a certificate in instructional design and higher education leadership from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝.

He taught high school in Florida for more than a decade and also worked in North Carolina as a state-level social studies specialist. In 2014, he joined the Lou Frey Institute, where he has continued his work supporting civic education.

His experience working directly with K-16 educators, developing and interpreting standards and supporting assessment initiatives has prepared him to contribute to the national framework process.

He is one of two representatives from the College of Sciences involved in the development of the 2032 civics assessment. In addition to Masyada serving on the 20-member framework committee, Terri Fine, professor emerita from the School of Politics, Security and International Affairs (SPSIA) and former associate director of the Lou Frey Institute, will serve on the 10-member content committee.

“The fact that Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ has two people involved I think it’s a huge feather in the cap for all of us,” he says.

As the committee looks toward the 2032 assessment, Masyada hopes its work will strengthen support for high-quality civic education and help establish a shared understanding of what students need to know and how they can participate in civic life.

He also sees an opportunity to consider how the country’s student population has changed and how civic education can provide common ground.

“We’re a far more diverse student population than we used to be,” Masyada says. “So I think having some commonality, some understanding of what can bring this population together, when it comes to civic education, I think that’s one of my hopes.”

Extending Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s Civic Education Work

The Lou Frey Institute at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ houses the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship and has been a leading provider of civic education instructional and professional development resources in Florida since it was established in 2002.  The institute reaches approximately 300,000 students and 2,000 teachers across every Florida school district.

“We appreciate the opportunity to support and represent the college, the school and the university in these different districts, working with so many different teachers and leaders and representing Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ on the national stage as well when it comes to civic education,” Masyada says.

Her plea — along with her endorsement of two candidates in upcoming Tennessee races for U.S. Senate and House — coincided with more than 166,000 new voter registrations between the time she posted on Oct. 7 and noon on Oct. 9, according to Vote.org. About 42 percent of those registrants were between the ages of 18 and 24.

But are celebrity endorsements really a magic bullet for politicians?

Not necessarily, says Aubrey Jewett, associate professor of Political Science at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝.

“Studies show that celebrity endorsements most often energize a fan base who were already leaning toward a certain politician. So maybe they go from planning to vote to attending a rally,” Jewett says.

Jewett points to the close primary race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in 2008 as an example. Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Obama was estimated to be worth more than a million votes and a huge boost in fundraising.

On a broader scale, celebrity endorsements often serve as a bridge between a demographic and a candidate, explained Terri Fine, professor of Political Science and associate director of the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝. The Institute promotes civic engagement through educational programs, research and policy analysis.

Turnout and registration is often low with younger voters because they don’t frequently see candidates who mirror their age or demographic. Swift’s endorsement serves as a proxy for that lack of a familiar face, Fine says.

“People recognize her, they like her, and that enables her to send a message,” Fine says.

But celebrity endorsements have their drawbacks, too.

“It can actually have a net negative effect,” Jewett explains.

Research shows in some cases voters will come out specifically to vote against someone a celebrity endorsed.

“It can hurt instead of help a candidate,” Jewett says.

is associate professor of English at Central Michigan University, and his work centers on teaching writing, literacy, and technology. As director of CMU’s Chippewa River Writing Project, Dr. Hicks has direct experience with the changing nature of writing and the advent of digital literacy, and he synthesizes that information into his teacher training and student lessons.

Author, educator, and international speaker offers a presentation focused on engaging students, especially those students who are the most disengaged from the classroom or the subject.

National education consultant Cheryl Ellis of will offer a unique and informative presentation on Examining the DNA of Writing – digging into the real building blocks of literacy to help students advance their skills and their interest.

, author and distinguished literacy professor, will offer attendees a framework for engaging learners in reading and writing for the 21st century.

In addition to these presentations, several sessions centered around writing and literacy are planned, including preparing students for the new Florida Standards Assessment, principles of effective writing instruction, teacher and peer feedback on student writing, assistive technology tools for writing, and many others.

Executive director Wendy Stevens and deputy director Laurie Lee from will present a fascinating talk on how to read like a writer – and how to get your students to do so too. Renowned literacy scholar and author and educational consultant and author Roberta Berglund are preparing a talk on the Florida language arts standards, and arts educator Mary Palmer will speak to how the arts can be a pathway to successful reading and writing instruction.

2015 Florida Teacher of the Year presentation will focus on reading, writing, and literacy in specific content areas, while 2014 Florida Teacher of the Year Dorina Sackman will share with attendees the winning recipe for developing literacy and content learning for students in 6-12 grades.

Additional presenters include senior research fellow at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government , Florida DOE writing specialist Julia Somers-Arthur, award-winning children’s author/illustrator Ethan Long, education director , and reading educator, author, and symposium organizer Vicky Zygouris-Coe.

The 17th annual Literacy Symposium takes place April 3rd at the Education Complex and Teaching Academy buildings on the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ campus. To find out more about the Symposium or to register, visit the .