Social studies education [Sosyal Bilgiler] in Turkey has been defined as an integrated field of study after the curriculum reform over the last decade. This interdisciplinary notion of social studies education is established in the curriculum as a result of modeling NCSS (National Council for the Social Studies) standards. This new social studies movement in Turkey has taken a thematic approach and focuses on developing skills and values in the curriculum. Unlike the former curriculums, this new curriculum has adapted alternative assessment methods such as portfolios, self and peer evaluation, projects, poster presentations, and rubrics where in the past Turkish educational system has been dominated by the standardized testing. On the other hand, there have been discussions in the United States regarding the influence of high-stakes testing in diminishing the instructional time of social studies classes and instructional decisions in these classes. The purpose of this paper is to compare and discuss the influence of standardized testing on social studies education both in Turkey and the United States. This discussion may help to redefine and restructure social studies education and will consider the disintegration of the field, as has been one of the major trends in the last two decades.