Social Studies

News & Announcements

• 2022 Adopted Colorado Academic Standards for Social Studies

  • At its November meeting, the Colorado State Board of Education approved final revisions to Colorado Academic Standards for social studies after adding the contributions of ethnic and religious groups as well as LGTBQ+ people in the teaching of history and civil government.  The Colorado Academic Standards for Social Studies (adopted 2022).

• NEW!!  A Holocaust and Genocide Implementation Guide.  This guide was written by members of the Holocaust and Genocide Studies committee.  The purpose of this guide is to support teachers in teaching about the Holocaust and other genocides.  Included in the guide is background information for teaching about genocide, write-ups about genocides found in the standards, a sample lesson plan, and professional development resources.

• Holocaust and Genocide Standards.  This webpage highlights the Evidence Outcomes that are specific to the Holocaust and other genocides that must be included in a course(s) required for graduation.  

• The Holocaust and Genocide Resource Bank. This resource bank is the work of the Holocaust and Genocide Studies Committee. The committee used a vetting tool to determine the quality, usability, and alignment with the Holocaust and Genocide standards for selection of collection resources.

• 2023 Civics for All of US Teacher Institute with the National Archives
  Teachers working with grades 3–12 are invited to apply for the inaugural Civics for All of US Teacher Institute with the National Archives taking place in Washington, DC, from July 17–21, 2023. This five-day institute will include hands-on sessions featuring strategies for teaching civics with primary sources, special tours and activities in the National Archives Museum, guest speakers, and site visits to additional landmarks and museums in the nation’s capital. Each participant will receive a stipend to help cover travel and other expenses. Learn more here and apply by 03/31/23.  The 2023 Civics for All of US Teacher Institute is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation.
  Additionally, educators may be interested in free, virtual teacher workshops on teaching civics with primary sources.

• History, Culture, Social Contributions, and Civil Government in Education Commission​

  • Fact Sheet: This webpage provides background information on the commission created by House Bill 19-1192 to add minority groups into history and civics lessons in public schools. It includes examples of the draft recommended revisions that the State Board of Education will consider for inclusion in the social studies standards. A printable version is also available.

  • View the commission webpage for membership and past meeting summaries.

• Legislation Impacting Social Studies 2019 - 2021:  During the 2019, 2020, and 2021 legislative sessions, several bills affecting social studies have been signed into law. This document provides a brief overview of the elements of each law. That which is specific to the local school districts are in italics. Since this document provides only an overview, districts are encouraged to look at the legislation for specific details.
   
• High Impact Instructional Strategies for the Social Studies Classroom Modules: These modules represent a few high impact instructional strategies for the social studies classroom. While there are numerous teaching strategies for effective social studies instruction, the research on high-impact instruction in social studies (in terms of a positive impact on student learning) focuses primarily in two areas: historical thinking, and civic knowledge and skills for citizenship. History education researchers tend to focus on how students analyze multiple historical documents and develop historical arguments, while civic education researchers focus on students’ evaluating information about public issues from multiple sources and viewpoints and develop reasoned judgments (Barton, K.C. & Avery, P.G., 2016, p. 1002). In addition to instructional strategies, each module provides examples that can be used in the classroom, as well as resources for further learning.
   
• Holocaust and Genocide Education in Colorado Public Schools: On July 8, 2020, Governor Polis signed into law HB20 – 1336. This legislation includes several elements focusing on the teaching of the Holocaust and Genocide in Colorado.
  • Specifically, on or before July 1, 2023, each school district Board of Education and charter school shall incorporate academic standards on Holocaust and Genocide studies into an existing course that is currently a condition of high school graduation.
  • Said standards shall be recommended by a stakeholder committee and adopted, on or before July 1, 2021, by the State Board of Education and should identify the knowledge and skills that students should acquire related to Holocaust and Genocide studies, including but not limited to the Armenian genocide.
  • In addition, the CDE shall create and maintain a publicly available resource bank of materials pertaining to Holocaust and genocide, no later than July 1, 2021. 

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