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Social Sciences

Every student, every day, is engaged in meaningful, affirming, grade-level instruction.

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In accordance with ORS 329.045, in 2024, the Oregon State Board of Education formally adopted Content Standards for Social Sciences.

The Oregon Social Sciences Standards provide a coherent set of expectations for the knowledge, skills, and practices that students will develop throughout their education. Grounded in research and informed by community input, the standards emphasize teaching a more complete history with the inclusion of multiple perspectives and traditionally underrepresented histories. The key design features of the standards include inquiry and disciplinary thinking across civics, economics, geography, and history, critical thinking, problem-solving, clear communication and argumentation, and digital and media literacy.

These standards reflect Oregon’s commitment to equity, excellence, and access for every student and serve as the foundation for instruction, assessment, and high-quality instructional materials selection and implementation.

Grounded in this foundation, Oregon’s required Transformative SEL Standards and Tribal History/Shared History curriculum are to be integrated alongside Social Science standards to create the conditions for learning and thriving and ensuring the histories, cultures, contributions, and sovereignty of Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribal Nations are taught accurately and with integrity.

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has updated its standards using a new, consistent template designed to improve clarity, usability, and coherence across content areas. 

Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, school districts should implement the new Oregon K-12 Social Science Standards​. Implementation supports and professional learning resources are available on the Oregon Social Science Framework webpage​.​

Key Resources

  • Civics Graduation Requirements
  • Social Science graduation requirements​: Social Sciences 3 credits to include 0.5 unit of US civics credit in addition to at least 2.5 units of credit aligned to the Oregon State Board adopted standards for U.S. history, world history, geography, and economics. Credit from courses such as psychology or anthropology do not have adopted state standards and can be used to fulfil the 5 elective credits.​​​

​​​​​In accordance with House Bill 3365 (2025), revisions to instructional standards in science, health, and social science will include: 
  • The causes and effects of climate change
  • Strategies for mitigation
  • Strategies for adaptation
  • Strategies for strengthening community resilience

Learn more about the current adopted climate change and sustainability standards within these areas in ODE's K-12 Climate Change and Sustainability Education​ document.

Professional learning opportunities will be added as they become available. Check back regularly for updates on new opportunities to learn more about supports and resources for implementing Oregon’s standards and instructional priorities.

Social Science Professional Learning

Subscribe to the ODE Social Sciences Newsletter. You may update your ODE Newsletter subscriptions by selecting “Subscriber Preference.”

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Contact Us

For questions about Social Sciences, please contact us at ODE.SocialScience@ode.oregon.gov.