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Social Science Legislation

SB 1050 Professional Learning Related to Teaching Inclusive Social Science Standards

In the 2023 legislative session, The Oregon Legislature adopted Senate Bill 1050 requiring ODE to provide professional learning for the implementation of inclusive social science standards. The Senate Bill 1050 overview provides additional information about this legislation.

SB 513 High School Civics Credit Requirement

In the 2021 legislative session, the Oregon Legislature adopted Senate Bill 513 requiring students to earn 0.5 civics course credit to fulfill graduation requirements, beginning with the class of 2026 (current 8th-grade students).

This new law ensures that all students in Oregon graduate with the civic knowledge to be empowered, engaged, and informed members of a democratic society. The civics credit guidance document outlines the new requirements of the .5 credit for a high school transcript.

How Civics Credits Can be Earned

The total number of high school credits (24) and social science credits (3) remains unchanged, but at least 0.5 of the three social science credits must now include civics.  U.S. civics and/or government courses that incorporate all high school civics and government standards will meet the requirements of the proposed new rule. Some schools may already offer a civics course aligned with Oregon's high school civics standards, others may need to review their social science offerings to create a course that meets this requirement.  Schools without a qualifying civics course will need to develop a course to meet this new civics graduation requirement. 

Current 8th-grade students need a four-year graduation plan that includes a 0.5 civics credit. This information should be included on forecasting documents and planning tools for the class of 2026.  Official adoption by the State Board of Education of 581-022-2000: Diploma Requirements, the rule specifying these changes, is scheduled for the spring of 2022.  Updates will be shared through the Oregon Department of Education's Social Science webpage and Social Science Newsletter upon State Board adoption.

Course examples and non-examples include:

 

Note that this is not an exhaustive list of courses.

Legislation Resources