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October 2024

Social Studies

Curriculum Standards and Student Support

Social Studies Newsletter

Thank you for subscribing to the TEA social studies newsletter.  

This issue of the TEA social studies newsletter provides information on the following topics:

• Public Comment Period for Updated Social Studies Instructional Materials Is Open
• October Social Studies Stakeholder Engagement Sessions
  • Topic: Social Studies Office Hours
  • Dates: October 14 and 15
• December Social Studies Stakeholder Engagement Sessions
  • Topic: Social Studies STAAR- Hot Topics
  • Dates: December 9 and 10
• Accessing Past Social Studies Stakeholder Engagement Presentations
• Revised Social Studies TEKS Are Now Implemented for the 2024–2025 School Year
• Social Studies Assessed Curriculum Documents Update
• TEA Resources for the Revised Social Studies TEKS

How helpful is the information included in this newsletter? 

Public Comment Period for Updated Social Studies Instructional Materials Is Open

The Substitutions and Content Updates web page has been updated with a request from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill, Savvas, and Studies Weekly to update content in their adopted social studies materials.

The public is invited to review and comment on the proposed content changes. Please submit an Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) help desk ticket if you need assistance.

October Social Studies Stakeholder Engagement Sessions

Topic: Social Studies Office Hours

Target Audience: Social Studies Stakeholders—Teachers, District Administrators, Campus Administrators, Education Service Center Specialists, Parents, Professional Organizations 

Session Description: The TEA social studies team in the Curriculum Standards and Student Support Division will be available for questions and discussion focused on social studies. This session will not have a formal TEA presentation and participants will be able to come and go as their schedule permits.

Date & Times 

Monday, October 14, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

October 14 Registration Link 

Tuesday, October 15, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

October 15 Registration Link 

December Social Studies Stakeholder Engagement Sessions

Topic: Social Studies STAAR- Hot Topics

Target Audience: Social Studies Stakeholders—Teachers, District Administrators, Campus Administrators, Education Service Center Specialists, Parents, Professional Organizations 

Session Description: The Assessment Development Division will address assessment topics where questions have frequently been asked, such as the assessed curriculum, implementing new TEKS into STAAR, short constructed response (SCR) questions, data portals, and opportunities to be involved in the assessment process.

Date & Times 

Monday, December 9, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

December 9 Registration Link 

Tuesday, December 10, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

December 10 Registration Link

Accessing Past Social Studies Stakeholder Engagement Presentations 

Frequently asked question: “Where can I find past TEA presentations from social studies stakeholder engagement sessions?”

The TEA presentations from social studies stakeholder engagement sessions are posted in the “Recent Social Studies Communications” section of the TEA Social Studies web page.

Revised Social Studies TEKS Are Now Implemented for the 2024–2025 School Year

REMINDER: Revised social studies TEKS adopted in 2022 are now implemented for the 2024–2025 school year. 

The web-based version of the current social studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), which are the state standards for what students should know and be able to do, are available in Chapter 113 of the Texas Administrative Code. You can also access a PDF version of the TEKS.

Social Studies Assessed Curriculum Documents Update

The social studies assessed curriculum documents were updated to incorporate the revisions made by the State Board of Education in 2022. These documents are now available on the Social Studies STAAR Resources page of the TEA website. These documents are now in effect to align with the implementation into the classroom for the 2024-2025 school year. The revisions are as follows:

• Inclusion of 8.5B
• Inclusion of 8.7C
• Adjusted number/letters of SEs under knowledge and skills statements 5 and 7 for grade 8
• Adjusted language in 8.17A and 8.24A
• Adjusted language in USH 8F and 9F
• Removed social studies skills strand (As previously announced, assessment questions will not be written to this strand.)

Questions written to the new content are scheduled to be field-tested in Spring 2026 and be operational in Spring 2027.

If you have any questions regarding the announcement from assessment, please submit them to the Assessment Help Desk.

TEA Resources for the Revised Social Studies TEKS 

TEA has developed resources to support the implementation of the revised social studies standards.  The skills matrices provide a detailed look at the social studies skills strand by grade band (Kindergarten- Grade 5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12). Each grade level/course TEKS crosswalk provides a summary of the TEKS revisions and shows the differences between the 2018 TEKS and the 2022 TEKS being implemented in the 2024-2025 school year.

You can access these resources in the table below or under the “Social Studies TEKS Resources” section of the TEA Social Studies web page.

For additional information about the social studies TEKS that are now implemented in the 2024-2025 year, please visit the FAQ document via the link below.

Frequently Asked Questions: Social Studies TEKS Revision and Instructional Materials

Thank you for your commitment to serving Texas students.

Social Studies Team
Curriculum Standards and Student Support Division
curriculum@tea.texas.gov
(512) 463-9581

For questions or additional information, please visit the Social Studies web page or submit a Curriculum Request Form through the TEA Help Desk.

The Texas Education Agency will improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.