As you may know the Colorado State Board of Education is accepting public comments on revisions to the state’s social studies standards. For those who are not aware, these standards are used by school districts and educators across the state to determine content and goals for unit and lesson plans, and are vitally important in determining what kids learn in school. The standards span all grade levels from kindergarten to high school.
The 35-member committee of K12 educators charged with coming up with the changes for 2022 have made draft revisions that will make social studies curriculum more inclusive and representative of students from all backgrounds, especially students of color, LGBTQ+ students, disabled students, immigrant and refugee students, and others. This is, in part, a response to House Bill 19-1192 passed in Colorado for this purpose. You can review the changes the committee members are proposing to the standards in their draft here: http://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/socialstudiesrevisionrecommendationsnov-21
This is great news! However the changes are not guaranteed. The public is able to provide feedback to the committee through next Tuesday, February 1, and they may further revise based on community input. This means it’s critically important to submit messages of support for more inclusion, diverse voices, and representation in social studies curriculum, as there are organized efforts by others to encourage the committee to scale back its efforts. This is where you can make a difference!
- You can provide general feedback/statements of support by emailing costandardsrevision@cde.state.co.us.
- If you do this, make sure to clarify your role as a parent, educator, or community member
- Share your voice about why more inclusive and representative social studies curriculum makes a difference in the lives of youth you know!
- To get more deeply involved, you can provide specific feedback on specific changes using the feedback tool.
- Feedback can be provided here on CDE’s website: https://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/group1-socialstudiescommittee
- Click on the green Provide Feedback button
- You will need to create an account for the feedback system
- After logging in, click on the Social Studies link to begin providing feedback.
- The first screen allows you to provide feedback on the Prepared Graduate Statements (PGS), though these have not changed substantially.
- Once done click to Continue to Grade Level Expectations
- The system now shows the standards revisions. Click on a grade level and then a standard to see the draft on screen.
- Click any blue/white comment box to leave specific feedback.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out – and please spread the word with others who value increasing inclusion and representation in our public schools’ curriculum! Thank you.