Social Studies

Classroom with students touching a globe


The social studies team in the Curriculum Standards and Student Support Division provides direction, leadership, and content expertise for standards-based K-12 social studies instruction.  The social studies team does the following:

  • Assists districts statewide with implementation of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for social studies
  • Collaborates with the Division of Student Assessment to develop state social studies assessments
  • Assists the Instructional Materials and Implementation Division in the review and adoption processes for K-12 instructional materials
  • Provides on-going communication with the field about current issues in social studies curriculum and policy interpretations related to graduation requirements in 19 TAC Chapter 74.

Social Studies TEKS

The following web page provides access to the current state standards for social studies.

Social Studies TEKS Revisions 

In its November 2022 meeting, the State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted social studies TEKS revisions to align with recent legislative requirements by updating the standards for Kindergarten-Grade 8 and five high school courses: Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and its Benefits, United States History Studies Since 1877, World History Studies, World Geography Studies, and United States Government. The revised social studies TEKS will be implemented beginning with the 2024-2025 school year. 

Effective Date: August 1, 2024  

For more information related to the Social Studies TEKS revision and implementation, please visit the 2021-2022 Social Studies TEKS Review website

Stakeholder Engagement

The social studies team at TEA is piloting an initiative to expand information sharing and interaction with social studies stakeholders across the state. Stakeholder engagement sessions will focus on a specific topic. Sessions will start with a brief presentation from TEA staff on the specified topic, followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion related to that topic. All social studies stakeholders (parents, teachers, administrators, etc.) are invited to attend by registering below.

August Topic: Assessment: Short-Constructed Response (SCR) Scoring Process

Target Audience: Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers, District Administrators, Campus Administrators, Education Service Center Specialists

Dates & Times

Streamlined Social Studies TEKS 

The State Board of Education (SBOE) gave final approval on November 16, 2018, to the streamlined social studies TEKS for K-8 and five high school social studies courses. Implementation of the streamlined social studies TEKS was completed in the 2020-2021 school year. The Resources for the Streamlined Social Studies TEKS web page has been created to assist educators and parents in the transition to the streamlined social studies TEKS.

Personal Financial Literacy and Economics

Personal Financial Literacy and Economics is a new one-half credit high school course developed in response to Senate Bill (SB) 1063 and Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.025(b-22). Students may successfully complete either this new course or the Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits course to satisfy the half-credit economics requirement for high school graduation. This new economics course is part of the required secondary curriculum. 

Districts are required to offer both courses. However, districts with a total district-wide high school enrollment of fewer than 500 students can apply to the commissioner of education to offer either Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits or Personal Financial Literacy and Economics.   

As authorized by Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.025(b-23), the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has developed a list of free, open-source, and publicly available curricula that may be used by a school district to provide instruction in the Personal Financial Literacy and Economics high school course. 

Requirements for Instruction on Proper Interaction with Peace Officers 

In response to Senate Bill (SB) 30, also known as The Community Safety Education Act, the State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted a rule to include the instruction developed under TEC, §28.012, in one or more courses in the required curriculum for students in grades 9-12. The SBOE adopted the new rule in Title 19 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), §74.39, Requirements for Instruction on Proper Interaction with Peace Officers, effective August 27, 2018. This rule requires school districts and charter schools to provide instruction to students in grades 9-12 on proper interaction with peace officers during traffic stops and other in-person encounters.

Contact Information

Curriculum Standards and Student Support

(512) 463-9581 

For questions or additional information, please submit a Curriculum Request Form through the TEA Help Desk. 

Help Desk

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Social Studies and Reading Language Arts Team

Jim Doris
Social Studies/Reading Language Arts Director

Jenny Gaona
Social Studies Content Specialist

Tamara Robert
Reading Language Arts Content Specialist

Guiomar Andujar
Spanish Content Specialist