Social Studies

Per Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 120B.021, subdivision 4, every 10 years Minnesota’s K-12 Academic Standards in each content area must be reviewed and revised. The review and revision process for the K-12 academic standards and supporting benchmarks in Social Studies began during the 2020-2021 school year. Because of this statutory requirement, a standards review committee of volunteer Minnesotans is formed to review and revise the standards and supporting benchmarks each year in the specific content area up for review. The 2021 Minnesota K-12 Social Studies Standards (Commissioner Approved Draft) is now available.

Rulemaking Public Comment Period for Proposed K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies

The public comment period for Social Studies’ Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR) in the statutory rulemaking process starts on Monday, September 25, 2023, and will run for 30 days, closing on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. central. To provide feedback on the standards as a part of the statutory rulemaking process during this period of Dual Notice, review the Request for Comments document posted on the MDE rulemaking webpage for the proposed K-12 academic standards in Social Studies. Comments must be submitted to the Office of Administrative Hearings’ e-comments system.

Next Steps in the Statutory Rulemaking Process

The next step of the statutory rulemaking process is that MDE will review the public comments submitted to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) during this 30-day statutory public comment period. If there are 25 requests for a hearing to discuss the K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies, a public hearing will be held Wednesday, November 8, 2023, and Thursday, November 9, 2023.

The statutory rulemaking process for the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies is not complete until the Notice of Adoption is published in the State Register. Each content area includes an implementation date in the adopted rule language. If adopted, the proposed K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies will be implemented in the 2026-27 school year.