During their April 24 meeting, the Great Falls Public Schools board will review staff recommendations for new social studies curriculum materials.

Staff is gathering quotes for the materials and the purchase will be brought before the board at a future meeting for approval.

The materials will be available for public review from April 25 through May 5.

The Montana Office of Public Instruction adopted new social studies standards for K-12 in June 2020.

GFPS board approves new social studies standards [2022]

A committee of K-12 educators was created to review and prepare ‘know, understand, do’ goals that the GFPS board adopted in summer 2022.

The committee met last summer to review books and begin the process of choosing new textbooks for the new social studies standards.

According to GFPS staff, elementary teachers met throughout the year to document interdisciplinary connections between the new social studies standards and the new English Language Arts curriculum and determined that many social studies standards are addressed in the context of the ELA.

GFPS working on update to social studies curriculum [2022]

A combined ELA/social studies committee is proposing the creation of supplemental resources at each grade level to address the standards not found in ELA, according to GFPS staff.

The Montana Historical Society has released a new textbook that provides content unique to Montana and addresses all 4th grade standards, according to the staff report.

GFPS hosting informational session on new language arts curriculum [2022]

Fifth grade wants to retain their textbook that the school board approved in the last adoption.

High school Montana history curriculum will continue to use their middle/high school book that the board last adopted.

GFPS looking to overhaul English curriculum [2022]

Secondary history teachers are proposing to adopt the following series from McGraw Hill, according to the staff report:

• 7th grade: Networks World Geography
• 8th grade: U.S. History– Voices and Perspectives: Early Years; Exploring Civics
• 9th grade: World History Modern Times
• 11th grade: U.S. History Modern Times
• 12th grade: U.S. Government and Civics

The materials will be purchased through the GFPS curriculum budget.