Information on Michigan academic standards and instructional resources.
Responsible for providing final decisions in administrative appeals to MDE.
Learn more about the MDE office responsible for providing leadership in curriculum and instruction that provides students with greater choices to prepare for success.
Resources for educator certification, recognition programs, evaluation, and workforce research.
Resources related to financial and pupil accounting and auditing.
Options available for Michigan students that provide unique learning opportunities.
Food & Nutrition Programs
This MDE office provides resources and technical assistance in physical education, sex education, health education, behavioral, emotional, mental, and social education as well as safety, discipline, and transportation.
Resources for programs and initiatives that support school improvement efforts.
Resources for supporting special education in Michigan.
Michigan has an innovative and comprehensive system of assessments to measure student achievement in learning our state content standards.
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
According to the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, is a call for students to become more prepared for the challenges of college and career and is united with a third critical element: preparation for civic life. Advocates of citizenship education cross the political spectrum, but they are bound by a common belief that our democratic republic will not sustain unless students are aware of their changing cultural and physical environments; know their past; read, write, and think deeply; and act in ways that promote the common good. There will always be differing perspectives on these objectives. The goal of knowledgeable, thinking, and active citizens, however, is universal. Differing from traditional methods, students need to recognize societal problems; ask good questions and develop robust investigations into them; consider possible solutions and consequences; separate evidence-based claims from parochial opinions; and communicate and act upon what they learn. Most importantly, they must possess the capability and commitment to repeat that process as long as is necessary. Young people need strong tools for, and methods of, clear and disciplined thinking in order to traverse successfully the worlds of college, career, and civic life.
Differing from the more traditional methods the C3 Framework is made up of the Arc of Inquiry which is based on the following steps:
For more information about the C3 Framework, please visit College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards at the NCSS website.
The core disciplines of civics, economics, geography and history are represented in the new secondary teacher standards and reflect the Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards, approved by the Michigan State Board of Education in 2019.
Michigan’s K-12 Social Studies Standards serve as the backbone of the academic curriculum, delineating the knowledge, skills, and competencies students are expected to attain at various grade levels. The Michigan Social Studies Standards for middle and high school encompass a range of historical, geographical, economic, and civic topics that prepare students for the rigor of college, career and civic life. These standards include a recommended teaching framework, the C3 Framework. The goal of this framework is to cultivate critical thinkers who are well-equipped to navigate the complexities of our increasingly connected global society through their deep understanding of the cultures and historical narratives that have shaped it. A solid understanding of both the content and the skills covered in the Michigan Social Studies Standards is crucial to ensuring that teachers are able to deliver quality education in their own classrooms.
In the introduction to the Michigan Social Studies Standards, you will find an overview of the recommended C3 framework, as well as a brief overview of the organization of the standards as a whole.
Building upon the geography, civics and government, and economics concepts of the United States mastered in 4th grade and historical inquiry from earlier grades, the 5th grade expectations begin a more discipline-centered approach concentrating on the early history of the United States. Students begin their study of American history with Indigenous Peoples before the arrival of European explorers and conclude with the adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1791. Although the content expectations are organized by historical era, they build upon students’ understanding of civics, economics and geography and require students to apply these concepts within the context of early American history.
The focus of the 6th grade expectations is World Geography, which can be taught either thematically or regionally. In addition to incorporating basic ideas of civics and economics, students learn foundational geography concepts such as the world in spatial terms, physical and human systems, the interaction of the environment and society, place, and regions, which are then applied to global issues.
In this first world history and geography course, seventh grade students begin a historical analysis with a world lens, with a particular emphasis on the integration of the geographic skills they learned in 6th grade. Organized by historical era, the 7th grade standards begin with pre-history and continue through early civilization and the classical empires. The groundwork for the high school world history and geography standards is laid in this course with a series of case studies from three continents: Europe, Africa, and North America prior to 1500.
Continuing the historical narrative from the 5th grade standards, the 8th grade standards begin with a review of the foundational considerations from 5th grade, then progress through the revolution and forming of the new nation. Students will be expected to integrate civic, economic, and geographical concepts as they explore the expansion and reform of early America, before progressing to the Civil War and Reconstruction. A bridge to the high school integrated United States History Standards is provided by standards addressing policy issues of the United States prior to the 20th century, as well as a brief introduction to the development of an industrial, urban, and global United States through 1898.
The high school World History and Geography course is meant for students in grades 9-12, with the course progression varying from district to district. In this course students will explore the global eras beginning in Era 4 with intensified hemispheric interactions (300-1500 CE), highlighting trade and cultural exchanges. Students will then progress through Era 5 and the first global age (15th-18th centuries), marked by maritime explorations and colonial undertakings; Era 6 (18th century – 1914) encompassing global revolutions and industrialization; and Era 7 that charts the tumultuous 20th century, from global conflicts to innovations. The curriculum culminates with a study of contemporary global issues, ensuring students are equipped to understand both our past and the challenges of the present.
High school Integrated U.S. History begins with a review of foundational information covered in the 8th grade standards, setting the stage for a deep dive into pivotal U.S. Historical Eras 6-9. Students begin with Era 6, examining the rise of an industrial, urban, and global United States from 1870 to 1930. Era 7 delves into the challenges of the Great Depression and the global theater of World War II, spanning 1920-1945. Post-war transformations and the Cold War dynamics dominate Era 8, covering 1945-1989. Era 9 brings students to contemporary times, analyzing America's role from 1989 to the present. The final standard asks students to scrutinize current policy debates, ensuring a holistic grasp of United States history and its present implications.
High school Civics illuminates the foundations and intricacies of American governance. Organized thematically, the first section begins with delving into the philosophical underpinnings of civic society and government. In the next section, students explore the origins of American constitutional government, emphasizing democratic values and foundational principles. This is followed by the structures and functions of federal, state, local, and tribal governments. Shifting to individual rights, the next section of the standards discusses the Bill of Rights' application, civil rights extensions, and the tensions surrounding liberties. Also addressed is the United States’ role in global affairs, focusing on foreign policy formation and international engagements. The course concludes with American citizenship, encompassing rights, responsibilities, and fostering a proactive civic mindset through inquiry, discourse, and action.
High school Economics dissects the intricate mechanisms of economic systems, starting with The Market Economy. Students engage with the concept of limited resources, decision-making processes, market interactions, and the integral role of entrepreneurs, delving into key concepts like scarcity, supply, demand, and market structures. Shifting to The National Economy, the course explores the overarching United States economic landscape, focusing on monetary policies, fiscal policies, and the impact of government spending. Central concepts include unemployment, gross domestic product, and interest rates. The International Economy segment emphasizes the rationale behind global trade, the intricacies of exchange rates, and the implications of international trade barriers, with concepts like voluntary exchange and comparative advantage at its core. Concluding with Personal Finance, students gain insights into financial decision-making, credit utilization, and investment strategies. This holistic curriculum ensures students grasp the nuances of economic reasoning, problem-solving, and the trade-offs inherent in economic decisions.
As State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Michael Rice observed in introducing MDE’s Teaching Comprehensive History webinar series, “as members of a diverse state, nation, and world, school staff and students need to know our rich, complex history. These powerful webinars, along with the provided resources, encourage Michigan educators and school leaders to deepen their knowledge so they may share with their students. As searing as some of our history is, we have a responsibility to teach it all.” Michigan’s K-12 Social Studies Standards privilege inquiry as the primary form of instruction in all social studies classes. Successful inquiry-based learning requires learners to gather and weigh evidence from available sources to draw conclusions and take informed action. These standards challenge teacher candidates to develop and model a disposition to seek and consider multiple - and often conflicting - perspectives on social studies phenomena through inclusive teaching practices. Privileging the diverse needs of individual students and creating classroom environments in which all children feel welcome and included is a hallmark of all teacher preparation standards developed to support Michigan’s revised teacher certification structure.
Requiring a broad endorsement as a “first credential” in social studies (and science) teaching in the 5-9 and 7-12 grade bands was a unanimous recommendation of the stakeholders who developed Michigan’s revised teacher certification structure. This requirement ensures that all social studies teachers are prepared with strong pedagogical skills and comparably deep and flexible understanding of the Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards across disciplines. This will provide all students access to consistently well-prepared social studies teachers. Offering many different, optional endorsements without this requirement would not provide students access to this kind of consistency.
Teacher candidates who wish to add a discipline-specific endorsement to their initial social studies certification will be required to complete an approved course of study offered by one of Michigan’s educator preparation institutions or alternative route providers, as well as pass the corresponding Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC). In accordance with Michigan’s Clinical Experiences Requirements, candidates will be expected to engage in student contact hours relevant to the new endorsement areas as part of the preparation experience.
MDE will first evaluate programs of study and program assessment plans for alignment to the full breadth of the social studies teacher preparation standards. Educator preparation programs will be required to collect data using assessment tools aligned to the standards throughout the program’s initial five-year approval period. They will analyze and report on this data in a request for continuing approval at the conclusion of the initial approval period. In addition to locally developed assessments, MDE will utilize data from the MTTC to gauge the extent to which candidates are appropriately proficient in the knowledge and skills encompassed by the standards.
