This Framework is built upon the foundation of the 2003 and 1997 "Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks." Based in research on effective practice, it represents the contributions of members of the History and Social Science Curriculum Framework Review Panel, scholars who served as Content Advisors, and the more than 700 individuals and organizations who provided comments during the public comment period in early 2018. This revision of the Framework retains the strengths of the previous frameworks and includes these improved features: (1) increased emphasis on civics at all grade levels, including a new grade 8 course on civics; (2) inclusion of standards that reflect the diversity of the United States and world cultures, with particular attention to the contributions of women and men of all ethnicities and backgrounds in the United States and the connections among world cultures; (3) new Standards for History and Social Science Practice and questions to guide inquiry; (4) stronger attention to the intersection of history, social science, and literacy instruction, through the inclusion of literacy standards for history and social science; (5) expanded examples of primary sources representing significant texts, maps, photographs, and works of art and architecture in United States and world history; and (6) new standards for financial literacy and news/media literacy.