Within each manual, the appropriate state- and/or national-level standards have been grouped into themes and strands, and then aligned vertically and differentiated by grade level to show change and continuity among specific teaching/learning objectives ( indicators, standards, etc.) throughout the PreK/K 12 continuum. An accompanying matrix shows, for each theme and strand, the presence and number of standards or indicators expected to be taught in all grade levels or the absence of assigned standards or indicators for any given grade level. STEPS is a tool that is helpful for planning, instruction, differentiation, assessment, and professional development and, ultimately, for improving the education of the students whose PreK/K 12 experiences are enhanced by educators using these tools.

California History-Social Science: STEPS for the 1998 Standards, Including 2010 Common Core Standards from Reading & Writing across the Curriculum for History/Social Studies presents vertically aligned themes, strands, and indicators, drawn from (a) the 1998 California State Academic Content Standards for History-Social Science, the current state standards for California, and (b) the 2010 National ( Common Core ) Standards for Reading & Writing across the Curriculum for History/Social Science. All California state and all National Standards applicable to K-12 instruction in History-Social Science in California are included, verbatim, in this STEPS manual.