Kansas's History, Government, and Social Studies (HGSS) Standards, adopted 2020 and revised 2021, are built around five thematic pillars: (1) Choices have consequences, (2) Individuals have rights and responsibilities, (3) Societies are shaped by the beliefs, values, and cultures of their people, (4) Societies require systems of governance, and (5) The world is connected by relationships among people, places, products, and ideas. Each pillar is developed K-12 with multiple grade-banded benchmarks. Kansas gives local districts complete autonomy over curriculum selection and sequencing — there is no state-mandated civics course and no state-required civics test for graduation. Assessment is conducted through classroom-based measures aligned to the five HGSS standards rather than a statewide standardized civics exam.