New Mexico 3rd Grade Curriculum & Standards Guide

New Mexico standards

Math

Mathematics Common Core Standards (6.29.14 NMAC)

Common Core · adopted 2010

New Mexico adopts the Common Core math standards by reference (6.29.14 NMAC), so Grade 3 math matches Third Grade and the national codes are unchanged (for example 3.OA.A.1).

Official standards

English Language Arts

English Language Arts Common Core Standards, with additional New Mexico standards (6.29.13 NMAC)

Common Core · adopted 2010

Common Core plus about 15% New Mexico standards focused on culture and identity; the department says the added standards are not tested. Grade 3 has nine added expectations, which have no short codes and are cited by rule paragraph, for example 6.29.13.8(G)(1)(a).

Official standards

Science

New Mexico STEM Ready! Science Standards (6.29.10 NMAC)

National science standards · adopted 2018

The rule took effect July 1, 2018. It adopts the national science standards by reference, with the codes unchanged (for example 3-LS4-1), plus a few New Mexico standards; none of the added ones are in Grade 3.

Official standards

Social Studies

New Mexico Social Studies Standards (6.29.11 NMAC, Standards for Excellence: Social Studies)

State's own standards

In effect since February 22, 2022, with full classroom use from fall 2023, so these are the standards for 2026-27. Grade 3 has 30 standards numbered 3.1 to 3.30 (for example 3.16) and is about world communities: why people migrate and settle, geography, trade and money around the world, and cultural identity.

Official standards

Grade 3 differences

1. In New Mexico

   Social studies: New Mexico's Grade 3 year is about world communities, migration and settlement. Its only civics standards are how democratic principles motivate people to migrate (3.8) and being a responsible, active citizen (3.9); local government, the three branches, voting, explorers and U.S. regions are not Grade 3 standards.

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Weeks 1-2 (communities; community types) and Week 16 (immigration): compare your community with one in another country and talk about why people move and settle there. Weeks 19, 20 and 22 (local government; three branches; voting) go beyond New Mexico's Grade 3 list; keep them as extra.

2. In New Mexico

   Social studies: children analyze the movement of Indigenous groups, including the removal and return of Indigenous people in New Mexico and the United States (3.12), and compare their own cultural identity with others (3.27).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Weeks 6 and 12 (Native peoples; Native nations across regions): study one New Mexico nation that was removed from its homeland and later returned. Week 15 (culture): have your child compare their own traditions with another family's.

3. In New Mexico

   Social studies: children explore supply and demand and how they affect prices and trade (3.17, 3.18), identify currency, credit, debit and checks as ways to pay, and compare them with money systems elsewhere in the world (3.20, 3.21).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Week 26 (scarcity and markets): spend one lesson on how supply and demand change prices. Week 30 (earning, banks and budgets): add the four ways to pay and look at one other country's money.

4. In New Mexico

   ELA: New Mexico adds learning about peoples, cultures and one's own identity through literature, media and oral tradition, understanding that oral tribal history is history and not myth or folktale, how a heritage language shapes spoken English, and comparing accounts of the same event aloud (6.29.13.8(B)(4)(b)-(c), 6.29.13.8(H)(4)(a)-(b)).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   ELA Week 4 (folktales, fables, myths): add a story told aloud by a family or community member and talk about why oral tribal history is history. ELA Week 25 (two texts): compare two accounts of the same event out loud.

5. In New Mexico

   ELA: New Mexico adds gathering information from several sources, including oral knowledge, and using digital tools and digital media to find information and work with others (6.29.13.8(F), 6.29.13.8(G)(1)(a)-(b)).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   ELA Week 17 (research basics) and Weeks 28-30 (research report): include one interview as a source and use one digital tool to find or share information.

6. In New Mexico

   Social studies: Grade 3 asks children to explain how world events affect New Mexico and the United States in the past and present (3.13).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Week 28 (interdependence): find one world event or trade link that affects New Mexico today.

7. In New Mexico

   Social studies (personal financial literacy): children create a plan with specific steps to reach a short-term financial goal (3.30).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Week 31 (save, spend and give): add a written step-by-step plan to reach one savings goal.

8. In New Mexico

   Social studies: Grade 3 inquiry standards ask children to work from a compelling question and supporting questions, judge with help whether sources are credible, and cite evidence in their answers (3.1 to 3.5).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Weeks 33-35 (civic action; community project): start from one big question, list smaller questions, check where each source comes from and cite evidence in the final project.

Grade 3 public-school test

New Mexico Measures of Student Success and Achievement (NM-MSSA)

The NM-MSSA covers mathematics, ELA and Spanish language arts in Grades 3-8.

About this test

Shown for context. Homeschool testing rules are separate; see below.

Homeschool rules

Check your state's current homeschool rules with its education department. New Mexico homeschool page

Sources

• New Mexico Social Studies Standards (February 2022) · New Mexico Public Education Department
• 6.29.11 NMAC Social Studies · New Mexico State Records Center and Archives
• New Mexico Social Studies Standards Implementation Plan (February 2022) · New Mexico Public Education Department
• 6.29.14 NMAC Mathematics · New Mexico State Records Center and Archives
• 6.29.13 NMAC English Language Arts · New Mexico State Records Center and Archives
• 6.29.10 NMAC Science · New Mexico State Records Center and Archives
• New Mexico Content Standards · New Mexico Public Education Department
• State Assessments · New Mexico Public Education Department
• Home Schools · New Mexico Public Education Department

Verified 2026-10-08