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    Arkansas 3rd Grade Curriculum & Standards Guide

    How Arkansas's third grade standards line up with Third Grade.

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    Arkansas standards

    Math

    Arkansas Mathematics Standards (2023)

    State's own standards · adopted 2023

    Adopted in 2023 and in force for 2026-27. Arkansas writes its own codes, for example 3.CAR.2 for multiplication and division facts. Perimeter is not a Grade 3 standard here (it is in Grades 2 and 4), and area of shapes made of two or more rectangles is Grade 4, so Third Grade Weeks 30-31 (perimeter; area vs perimeter) are not required by Arkansas in Grade 3.

    Official standards

    English Language Arts

    Arkansas English Language Arts Standards (2023)

    State's own standards · adopted 2023

    The 2023 standards were fully in effect from 2023-24. Codes are written like 3.FR.9.H (Grade 3, Foundational Reading, standard 9, Handwriting). Grade 3 includes cursive and Latin word parts; commas and quotation marks in dialogue, complex sentences and dictionary use are Grade 4 standards in Arkansas.

    Official standards

    Science

    Arkansas K-12 Science Standards

    National science standards · adopted 2015

    Adopted in 2015; the current Grade 3 document is marked realigned fall 2024, with the expectations unchanged. Grade 3 uses the same performance expectations as the national science standards: forces, life cycles, traits, ecosystems and weather hazards. Engineering design is written with the grade alone, for example 3-ETS1-1.

    Official standards

    Social Studies

    Arkansas Social Studies Standards (2022)

    State standards informed by the national social studies framework

    Approved in December 2022, with full implementation required by 2024-25. The standards describe the C3 Framework's inquiry dimensions. Grade 3 is titled 'Exploring Our World: Learning from New Places and Ideas' and covers government, economic choices, geography and history in Arkansas, the United States and the world; codes are written like C.1.3.3.

    Official standards

    Standard-by-standard crosswalk

    See every national third grade standard matched to Arkansas's own codes.

    • Math: 17 same · 13 close · 3 partly · 4 not in Grade 3
    • English Language Arts: 30 same · 40 close · 5 partly · 15 not in Grade 3
    • Science: 18 same · 0 close · 0 partly · 0 not in Grade 3
    Open the Arkansas crosswalk

    Grade 3 differences

    1. In Arkansas

      ELA: children write legibly in cursive with correct letter formation, slant, spacing and line awareness, and write cursive accurately and automatically (3.FR.9.H, 3.FR.10.H).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      ELA, all year: add about 10 minutes of cursive practice a day so that cursive is in place by Week 36.

    2. In Arkansas

      Math: Arkansas expects multiplication and division facts with factors up to 12, and four-digit place value: rounding, reading, writing and comparing numbers to 10,000 (3.CAR.2, 3.NPV.1 to 3.NPV.4).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Math Week 1 (place value and rounding): extend to four-digit numbers, including reading, writing, comparing and rounding them. Math Weeks 8 and 11 (x7/8/9; division facts): add the x11 and x12 facts and the matching division facts.

    3. In Arkansas

      Math: Arkansas adds parallel lines, perpendicular lines and right angles (3.GM.2) and fractions as parts of a set (3.NPV.6) in Grade 3.

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Math Weeks 33-34 (polygons; quadrilaterals): find parallel and perpendicular sides and right angles in shapes and around the house. Math Week 19 (unit fractions): add fractions of a set, such as 1/4 of 8 counters.

    4. In Arkansas

      ELA: children read, spell and work out the meaning of words using common Latin prefixes, bases and suffixes (3.FR.3.PD, 3.FR.8.PE, 3.V.6).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      ELA weekly word study, from Week 1 (it already covers prefixes and suffixes): add common Latin bases, and use all three word parts to read, spell and work out the meaning of longer words.

    5. In Arkansas

      Social studies: children explain the functions and structure of state government, and investigate the origins of state and national symbols, patriotic songs and mottos (C.1.3.3, C.1.3.4).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Weeks 19-20 (local government; three branches): add Arkansas's state government. Week 17 (state project): choose Arkansas, with its symbols, state song and motto.

    6. In Arkansas

      Social studies: children study people and groups important to the heritage of the United States and Arkansas, including the Caddo, Quapaw, Osage and Cherokee, and Harriet Tubman (H.1.3.4).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Weeks 6 and 12 (Native peoples; Native nations across regions): focus on the Caddo, Quapaw, Osage and Cherokee. Add a short biography of Harriet Tubman in Week 21 (citizens' rights and responsibilities) or a flex week.

    7. In Arkansas

      Social studies: children tell public from private goods and services, identify things that affect the economy, such as unemployment and inflation, and explain the purposes and functions of banks, such as storing, transferring and lending money (E.1.3.8, E.1.3.9, E.1.3.7).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Week 26 (scarcity and markets): add public and private goods and services and a simple look at unemployment and inflation. Week 30 (earning, banks and budgets): make sure your child can explain what banks do: storing, moving and lending money.

    8. In Arkansas

      Social studies: children investigate how physical features affect where people live and work in Arkansas and the United States, and describe how natural and human-made disasters in one place affect people living elsewhere (G.1.3.6, G.1.3.11).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Week 4 (landforms, water and resources): use Arkansas's landforms and rivers to explain where people live and work. Science Week 21 (severe weather): add how one disaster affected people in other places.

    Grade 3 public-school test

    ATLAS

    End-of-year tests in English language arts, math and science 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.

    Sources

    Verified 2026-10-08