Organization to Develop 60 Free Formative Assessments Using Library of Congress Documents to Strengthen Historical Thinking and Civic Learning
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — February 24, 2026: Thinking Nation has been awarded a prestigious Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Western Region grant to develop sixty primary source-based formative assessments designed to strengthen historical thinking and civic understanding in middle and high school classrooms nationwide.
Through this initiative, Thinking Nation will create a collection of formative assessments spanning U.S. History, Ancient Civilizations, Medieval to Early Modern World History, Modern World History, and U.S. Government. Each assessment will feature a primary source document housed in the Library of Congress and will measure a specific historical thinking skill: causation, continuity and change over time, evaluating evidence, evaluating perspective, and contextualization.
All sixty assessments will be made freely accessible to educators through a dedicated page on Thinking Nation’s website, significantly expanding access to high-quality, source-based instructional materials.
This project aligns with the national commemoration of America250, emphasizing civic knowledge and core democratic principles illuminated throughout world and United States history. By centering formative assessments on primary source analysis and civic themes, Thinking Nation aims to reinforce the essential role of historical thinking in preparing students for engaged participation in democracy.
“Assessments drive instruction,” said Zachary Cote, Executive Director of Thinking Nation. “We want to ensure that every teacher has access to assessments that evaluate what we value in social studies education, and I am grateful to the Library of Congress’s Teaching With Primary Sources Western Region grant for enabling us to provide these high leverage tools for teachers.”
Thinking Nation’s mission is to empower students to thrive as engaged and critical thinkers, support teachers with meaningful curricula, training, and technology, and transform social studies education for the future of democracy. This grant advances that mission through three primary goals:
Goal 1: Reintroduce core civic principles in world and U.S. history through Library of Congress resources to a nationwide audience using primary source analysis and historical thinking.
Goal 2: Provide a replicable and systemic framework for assessing historical thinking through source-based formative assessments.
Goal 3: Create a “radically pragmatic” approach to teaching and assessing historical thinking that promotes educational equity in social studies classrooms.
By leveraging the unparalleled primary source collections of the Library of Congress, Thinking Nation seeks to send a clear message to education stakeholders: grounding social studies instruction in historical thinking is not supplemental — it is foundational to civic preparation and democratic sustainability.
The new assessment collection will be released in the Spring of 2026, with materials becoming available to educators nationwide over the course of the grant period. Thinking Nation will provide a special preview of the collection at the Civic Learning Week National Forum, March 9-10, 2026, in Philadelphia, PA.
About Thinking Nation
Thinking Nation is a national 501(c)(3) committed to empowering students to thrive as engaged and critical thinkers by supporting teachers with meaningful curricula, training, and technology to transform social studies education for the future of democracy. We believe that education is our greatest equalizer, and that every student, regardless of zip code or socio-economic background, deserves access to learning practices that reflect the diversity of identities, histories, contributions, and experiences to support enriched educational opportunity, equity, and success for all. Thinking Nation currently serves more than 35,000 students in 16 states and the District of Columbia. For more information about Thinking Nation or to support the organization's work to transform social studies classrooms across the country, please visit thinkingnation.org/donate.
For Media Inquiries or Further Information, Please Contact:
Valerie Nesmith-Arechiga
Director of Partnerships, Thinking Nation, valerie.arechiga@thinkingnation.org