The KNOW Curriculum is the HIV/STD prevention curriculum developed by OSPI at the direction of the legislature.

Districts have two options for meeting legislative requirements for providing annual HIV prevention instruction to students in grades 5-12.

1. Adopt and use KNOW, the state's model HIV/STD Prevention Curriculum developed by OSPI.
   OR
2. Deliver a district-developed or existing curriculum/materials that have been reviewed for medical accuracy by the WA Department of Health (DOH) Office on HIV/AIDS.

KNOW Curriculum

• Grades 5–6 (96 pages, revised 2014)
• Grades 7–8 (100 pages, revised 2014)
• Grades 5-6, Spanish (97 pages, revised 2014)
• Grades 7-8, Spanish (102 pages, revised 2014)
• High School - NOTE: The High School version of KNOW requires significant revisions in order to meet state medical accuracy requirements. While OSPI is in the process of making revisions, it is recommended that schools use HIV prevention lessons from another curriculum that has been reviewed and is in compliance with AIDS Omnibus Act requirements. Districts wishing to continue using HS KNOW should contact Laurie Dils for more information.

Included in the OSPI-developed KNOW curriculum are lesson plans, suggestions for creating safe and supportive learning environments, guidelines for answering questions, statewide resources, laws and model policies, and suggestions for parent involvement. Two DVDs are referenced in KNOW, and are optional for use. OSPI has copies available for districts to borrow.

Two additional videos were developed by Redefine+, a community-based organization, to align with KNOW for 5th and 6th grades. The 5th grade video and the 6th grade video are available at no cost for optional use by districts. They have both been reviewed by OSPI and the Department of Health for medical accuracy and meet state requirements for HIV school-based HIV/AIDS education. The 5th grade video should be used with the teacher’s discussion guide. 

Resources are available to assist districts in identifying an effective, medically accurate HIV/STD prevention program for students.

For training on the use of KNOW Curriculum, check our Professional Learning Page.