The Arizona House Education Committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that will alter the state’s civics education requirements, mandating that students score at least 70 percent correct in order to graduate.
The committee voted unanimously to approve the legislation.
Under the current provisions, students must pass the test in order to graduate; however, they only need to receive a score of 60 percent.
The legislation, HB 2632, sponsored by State Representative Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott Valley), would also require school systems to report scores to the State Board of Education (SBE) and the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). In addition to documenting a student’s passage on their transcript, school systems would inform the state of their median score, the percentage of students who passed, and the percentage of those who failed.
Complementing the legislation, Governor Doug Ducey has championed civics education in his proposed budget. For example, he designated $5 million to improve the state’s education levels by incentivizing civics attainment. Specifically, schools and teachers can receive bonuses for high performance on the test.
“A strong civics education for our K-12 students, the future leaders and workforce of our state and nation, is imperative,” said Sarah Suggs, president and CEO of the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy. “We strongly support the investment in the Executive Budget for the Civics Excellence Incentive Bonus in its focus to teach Arizona students about civics, civic engagement, and civil discourse.”
Nguyen’s bill will also extend the opportunity to pass the test to individuals in 7th and 8th grades, allowing them to complete the requirement before high school.
“Informing our students about civics and our nation’s history and values is critical to the betterment of our shared future and the preservation of our constitutional democracy,” added Lucian Spataro, senior fellow and interim director of the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Rep. Quang Nguyen” by Quang H. Nguyen.
