This week, the Arizona House Education Committee unanimously supported legislation to bolster civics education. House Bill 2632, sponsored by Representative Quang Nguyen, would make several additions to the Arizona Civics tests, which Arizona students must pass to graduate high school.
Under current law, each Arizona student must pass the citizenship test with a score of 60 percent to graduate high school. Rep. Nguyen si working on legislation to raise the passing score to 70 percent, allow students to take the test beginning in middle school and require schools to report testing data.
“… Far too many American citizens and leaders don’t understand that our complex system of government with its federal structure, its separation of powers, [and] its checks and balances rests upon the principle of fundamental respect for the natural rights and inherent dignity of every human being,” said Adam Seagrave, associate director of the Arizona State University School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership (SCETL) before the committee. “And that principle accurately understood, truly appreciated and religiously practiced is uniquely capable of transforming political combatants into civic friends.”
The governor’s budget for next year proposes bonuses for schools and teachers for every student that earns a high score on the Arizona Civics test.
The proposed Civics Excellence Incentive Bonus invests $5 million to reward schools with:
• $450 per high school student who attends a school with an free or reduced lunch population of 50 percent or greater and achieves a score of 95 percent or above on their first attempt at the civics exam; and
• $300 per high school student who attends a school with a free or reduced lunch population of less than 50 percent and achieves a score of 95 percent or greater on their first attempt at the civics exam.