Alaska high school students would be required to complete a civics education course or receive a passing score on a civics assessment exam to graduate if the state House next year accepts legislation approved by the Senate.
Senators unanimously approved the bill on May 5, and the House could take up the measure next year.
The legislation comes as recent national data shows the first-ever decline in U.S. eighth grade students’ history and civics test scores, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which released the data May 3.
According to the data, nearly one-third of eighth grade students cannot describe the structure or function of government, and students are increasingly struggling to understand how government works and the importance of civic participation.
Senate Bill 29, sponsored by Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, directs the state Board of Education to create and develop a new civics education curriculum and exam.
The exam would be based on the civics portion of the U.S. naturalization test, and also include systems used by Alaska Native tribal governments. Students would be allowed to retake the exam as many times as needed to achieve a passing score of 70% or better.
The specifics of the curriculum have not yet been determined.
The legislation is separate from a different Senate proposal that would require high schools to teach financial literacy and for students to pass the classes to earn a diploma. That bill will wait until next year, too, as it still needs to pass both the Senate and House to become law.
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