Arkansas high schoolers would be required to pass the civics portion of the test given to immigrants under a law backed by a House panel Tuesday morning.
Rep. Bruce Cozart, R-Hot Springs, told the House Education Committee that House Bill 1539 would require public school students to take and pass the civics portion of the naturalization test given to immigrants before the students are able to get their diploma. The law would include students who get a high school equivalency degree. The bill is co-sponsored by more than a dozen legislators.
To pass the test, students would need to answer 60 out of the 100 questions correctly, and they can take it as many times as they want between the 9th and 12th grades. The law would take effect in the 2018-19 school year.
Immigrants must pass the entire naturalization test to gain entry into the country. It’s administered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
See how well you do on these sample questions from a U.S. naturalization test:
Source: U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services
Cozart told his fellow lawmakers that passing the test would be relatively easy, especially if students are allowed to take it as much as they want. It’s online and can be taken for free, he said. He took the test and got a 95, which was pretty good for a “dumb old country boy,” Cozart added.
This bill would help students learn important subjects and allow them to become “active, good citizens” with a working knowledge of American government, Cozart said. Topics like government are not getting taught as much as they should, he added.
The representative was joined by Lucian Spataro, the Chief Academic Officer for the Joe Foss Institute, a group that advocates for similar bills in other states. Spataro said the bill would not be a “silver bullet” to cure civic disengagement. Rather, he said it’s a “strong first step,” adding that students often pay more attention to information they know they’ll be tested on.
The duo fielded several questions from legislators including Rep. John W. Walker, D-Little Rock, who asked how the state could test students on questions that are often subjective.
Walker said when asked a question about Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, some people would answer that he was an “agitator.” Others would say he was a “freedom fighter,” he said. And both of those groups of people believe they are right, Walker said.
Spataro disagreed with Walker, saying the naturalization test one of the most vetted tests in history, and all of the answers are fact-based.
After discussion and testimony from members of the public, the panel voted to back the bill to the full House.