HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

857

TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to education.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that requiring all high school graduates to have a basic understanding of United States civics and history will promote and encourage active and engaged citizenship.

     The purpose of this Act is to require that all high school students pass the basic civics test produced by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding two new sections to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§302A-    Civics education.  (a)  The department shall establish and maintain a civics education course to be taught at each public high school in the State.  The course content shall prepare students to take, and pass, the United States citizenship civics test, produced by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

     (b)  As a part of the criteria necessary for a student to complete in order to qualify for graduation, every student, beginning with students entering the ninth grade in the 2015-2016 school year, shall be required to pass a test substantially equivalent to the United States citizenship civics test, produced by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, prior to the student's graduation from high school.  No entity shall place a limit on the number of times a student may take the test.

     For purpose of this section:

     "Pass" means achieve a score of not less than sixty per cent of the maximum score.

     "United States citizenship civics test, produced by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services" means the one hundred question test used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service and administered to all applicants for United States citizenship.

     §302A-    General educational development; civics knowledge required.  Starting January 1, 2018, no person shall be allowed to take the general educational development test without first achieving at least sixty per cent of the maximum score of the one hundred question test used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service and administered to all applicants for United States citizenship, or a substantially equivalent test."

     SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 


 


 

Report Title:

Civics Test; Department of Education

 

Description:

Requires high school students and general educational development candidates to pass a test substantially equivalent to the United States citizenship civics test.

 

 

 

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