SB1342 - 561R

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 15-701.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE15-701.01. High schools; graduation; requirements; community college or university courses; transfer from other schools; academic credit; report

A. The state board of education shall:

1. Prescribe a minimum course of study that incorporates the academic standards adopted by the state board for the graduation of pupils from high school.

2. Prescribe competency requirements for the graduation of pupils from high school incorporating the academic standards in at least the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies. The academic standards prescribed by the state board in social studies shall include personal finance, American civics education in accordance with section 15-710 and a comparative discussion of political ideologies, such as communism and totalitarianism, that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy that are essential to the founding principles of the United States. The state board may consider establishing a required separate personal finance course for the purpose of the graduation of pupils from high school. The state board shall require at least one-half of a course credit in economics, which shall include financial literacy and personal financial management.

3. Through the graduating class of 2025, include in the competency requirements for social studies prescribed in paragraph 2 of this subsection a requirement that, in order to graduate from high school or obtain a high school equivalency diploma, a pupil must correctly answer at least sixty of the one hundred questions listed on a test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States citizenship and immigration services. Beginning with the graduating class of 2026, the state board shall include in the competency requirements for social studies prescribed in paragraph 2 of this subsection a requirement that, in order to graduate from high school or obtain a high school equivalency diploma, a pupil must correctly answer at least seventy of the one hundred questions listed on a test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States citizenship and immigration services. A district school or charter school shall document on the pupil's transcript only a pass or fail designation that the pupil has passed or failed the test required by this paragraph. A pupil in grade seven or eight may take the test described in this paragraph, and if the pupil correctly answers at least seventy of the one hundred questions on the test:

(a) The district school or charter school shall document on the pupil's transcript only a pass or fail designation that the pupil has passed or failed the test required by this paragraph.

(b) The pupil is not required to take the test required by this paragraph again in high school.

4. Develop and adopt competency tests pursuant to section 15-741. English language learners who are subject to article 3.1 of this chapter are subject to the assessments prescribed in section 15-741.

B. The governing board of a school district shall:

1. Prescribe curricula that include the academic standards in the required subject areas pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1 of this section.

2. Prescribe criteria for the graduation of pupils from the high schools in the school district. These criteria shall include accomplishment of the academic standards in at least reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies, as determined by district assessment. Other criteria may include additional measures of academic achievement and attendance. Pursuant to the prescribed graduation requirements adopted by the state board of education, the governing board may approve a rigorous computer science course that would fulfill a mathematics course required for graduation from high school. The governing board may approve a rigorous computer science course only if the rigorous computer science course includes significant mathematics content and the governing board determines the high school where the rigorous computer science course is offered has sufficient capacity, infrastructure and qualified staff, including competent teachers of computer science. The school district governing board or charter school governing body may determine the method and manner in which to administer a test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States citizenship and immigration services. A pupil who does not obtain a passing score on the test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test may retake the test until the pupil obtains a passing score.

C. The governing board may prescribe the course of study and competency requirements for the graduation of pupils from high school that are in addition to or higher than the course of study and competency requirements that the state board prescribes.

D. The governing board may prescribe competency requirements for the passage of pupils in courses that are required for graduation from high school.

E. A teacher shall determine whether to pass or fail a pupil in a course in high school on the basis of the competency requirements, if any have been prescribed. The governing board, if it reviews the decision of a teacher to pass or fail a pupil in a course in high school as provided in section 15-342, paragraph 11, shall base its decision on the competency requirements, if any have been prescribed.

F. Graduation requirements established by the governing board may be met by a pupil who passes courses in the required or elective subjects at a community college or university, if the course is at a higher level than the course taught in the high school attended by the pupil or, if the course is not taught in the high school, the level of the course is equal to or higher than the level of a high school course. The governing board shall determine whether the subject matter of the community college or university course is appropriate to the specific requirement the pupil intends it to fulfill and whether the level of the community college or university course is less than, equal to or higher than a high school course, and the governing board shall award at least one-half of a Carnegie unit and up to and including one Carnegie unit for each three semester hours of credit that the pupil earns in an appropriate community college or university course. If a pupil is not satisfied with the decision of the governing board regarding the amount of credit granted or the subjects for which credit is granted, the pupil may request that the state board of education review the decision of the governing board, and the state board shall make the final determination of the amount of credit to be given the pupil and for which subjects. The governing board shall not limit the number of credits that is required for high school graduation and that may be met by taking community college or university courses. For the purposes of this subsection:

1. "Community college" means an educational institution that is operated by a community college district as defined in section 15-1401 or a postsecondary educational institution under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe recognized by the United States department of the interior.

2. "University" means a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents.

G. A pupil who transfers from a private school shall be provided with a list that indicates those credits that have been accepted and denied by the school district. A pupil may request to take an examination in each particular course in which credit has been denied. The school district shall accept the credit for each particular course in which the pupil takes an examination and receives a passing score on a test designed and evaluated by a teacher in the school district who teaches the subject matter on which the examination is based. In addition to the above requirements, the governing board of a school district may prescribe requirements for the acceptance of the credits of pupils who transfer from a private school.

H. If a pupil who was previously enrolled in a charter school or school district enrolls in a school district in this state, the school district shall accept credits earned by the pupil in courses or instructional programs at the charter school or school district. The governing board of a school district may adopt a policy concerning the application of transfer credits for the purpose of determining whether a credit earned by a pupil who was previously enrolled in a school district or charter school will be assigned as an elective or core credit. A school district or charter school may note the learning outcomes that a student mastered as prescribed in the rules adopted pursuant to section 15-203, subsection A, paragraph 38 to provide a record of the demonstrated competencies and award partial credit.

I. A pupil who transfers credit from a charter school, a school district or Arizona online instruction shall be provided with a list that indicates which credits have been accepted as elective credits and which credits have been accepted as core credits by the school district or charter school. Within ten school days after receiving the list, the pupil may request to take an examination in each particular course in which core credit has been denied. The school district or charter school shall accept the credit as a core credit for each particular course in which the pupil takes an examination and receives a passing score on a test that is aligned to the competency requirements adopted pursuant to this section and that is designed and evaluated by a teacher in the school district or charter school who teaches the subject matter on which the examination is based. If a pupil is enrolled in a school district or charter school and that pupil also participates in Arizona online instruction between May 1 and July 31, the school district or charter school shall not require proof of payment as a condition of the school district or charter school accepting credits earned from the online course provider.

J. The state board of education shall adopt rules to allow high school pupils who can demonstrate competency in a particular academic course or subject to obtain academic credit for the course or subject without enrolling in the course or subject.

K. Pupils who earn a Grand Canyon diploma pursuant to article 6 of this chapter are exempt from the graduation requirements prescribed in this section. Pupils who earn a Grand Canyon diploma are entitled to all the rights and privileges of persons who graduate with a high school diploma issued pursuant to this section, including access to postsecondary scholarships and other forms of student financial aid and access to all forms of postsecondary education. Notwithstanding any other law, a pupil who is eligible for a Grand Canyon diploma may elect to remain in high school through grade twelve and shall not be prevented from enrolling at a high school after the pupil becomes eligible for a Grand Canyon diploma. A pupil who is eligible for a Grand Canyon diploma and who elects not to pursue one of the options prescribed in section 15-792.03 may only be readmitted to that high school or another high school in this state pursuant to policies adopted by the school district of readmission.

L. Each school district and charter school shall report to the department of education all of the following aggregate data, organized by grade level, relating to the test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States citizenship and immigration services required by subsection A, paragraph 3 of this section:

1. The median score.

2. The percentage of pupils who passed by correctly answering the minimum number of questions required to pass the test pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 3 of this section.

3. The percentage of pupils who failed by correctly answering fewer than the minimum number of questions required to pass the test pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 3 of this section.

4. Any other data required by the department relating to the test.

M. A school district or charter school may not include the personally identifiable information of any pupil in the data reported to the department of education under subsection L of this section. The department of education shall make the data publicly available, organized at a minimum by school district or charter school and grade level, on the website that includes the school report cards required by section 15-746. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 15-710, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE15-710. Instruction on state and federal constitutions, American institutions and history of Arizona; American civics education instruction; grant program; fund

a. All schools shall give instruction in on the essentials, sources and history of the Constitutions of the United States and Arizona and instruction in on American institutions and ideals and in the history of Arizona, including the history of Native Americans in Arizona. The instruction shall be given in accordance with the state course of study for at least one year of the common school grades and high school grades respectively.

B. The state board of education shall prescribe academic standards pursuant to section 15-701.01, subsection A, paragraph 2 that require all school districts and charter schools to provide instruction on American civics education that does all of the following:

1. Promotes civic service.

2. Prepares pupils for the duties of citizenship.

3. Includes instruction on all of the following:

(a) The history of the United States of America, the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.

(b) The Declaration of Independence.

(d) The composition of the branches of local, state and federal government.

(e) The roles and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy.

(f) Developing skills to analyze and evaluate written and digital media as they relate to history and civics.

(g) Historical trends in voter registration and civic participation relating to disenfranchised voter populations.

(h) Opportunities to identify and debate issues relating to democracy.

C. The American civics education instruction grant program is established within the department of education. Grants issued under the American civics education instruction grant program are subject to legislative appropriation and shall be used to pay teachers' costs of attending a professional development course in civics education and media literacy. To be eligible for a grant under this section, a teacher must apply to the department of education in a manner prescribed by the department and submit to the department a description of the professional development course. The department shall review the professional development course to ensure that it would prepare the teacher to provide American civics education instruction as described in subsection B of this section. If the department determines that the professional development course would not prepare the teacher to provide American civics education instruction as described in subsection B of this section, the department shall deny the grant application.

D. The American civics education instruction fund is established consisting of legislative appropriations. The department of education shall administer the fund. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated and are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of appropriations. Monies in the fund shall be used to award grants under and to administer the American civics education instruction grant program established by subsection C of this section. The DEPARTMENT SHALl award monies to pay the costs of attending professional development courses in civics education and media literacy for teachers who are selected to receive a grant under subsection C of this section. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Appropriation; American civics education instruction fund

The sum of $100,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2023-2024 to the American civics education instruction fund established by section 15-710, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act.