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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
high schools; graduation requirements
Purpose
Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to include, in the social studies high school competency requirements, a course or courses on American government and American history, including specified wars.
Background
The SBE must prescribe a minimum course of study and competency requirements for high schools that incorporate academic standards in reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies. High school social studies academic standards must include personal finance, American civics 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. Social studies competency requirements for a student to obtain a high school diploma, must include receiving a specified score on a test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrant Services (A.R.S. §§ 15-701 and 15-701.01).
The SBE must work with specified entities to develop high school civic education standards that include instruction on the founding documents and principles of the United States and civic-minded expectations of an upright and desirable citizenry. All public schools must provide at least one year of instruction on: 1) sources and history of the U.S. Constitution and Arizona Constitution; 2) American institutions and ideals; and 3) Arizona history, including the history of Native Americans in Arizona (A.R.S. §§ 15-710 and 15-718).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires SBE to include, in the social studies competency requirements, that to graduate from high school or obtain a high school equivalency diploma, a pupil must successfully complete a course or courses that provide instruction on:
a) American government, including the statutory civics education requirements relating to the United States' founding documents and principles, American institutions and ideals, the Arizona Constitution, the Arizona history, and expectations of a citizenry; and
b) American history, including the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I and World War II.
2. Specifies that, for the purposes of civic education instruction on the original intent of U.S. founding documents and principles, source documents include the U.S. Constitution and amendments to the Constitution, with emphasis on each of the 10 amendments that make up the Bill of Rights and the arguments presented in the Federalist Papers.
3. Makes conforming changes.
4. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 13, 2023
LB/KT/slp