H-1147.1

HOUSE BILL 1706


State of Washington	65th Legislature	2017 Regular Session

By Representatives Chandler, Santos, Hargrove, Kagi, Van Werven, Condotta, and Tarleton

Read first time 01/26/17. Referred to Committee on Education.

AN ACT Relating to requiring students to pass a civics test as a prerequisite to graduation from high school; and amending RCW 28A.230.170.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 28A.230.170 and 2011 c 203 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The study of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Washington shall be a condition prerequisite to graduation from the public and private high schools of this state. The superintendent of public instruction shall provide by rule for the implementation of this ((section)) subsection. The superintendent of public instruction may adopt a rule permitting students who meet the criteria in RCW 28A.230.122 to meet the prerequisite through noncredit-based study.

(2)(a) Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, each public and private high school shall require as a prerequisite to graduation, that students take and pass the civics component of the federally administered naturalization test required of persons seeking to become naturalized United States citizens.

(b) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop the test, which must consist of fifty questions selected from the one hundred civics questions for the naturalization test that are available from the United States citizenship and immigration services office.

(c) The superintendent of public instruction shall provide by rule for the implementation of this subsection. The rules shall require a student attaining a passing score to correctly answer no fewer than thirty-five questions, and shall include provisions for retaking the test if a student does not attain a passing score.

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