HOUSE BILL REPORT

2SHB 1896

As Amended by the Senate

Title: An act relating to the expansion of civics education in public schools.

Brief Description: Expanding civics education in public school.

Sponsors: House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Dolan, Stonier, Lovick, Springer, Appleton, Bergquist, Manweller, Tarleton, Frame, Goodman and Ormsby).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Education: 3/14/17, 1/8/18, 1/11/18 [DPS];

Appropriations: 2/6/18 [DP2S(w/o sub ED)].

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 2/9/18, 98-0.

Senate Amended.

Passed Senate: 3/1/18, 49-0.

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 19 members: Representatives Santos, Chair; Dolan, Vice Chair; Stonier, Vice Chair; Harris, Ranking Minority Member; Muri, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Bergquist, Caldier, Hargrove, Johnson, Kilduff, Lovick, McCaslin, Ortiz-Self, Senn, Slatter, Steele, Stokesbary, Valdez and Volz.

Staff: Ethan Moreno (786-7386).

Majority Report: The second substitute bill be substituted therefor and the second substitute bill do pass and do not pass the substitute bill by Committee on Education. Signed by 30 members: Representatives Ormsby, Chair; Robinson, Vice Chair; Chandler, Ranking Minority Member; MacEwen, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Stokesbary, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Bergquist, Buys, Caldier, Cody, Condotta, Fitzgibbon, Graves, Haler, Hansen, Harris, Hudgins, Jinkins, Kagi, Lytton, Manweller, Pettigrew, Pollet, Sawyer, Schmick, Senn, Sullivan, Taylor, Tharinger, Vick and Volz.

Minority Report: Without recommendation. Signed by 1 member: Representative Stanford.

Staff: Jordan Clarke (786-7123).

Background:

Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

In addition to its constitutional charge of supervising all matter pertaining to public schools, the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) and its office has numerous and broad responsibilities prescribed in statute, including:

• making rules and regulations necessary for the administration of public education requirements;

• preparing courses of study and other materials and books for the discharge of education duties;

• fulfilling financial responsibilities, including distributing legislatively allocated funds to districts for the operation of the public school system, and awarding numerous state and federally funded grants;

• maintaining and revising, in consultation with the State Board of Education (SBE), a statewide academic assessment system to measure student knowledge and skills on state learning standards and for purposes of state and federal accountability; and

• satisfying numerous reporting and other duties assigned by the Legislature.

Civics Education and Basic Education.

Civics education provisions are included within requirements governing the state's program of basic education. Goal number two of the four statutorily established basic education goals of school districts obligate districts to provide opportunities for every student to develop the knowledge and skills essential to know and apply the core concepts and principles of civics and history, including different cultures and participation in representative government.

The SPI is responsible for developing the essential academic learning requirements (EALRs) that identify the knowledge and skills all public school students need to know and be able to do based on the four basic education learning goals. For social studies topics, the requirements are adopted by the SPI as the K-12 Social Studies Learning Standards, standards that include specific EALRs and grade level expectations that describe what students should know and be able to do in civics, economics, geography, history and social study skills. School districts do not ratify or formally adopt the standards, as curriculum choices are, with limited exceptions, determined locally.

Civics Education—Graduation Prerequisites.

Graduation credit requirements established by the SBE for the graduating class of 2016 onward require students to complete three credits of social studies. The three social studies credits must include one credit of United States History, one credit of Contemporary World History, a Geography and Problems class (or an equivalent course), one-half credit of civics, and one-half credit for a social studies elective course.

Legislation adopted in 2009 (House Bill 2132, enacted as chapter 223, Laws of 2009), provides that if the SBE increases the number of course credits in social studies that are required for high school graduation, the SBE must also require that at least one-half credit of that requirement be coursework in civics. The content of the civics requirement must include but is not limited to:

• federal, state, and local government organization and procedures;

• rights and responsibilities of citizens addressed in the Washington and United States Constitutions;

• current issues addressed at each level of government; and

• electoral issues, including elections, ballot measures, initiatives, and referenda.

In addition to the social studies and civics requirements, the study of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Washington are a graduation prerequisite for public and private high schools in the state.

Summary of Second Substitute Bill:

Expanded Civics Education Teacher Training Program.

Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, an expanded civics education teacher training program (program) is established within the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). The program must provide for the selection of a team of qualified social studies teachers, and when appropriate, civics education specialists, from across the state who will:

• develop teacher training materials using existing open educational resources that include civics information on national, state, tribal, and local government, and the civics component of the federally administered naturalization test required of persons seeking to become naturalized United States citizens;

• provide teacher training across the state using the tools established by the OSPI; and

• provide professional learning opportunities in accordance with specified provisions.

The program must assure an increase in the number of:

• teachers with the knowledge and skills to effectively engage students in civic education;

• students who have a basic understanding of how governments work; and

• students from every demographic and socioeconomic group who know their rights and responsibilities within society and are prepared to exercise them.

The OSPI is authorized to accept gifts and grants to assist with the establishment and implementation of the program.

Requirements for Stand-Alone Civics Courses.

Beginning with or before the 2020-21 school year, each school district that operates a high school must provide a mandatory one-half credit stand-alone course in civics for each high school student. Civics content and instruction embedded in other social studies courses do not satisfy this new requirement.

The content of the civics course must include, but is not limited to:

• federal, state, tribal, and local government organization and procedures;

• rights and responsibilities of citizens addressed in the Washington and United States Constitutions;

• current issues addressed at each level of government;

• electoral issues, including elections, ballot measures, initiatives, and referenda;

• the study and completion of the civics component of the federally administered naturalization test required of persons seeking to become naturalized United States citizens; and

• the importance in a free society of living certain basic values and character traits.

Credit awarded to students who complete the civics course must be applied to course credit requirements in social studies that are necessary for high school graduation. Neither school districts nor the SBE may require students to obtain a passing grade on the stand-alone civics course as a requirement for high school graduation.

Provisions directing the SBE require at least one-half credit of coursework in civics if the SBE increases the number of social studies credits that are required for graduation are repealed.

Demonstration Sites for Enhanced Civics Education.

Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the OSPI must select two school districts that are diverse in size and in geographic and demographic makeup to serve as demonstration sites for enhanced civics education. These demonstration sites must:

• implement and assess an in-depth civics education program that includes the six proven instructional practices for enhancing civic education in kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) classrooms;

• collaborate with programs and agencies in the local community in order to expand after-school and summer civics education opportunities;

• monitor and report the level of penetration of civics education in school and out-of-school programs;

• ensure that underserved students including rural, low-income, immigrant, and refugee students are prioritized in the implementation of programs;

• develop evaluation standards and a procedure for endorsing civics education curriculum that can be recommended for use in other school districts and out-of-school programs; and

• provide an annual report on the demonstration sites by December 1 each year to the Governor and the committees of the Legislature with oversight over K-12 education.

EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S):

The Senate amendment: (1) removes a provision barring school districts and the State Board of Education from making the mandatory one-half credit stand-alone civics course that districts must provide for each high school student a requirement for high school graduation; and (2) creates an exception to a provision specifying that civics content embedded in other social studies courses do not satisfy the district's obligation to provide a mandatory one-half credit stand-alone civics course for each high school student, by allowing civics content and instruction to be embedded in social studies courses that offer students the opportunity to earn both high school and postsecondary credit.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Education):

(In support) Last session the Legislature ran out of time to pass civics legislation, but it did consider two disparate bills, plus the OSPI was interested in related teacher training components.  The proposed substitute bill is trying to get at what Thomas Jefferson wanted: a well-informed and active public.  The proposed substitute bill was created by the OSPI and reflects the support and development of different stakeholder groups.

The legislation deserves support because it directly strengthens civics education. The bill provides excellent training for all social studies teachers in the state. Additionally, assuring that state, federal, and tribal government civics are taught together is critical.  This legislation is the only one of its type. 

It is amazing how little many people know about our system of government.  Citizens should have a better understanding of how government works.  The knowledge of civics among students is hit and miss. In order for democracy to flourish, citizens must be informed and participate in government.  The bill should have a technical amendment to include references to tribal governments.

The bill should be supported, but it should also have technical updates as noted in a document provided to the committee.  In addition to teachers, others are also qualified to teach civics.  The Sunnyside and Franklin Pierce school districts have been selected as demonstration sites for enhanced civics education by a stakeholder group.

Apathy is the biggest problem in governance.  This problem may be because civic education has fallen off during the last 30 years, but this bill will help.

(Opposed) None.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Appropriations):

(In support) Students need to know how the government works, and teachers need more professional development opportunities across the state. This bill treats teachers as professionals by providing curriculum training for civics courses. Private funds would help support the program by providing a 1:1 financial match to any grants provided by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Children are this state's future, and without an informed electorate, the government will be a failure. Washington needs an educated and informed electorate.

(Opposed) None.

Persons Testifying (Education): Representative Dolan, prime sponsor; Carol Coe, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction; Karen Fraser; Margaret Fisher, Council on Legal Public Education; Karen Verrill, League of Women Voters; Madeline Bishop; and Natalie Stevens, Olympia Indivisible.

Persons Testifying (Appropriations): Karen Verill and Carol Ahl, League of Women Voters of Washington; Joshua Parker; Margaret Fisher, Council on Public Legal Education; and Michael Moran, Capitol Classroom-Teach for TVW.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying (Education): None.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying (Appropriations): None.