AN ACT Relating to the expansion of civics education in public schools; adding a new section to chapter 28A.230 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.415 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; creating a new section; and repealing RCW 28A.230.093.

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

Civics requirements are meant to ensure that every student receives a high-quality civics education from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The legislature also recognizes, however, that two factors limit the effectiveness of civics education.

First, when the one-half civics credit is embedded in other courses rather than taught in a stand-alone civics course, the required content is easily diluted or ignored altogether. Pressure to emphasize other areas of the curriculum can relegate civics education to a lesser role.

Second, professional development opportunities for teachers in civics education are rare. In many districts, due to limited budgets and competing demands for funding, opportunities for teachers to deepen instructional and curricular practices in civics do not exist.

The legislature, therefore, intends to: Require school districts to provide a mandatory stand-alone civics course for all high school students; and support the development of an in-depth and interactive teacher professional development program to improve the ability of teachers throughout the state to provide students with an effective civics education from kindergarten through twelfth grade. This expanded civics education program seeks to ensure that students have basic knowledge about national, state, tribal, and local governments, and that they develop the skills and dispositions needed to become informed and engaged citizens.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.230 RCW to read as follows:

(1)(a) 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 the requirements of this subsection.

(b) Credit awarded to students who complete the civics course must be applied to course credit requirements in social studies that are required for high school graduation.

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

(a) Federal, state, tribal, and local government organization and procedures;

(b) Rights and responsibilities of citizens addressed in the Washington state and United States Constitutions;

(c) Current issues addressed at each level of government;

(d) Electoral issues, including elections, ballot measures, initiatives, and referenda;

(e) 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

(f) The importance in a free society of living the basic values and character traits specified in RCW 28A.150.211.

(3) Neither school districts nor the state board of education may require students to obtain a passing grade on the course required by this section as a requirement for high school graduation.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.415 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, an expanded civics education teacher training program is established within the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

(2) 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:

(a) Develop teacher training materials using existing open educational resources (OERs) 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;

(b) Provide teacher training across the state, consistent with provisions in this chapter, and using the tools established by the office of the superintendent of public instruction including the college, career, and civic life (C3) framework and the six proven instructional practices for enhancing civic education; and

(c) Provide professional learning opportunities as described in section 2(3), chapter 77, Laws of 2016, which states that professional learning shall incorporate differentiated, coherent, sustained, and evidence-based strategies that improve educator effectiveness and student achievement, including job-embedded coaching or other forms of assistance to support educators' transfer of new knowledge and skills into their practice.

(3) The program shall assure an increase in the number of:

(a) Teachers with the knowledge and skills to effectively engage students in civics education;

(b) Students who have a basic understanding of how governments work; and

(c) Students from every demographic and socioeconomic group who know their rights and responsibilities within society and are prepared to exercise them.

(4) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may accept gifts and grants to assist with the establishment and implementation of the program established in this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:

Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall 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 will:

(1) 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 classrooms;

(2) Collaborate with programs and agencies in the local community in order to expand after-school and summer civics education opportunities;

(3) Monitor and report the level of penetration of civics education in school and out-of-school programs;

(4) Ensure that underserved students including rural, low-income, immigrant, and refugee students are prioritized in the implementation of programs;

(5) 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

(6) Provide an annual report on the demonstration sites by December 1st each year to the governor and the committees of the legislature with oversight over K-12 education.

--- END ---