Idaho Senate backs civics test for high school graduation

BOISE - How many amendments does the Constitution have? Where is the Statue of Liberty? Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Idaho high school students would have to be able to answer those questions to graduate, along with others that make up the 100-question test immigrants must pass to become U.S. citizens, under legislation that passed the Idaho Senate Monday on a 29-6 vote. Who is in charge of the executive branch? How long is a U.S. senator’s term? “If you graduate from high school without being able to name any war fought in the 1900s or being able to name any Native American Indian tribe something is wrong,” said Sen. Jim Patrick, R-Twin Falls, the bill’s sponsor. “This is not a hard test.” Though lots of senators had questions about it, the Senate vote was strongly in favor of the bill, which had been amended to allow the state Board of Education to make rules regarding the testing, and to allow local school boards to decide how to administer the test in their districts. Students could start trying to pass it in the 7th grade. The bill has 21 co-sponsors from both parties. Idaho is one of 19 states considering similar legislation this year; two, Arizona and North Dakota, already have passed it. So: What’s the name of the current president? How old do you have to be to vote? Name one problem that led to the Civil War. What did Martin Luther King Jr. do? What major event happened in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001? “Civics is at the heart of understanding what it means to be an American,” Patrick said. “Evidence has shown that too many American kids don’t have a basic command of foundational civics, but I believe in Idaho our kids will do better and we will help them do better.” A national foundation based in Arizona has been pushing for requiring the test for high school graduation. It’s set up a website, CivicsEducationInitiative.com, with links to the test. So: Name one state that borders Canada. Why does the flag have 50 stars? When do we celebrate Independence Day? North Idaho senators mostly supported the bill, but Sens. Dan Johnson, R-Lewiston, and Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, questioned the bill’s fiscal note, which said there would be no cost, and how it would set up the testing. New immigrants must get 60 percent of the questions right to pass the test; they’re asked 10 random questions from among the 100. The bill now moves to the Idaho House; if would need to clear a committee and a full House vote there and receive Gov. Butch Otter’s signature to become law.