Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JAY WEBBER
District 26 (Essex, Morris and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Peterson
SYNOPSIS
Requires students to pass test identical to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services civics test as part of high school graduation requirements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning high school graduation requirements and supplementing P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, the board of education of a school district shall require that, in order to graduate from high school, a student correctly answers at least 60 out of 100 questions on a test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. A student shall first take the test in the ninth grade. A student who does not obtain a passing score on the test shall retake the test in each subsequent school year until the student obtains a passing score. The board of education shall determine the method and manner in which to administer the test.
b. A board of education shall document on the student’s high school transcript that the student has passed the test.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires a board of education to administer a test identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The test will be administered to ninth grade students. A student who does not obtain a passing score by answering at least 60 out of 100 questions correctly must retake the test in each subsequent school year until the student obtains a passing score. A student is required to obtain a passing score in order to graduate from high school. The board of education will document on the student’s high school transcript that the student has successfully completed the test.