Civics education bill clears House after mixed reactions from teachers

Second substitute SB60, the American Civics Education Initiative, passed the Utah House on March 12, 2015 (46 yes, 26 no) after floor debate about pedagogy and purpose. Representative Lisonbee, the House sponsor, framed the bill as a response to poor civic literacy: he said a recent audit showed many students cannot name branches of government or explain citizen participation, and proposed a simple test (based on the U.S. naturalization questions) as a high-school graduation requirement that could be administered online and taken multiple times.

Supporters — including former teachers and classroom veterans — said basic civics knowledge is essential. Representative Draxler, a former social-studies teacher, urged passage and said most students in normal social-studies courses should pass the rudimentary test. Opponents and some classroom teachers cautioned the body against reducing civic education to memorization: Representative Briscoe and others warned the test may not motivate deeper civic engagement and that curriculum control and assessment methods deserve careful consideration.

Representative Lisonbee acknowledged concerns and said about 24 percent of high-school students would fail the referenced test, which he used as evidence of the need to act. The bill was debated on the floor, a motion to extend time was granted, and after summations it passed as substituted. Sponsors said the law would establish a minimum civics floor but not preclude richer civic instruction in classrooms.

Next steps: the measure, as substituted, will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.