Utah Senate adopts 70% standard for proposed civics graduation test, orders bill to third reading

The Utah State Senate debated SB 60, the American Civics Education Initiative, which would require high school students to pass the 100-question U.S. naturalization civics test as a condition of graduation.

Senator H. Stevenson, the bill sponsor, said the test "is currently made of 100 questions" and would be administered under rules set by the State Board of Education. Stevenson told colleagues the questions and answers are provided and that the requirement is intended "to create a foundation of knowledge that every person should have before they graduate from a Utah high school."

Senator Dayton offered an amendment to raise the bill's pass rate from 60% to 80%, arguing that "60% is a D and 70% is a C" and that students should attain a 'B' level. Members challenged that change on grounds that it would impose a tougher standard than some high-school diploma thresholds and risk unfairly barring students who have test anxiety. Senator Backus warned that "kids who have a test phobia... are not gonna graduate from high school" if the requirement is too rigid.

Senators also criticized the idea of making the requirement a memorization exercise. Senator Bramble and others said the test risks encouraging frantic rote learning rather than civic understanding; supporters, including Stevenson, said the answers are provided and the intent is to build a civic foundation rather than assess deep mastery of complex subjects.

Senator Hinkins offered a substitute amendment to set the passing score at 70%. After debate about the difficulty of certain questions and logistical concerns — including computer-lab time and options for retesting — the Senate adopted the 70% substitute amendment by voice vote.

Later in the day Senator Stevenson called the question on third reading; the presiding officer reported a roll-call result of "Received 19 yay votes, 10 nay votes, 0 being absent," and ordered SB 60 to be read for a third time. The transcript records the Senate taking the procedural step to move the bill forward but does not record final enactment or a final-passage tally in the floor text provided.

What happens next: the State Board of Education will determine how to administer the test if the bill advances. The bill sponsor indicated that accommodation mechanisms such as IEPs would remain available for students with special needs and said the board could set testing frequency and tutorials.

Ending: The Senate recessed floor debate after ordering SB 60 for third reading; further amendments and a final vote may occur on third reading per the chamber's calendar.