Board approves adding state Seal of Civics Literacy to high-school curriculum

The board reviewed a packet describing Montana's Seal of Civics Literacy and voted to add the seal option to the high-school government/civics curriculum. Administrators emphasized the seal is not being proposed as a graduation requirement but as a credential students may earn in their senior year.

The superintendent summarized the four criteria: successful completion of the OPI/USCIS naturalization test (the packet references an 80% cutoff), completion of the required 0.5 civics credit, a community-service option (40 hours) or an alternative of 20 hours plus passage of the Montana Challenge test, and a culminating application demonstrating the prior elements. The board voted to approve adding the program to the curriculum by motion.

Board members and staff discussed how community service could be structured—class projects, highway cleanups, campus work—and noted the potential for measurable community impact if a class of 35 students completed 20–40 hours each. The decision was approved by voice vote.