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SALT LAKE CITY — The Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would require students to pass a civics test before graduating from high school.
SB60 passed in a 20-8 vote and now awaits House approval.
Previously, students would have had to correctly answer 70 out of 100 questions, but the bill was amended to require that students answer only 35 out of 50 questions correctly, though they would still have to be prepared to answer any of the 100 test items.
The reduction would shorten the time needed for students to complete the test if they chose to take it all at once instead of a section at a time, according to Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, who proposed the amendment.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said he was "ambivalent" about the amendment and that because the test doesn't require calculations or long writing, it wouldn't take much time out of class.
"This isn't two minutes per question. This is seconds per question," Stephenson said.
I believe this bill will create a sense of pride in every student who graduates. I believe it also will not be a hindrance to graduation, but will ensure that every citizen who graduates from Utah high schools is prepared to have a basic understanding to be a more involved citizen and a more informed voter.
–Sen. Stephenson, R-Draper, bill sponsor
Weiler, however, said students are already "overburdened" with tests and that the proficiency threshold could still be maintained with fewer questions.
"These are teenage kids with different cognitive abilities," he said. "What might take one senator five minutes might take someone else an hour."
The test would not be required for students graduating this year.
Stephenson said the bill would create "one more accomplishment for students."
"I believe this bill will create a sense of pride in every student who graduates," he said. "I believe it also will not be a hindrance to graduation, but will ensure that every citizen who graduates from Utah high schools is prepared to have a basic understanding to be a more involved citizen and a more informed voter."
