The Texas House of Representatives took up a bill Wednesday that could present some major changes for public high schools.
House Bill 1776 would eliminate the required U.S. history end-of-course and replace it with a civics test, similar to the one immigrants must take to become U.S. citizens. Lubbock ISD said even though it sounds appealing, the test will actually set high school students back.
“In our nation, it is so important that we conserve those constitutional principles that our nation was founded on, that we conserve social values that our nation was founded upon,” LISD Social Studies Coordinator Joni Rodela said, “And we’ll also be the first to say the content of the U.S. citizenship exam is content that every U.S. citizen needs to know.”
Lubbock ISD said the immigration test is purely memorization, while the testing method they have in place challenges students to use critical thinking skills.
“Can our students analyze them, can they identify the historical context of these stimuli,” Rodela said.
Immigration Attorney David Strange thinks a study of civics is key to informing voters.
“The voters should at least know the minimum of what newly minted U.S. citizens are required to know,” Strange said, “In my opinion, its just a matter of opinion, but I think it’s a good effort to introduce this requirement for high schools.”
Strange said House Bill 1776 might be proposed in response to a failing school system nationwide.
“I think a study of civics can hopefully get us back to teaching that. You know if you ask people on college campuses, ‘How many Senators are there? How many members in the House?’ College students many times don’t even know.”
But LISD said they already incorporate these concepts into their curriculum, and students could pass the civics test by 5th grade.
“We’re actually taking a step backward in their understanding of, not only of civics, but of government systems, economic systems, historical context, and being able to culminate all of that together,” Rodela said.
