Oklahoma is one of seven states joining the push to add a civics exam requirement, despite efforts to try to reduce state-mandated testing in public schools.
Last week, state leaders -- among them Attorney General Scott Pruitt and U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn -- announced the state would join the Civics Education Initiative, an organized campaign to get every state to enact a civics test requirement by Sept. 17, 2017 -- the 230th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution.
The national campaign is an effort led by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who wants states to require students to pass a civics test before graduating high school.
The legislative efforts would require students take the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Citizenship Civics Exam, which is given to immigrants seeking naturalization.
The test bank includes 100 basic questions on U.S. history, such as: “Why does the flag have 13 stripes?” “Name a branch of government” and “When is the federal deadline to file tax returns?”
Six other states also are announcing similar state legislative efforts including Arizona, Missouri, Louisiana, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah.
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