New Bill Would Require High School Citizenship Test Before Earning Diploma

Becoming a U.S. citizen requires a lot of work, and a lot of learning.

State Senator Arthur Orr doesn’t want those who already call the U.S. home to take any of that for granted.

“We are concerned about the knowledge base among the citizenry about our government. One way to do that is to test the matter, materials in the school system,” said Sen. Orr.

He cited several studies, including one from the University of Pennsylvania.

They asked adults questions directly from the test and some of the results were surprising. Only 36% of those surveyed could name all three branches of government, and the same number couldn’t name a single one.

Of all the subjects covered in high school, Orr says civics is one you need every day.

“I use simple arithmetic, I use English, certainly you need to have working knowledge of the government, even if you’re not an elected official. Because it’s incumbent on all of us to vote, to participate, to understand federal state and local governments and how they operate,” said Orr.

The citizenship test is 100 questions long, but you only need to answer 60 correctly to pass.

Under the bill, students would get multiple chances to take it before the end of their senior year.

Some in Montgomery say it’s a good idea.

“I’m all for it actually. My mom and my grandma were both immigrants. They had to take the citizenship test and I feel like a lot of Americans don’t know the questions and what immigrants go through to become citizens in America, so I’m all for it,” said Kamani Satterwhite.