Table 6.1.2. Year Civics Education Initiative legislation passed and requirements, by state: 2018

State   Year
legislation
passed
Test requirement Graduation
requirement
Alabama   2017 Citizenship test No
Alaska  
Arizona   2015 Citizenship test Yes
Arkansas   2017 Citizenship test Yes
California  
         
Colorado  
Connecticut  
Delaware  
District of Columbia  
Florida  
         
Georgia  
Hawaii  
Idaho   2015 Citizenship test Yes
Illinois  
Indiana  
         
Iowa  
Kansas  
Kentucky   2017 Citizenship test Yes
Louisiana   2015 Unit of study and citizenship test No
Maine  
         
Maryland  
Massachusetts  
Michigan  
Minnesota   2016 50 questions from the citizenship test No
Mississippi  
         
Missouri   2016 Questions similar to the citizenship test Yes
Montana   2017 Citizenship test No
Nebraska  
Nevada   2017 At least 50 questions drawn from the citizenship test Yes
New Hampshire   2016 Locally developed competency assessment of U.S. government and civics No
         
New Jersey  
New Mexico  
New York  
North Carolina  
North Dakota   2015 Citizenship test Yes
         
Ohio  
Oklahoma  
Oregon  
Pennsylvania  
Rhode Island  
         
South Carolina   2015 Citizenship test No
South Dakota  
Tennessee   2015 Local education agency prepares the test with 25-50 questions drawn from the citizenship test No
Texas  
Utah   2015 Basics civics test including 50 questions from the citizenship test Yes
         
Vermont  
Virginia  
Washington  
West Virginia   2017 Citizenship test or "substantially similar" test No
Wisconsin   2015 Citizenship test No
         
Wyoming  
† Not applicable.
NOTE: The Civics Education Initiative advocates for state adoption of a requirement that students must pass a civics test as a condition of high school graduation. The citizenship test is a test of basic federal historical and civic facts included in the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization civics test, which immigrants must pass to become legal U.S. citizens.
SOURCE: Education Commission of the States, The Civics Education Initiative 2015–2017, retrieved August 15, 2019 from https://www.ecs.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Civics-Education-Initiative-2015-2017.pdf. Data Source.