Civics

(1) All high school students must take and pass a United States civics test in order to meet the social studies course credit requirement to earn a traditional diploma. (a) The LEA shall prepare the civics test. The test shall be developed in accordance with T.C.A. § 49-6-408. (b) A student shall pass the test if the student correctly answers at least seventy percent (70%) of the questions. The LEA may provide students with the opportunity to take the test as many times as necessary. Each LEA may determine if a student’s grade on the U.S. civics test will be counted in the classroom grade. A passing score on the civics test shall be noted on a student’s transcript. ACADEMIC AND INSTRUCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS CHAPTER 0520-01-03 (c) The U.S. civics test shall be administered to a student who has an IEP with the accommodations and/or modifications that are deemed necessary by the IEP team. (d) A school shall be recognized on the Tennessee Department of Education’s website as a United States civics all-star school if all of the school’s seniors receiving a traditional diploma make a passing grade of eighty-five percent (85%) or higher on the United States civics test for that school year. (2) All LEAs shall implement a project-based assessment in civics at least once in grades four through eight (4-8) and once in grades nine through twelve (9-12) pursuant to T.C.A. § 49-6- 1028. (a) “Project-based” means an approach that engages students in learning essential knowledge and skills through a student-influenced inquiry process structured around complex authentic questions and carefully designed products and tasks. (b) The project-based assessment shall be developed by the LEA, measure the civics learning objectives contained in the social studies standards, and allow students to demonstrate understanding and relevance of public policy; the structure of federal, state, and local governments; and both the Tennessee and the United States constitutions. (3) The Governor’s Tennessee Excellence in Civics Education Seal shall be awarded to each school that: (a) Incorporates civic learning across a broad range of grades and academic subjects that build on the Tennessee academic standards, such as the civics lesson plans and the blue book lesson plans provided by the secretary of state; (b) Provides instruction regarding our nation’s democratic principles and practices, the significant events and individuals responsible for the creation of our foundational documents, and the formation of the governments of the United States and the state of Tennessee using the federal and state foundational documents, as evidenced by submission of at least five (5) lesson plans or activities that focus on civics and are aligned with the Tennessee academic standards and a summary of how the lesson was implemented; (c) Provides professional development opportunities or student resources that facilitate civics education, such as civics education workshops offered by the secretary of state, as evidenced by submission of documentation identified by the Department of Education; (d) Provides one (1) or more of the following opportunities for students to engage in real world learning activities: 1. Participation in a mock election, such as the secretary of state’s student mock election; 2. Participation in the secretary of state’s civics essay contest by at least fifteen percent (15%) of the school’s students; 3. A school voter registration drive for the school or community; 4. Participation in another state or national civics-based contest by at least fifteen percent (15%) of the school’s students; ACADEMIC AND INSTRUCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS CHAPTER 0520-01-03 5. Participation of an individual student or school team in the United States Senate Youth Program or Model United Nations; or 6. Participation in a real world learning activity recognized by the Department of Education. (e) Implements a high-quality, project-based assessment in accordance with T.C.A. § 49- 6-1028(e), if applicable; and (f) Is recognized as a civics all-star school in accordance with T.C.A. § 49-6-408, if applicable. (4) The Governor’s Tennessee Excellence in Civics Education Seal shall be awarded to each LEA in which at least eighty percent (80%) of the LEA’s schools earn the Governor’s Tennessee Excellence in Civics Education Seal.