00                      CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 72(CRA)                                                                    
01 "An Act relating to civics education, civics assessments, and secondary school                                          
02 graduation requirements; and providing for an effective date."                                                          
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                  
05 Sec. 14.03.076. Civics curriculum and assessment requirement. (a) The                                                 
06 board shall develop and periodically review a statewide civics education curriculum                                     
07 and assessment that are based on the civics portion of the naturalization examination                                   
08 used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of                                     
09 Homeland Security and primary source documents. The curriculum and assessment                                           
10       must also include systems of government used by Alaska Natives. A district may use                                
11       the curriculum to educate students in civics.                                                                     
12            (b)  A school may not issue a secondary school diploma to a student unless the                               
13       student                                                                                                           
14                 (1)  has achieved a passing score on the civics assessment developed                                    

01       under (a) of this section; or                                                                                     
02                 (2)  is a student with a disability and receives a waiver from the                                      
03       governing body.                                                                                                   
04 (c)  If a student has achieved a passing score on the civics assessment                                                 
05 developed under (a) of this section, the school shall document on the student's                                         
06 transcript that the student achieved a passing score. A student may retake the                                          
07       assessment as needed to achieve a passing score.                                                                  
08            (d)  A district shall annually provide to the department a report that includes a                            
09       description of the civics courses offered in the district, average student performance on                         
10 the civics assessment, and other civics curriculum information as required by the                                       
11       department in regulation.                                                                                         
12 (e)  In this section, "passing score" means a student correctly answers 60                                              
13       percent or more of the questions on the civics assessment.                                                        
14    * Sec. 2. AS 14.07.168 is amended to read:                                                                         
15 Sec. 14.07.168. Report to the legislature. Not later than the 30th legislative                                        
16 day of each regular session of the legislature, the board shall prepare and present [IN                                 
17 PERSON] to the legislative committees having jurisdiction over education an annual                                      
18 report that describes the efforts of the board to develop, maintain, and continuously                                   
19 improve a comprehensive quality public education system, as provided for under the                                      
20       bylaws of the board. The report must include                                                                      
21 (1)  a summary of the resolves and rationales provided in support of                                                    
22       policy decisions made under AS 14.03.015;                                                                         
23 (2)  program and curriculum changes made, discussed, or                                                                 
24       recommended in meetings held under AS 14.07.125;                                                                  
25 (3)  additional information relevant to efforts made to improve and                                                     
26       maintain the public education system;                                                                         
27 (4)  a description of the civics education curriculum in the state                                                  
28 public school system, civics courses offered in each district, and student                                          
29       performance by district on the civics assessment developed under AS 14.03.076.                                
30    * Sec. 3. This Act takes effect July 1, 2022.