Should students have to pass a civics test to graduate?

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    Arizona, best known for hosting the Super Bowl this year and for keeping Joe Arpaio in office as the toughest sheriff in America, now has another distinction.
    Last week, it became the first state in the nation to require students to pass a civics test in order to graduate from high school. The exam has a whopping 153 questions and you need to get 60 percent right in order to pass.

    Some questions would appear to be no-brainers: “We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?” and “Name one state that borders Canada.”
    Others aren’t so easy: “How many amendments does the Constitution have?” and “Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?”
    The concept of a civics test has been in the works for quite a while, said Arizona House Majority Leader Steve Montenegro. While an estimated two-thirds of high school seniors couldn’t pass the test today, Montenegro noted that “92 percent of immigrants who take the test pass it on their first try.”
    Back in my previous life in the Army Reserves, I served on a promotion board where we interviewed candidates for staff sergeant (E-6). Based on my journalism background, the board president asked me to see how much the candidates knew about local and state government.
    I came away from a few sessions shaking my head like a wet cocker spaniel. In response to the question “Can you name Maine’s current U.S. Senators?” the answers included Margaret Chase Smith, John Martin and Joe Brennan. Senator Smith, of course, was the only one who ever served in the U.S. Senate. She had been out of office since 1973 and died in 1995. Out of six candidates, only two got the question right.
    They were a little better at historic and current events, but not by much. When asked how many counties there were in Maine, the answers ranged from 12 to 24.
    So this begs the question: Does basic knowledge of government make you a better soldier or high school student? Supporters point out that knowing how your state and federal government work helps you make solid decisions in the voting booth.
    The military has been promoting civic engagement since the days of horseback cavalry. So if you want to move up the ranks, you should at least know who is representing you in Congress.
    On the other hand, just memorizing facts and figures for the sake of passing a test doesn’t seem to make much sense, either. Every question I posed earlier can be answered via a Google search in 15 seconds.
    I’d prefer a staff sergeant who could score the max on a physical fitness test or weapons qualification than one who could answer 10 questions about state government correctly.
    Ideally, they could do both. But we’re not in a perfect world — far from it.
    One published report claims that another 12 or 15 states are already considering a civics test as a high school graduation requirement. Maine, so far, isn’t one of them.
    Sometimes I get the feeling that our kids are already being tested to death. In the last few years, we’ve had Maine Educational Assessment (MEA), New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP), and now the Maine Comprehensive Assessment System (MeCAS).
    Also, keep in mind that many schools are teaching civics and social studies effectively.
    But requiring kids to pass a separate, lengthy exam in order to receive a diploma seems like overkill.
    The idea originated in Arizona. Let’s keep it there — at least for the time being.
    Mike Lange is a staff writer with the Piscataquis Observer. His opinions are his own and don’t necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.