If passed, a bill proposed to the Iowa House and Senate Congress would require students to earn 60% or higher on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization test to earn a diploma. Governor Kim Reynolds introduced the bill on Monday, Feb 3. 

According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services “ The civics test is an oral test and the USCIS Officer will ask the applicant up to 10 of the 100 civics questions. An applicant must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test.” Examples of questions include: “What is an amendment?…What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?….What is the economic system in the United States?,” etc.

Government teacher Holly Esbeck said “There will need to be more guidance in the end on when students need to take that by, I just know that there’s a group of people in the state legislature that would like to pass that. ” The test will include basic government knowledge and she said, “I already cover that in government class as it is.” She said she already teaches “most of what would be on the test” and says she requires a final exam that is “similar to the test.” “I know the citizenship test has other things on it like US history and customs,” she said. Esbeck isn’t worried that students won’t be able to pass this exam; she said, “It’s knowledge you already know.”

Student River McLaren said he’s not aware of the bill however, he says he’s confident he could pass the citizenship test but “It’d just be another annoying thing I have to do to graduate.” He tried to answer the first question on the citizenship test which is: What is the supreme law of the land? McLaren answers “I don’t know.” Senior Kate Nichols reviewed the material, and said “I would definitely be able to pass, especially if you only have to answer six correctly.” She added that every student at AHS would be able to pass if they took a government class, “the questions are easy and basic.”