Virginia Bill Requires Students to Pass U.S. Citizenship Test for Graduation

RICHMOND, Va. WRIC — Republican Delegate Lee Ware (R-Powhatan) wants Virginia high school students to pass a test similar to the U.S. naturalization exam before they can graduate. The test would include questions like Who was the first president of the United States and What land did the U.S. buy from France in 1803?

Ware has reintroduced a bill that would require students to score at least 70% on this exam to graduate. He believes that students need to know this information to be good citizens. If we don’t have students who know these things, we don’t have students who are prepared to take their part as members of our republic, Ware said.

However, Democratic Delegate Rae Cousins D-Richmond, who voted against the bill earlier this year, thinks it’s unnecessary. Civics education is already part of the required curriculum, so students are already learning what they need to know, Cousins explained.

She also criticized the bill’s requirement for students to correctly answer at least 70% of 25 questions, compared to the U.S. citizenship test, where applicants only need to answer six out of 10 questions correctly.

Cousins believes the bill would encourage students to memorize answers just to pass the test, instead of truly understanding the material.

8News tried to speak with Delegate Ware, but his office said he was unavailable for the next several days.

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