Arizona 2023 2023 Regular Session

Arizona Senate Bill SB1425 Comm Sub / Analysis

Filed 02/13/2023

                    Assigned to ED 	FOR COMMITTEE 
 
 
 
 
ARIZONA STATE SENATE 
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session 
 
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1425 
 
high schools; graduation requirements 
Purpose 
Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to include, in the social studies high school 
competency requirements, a course or courses on American government and American history, 
including specified wars.  
Background 
The SBE must prescribe a minimum course of study and competency requirements for high 
schools that incorporate academic standards in reading, writing, mathematics, science and social 
studies. High school social studies academic standards must include personal finance, American 
civics and a comparative discussion of political ideologies, such as communism and 
totalitarianism, that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy that are essential to the 
founding principles of the United States. Social studies competency requirements for a student to 
obtain a high school diploma, must include receiving a specified score on a test that is identical to 
the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrant Services 
(A.R.S. §§ 15-701 and 15-701.01).  
The SBE must work with specified entities to develop high school civic education 
standards that include instruction on the founding documents and principles of the United States 
and civic-minded expectations of an upright and desirable citizenry. All public schools must 
provide at least one year of instruction on: 1) sources and history of the U.S. Constitution and 
Arizona Constitution; 2) American institutions and ideals; and 3) Arizona history, including the 
history of Native Americans in Arizona (A.R.S. §§ 15-710 and 15-718). 
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this 
legislation. 
Provisions 
1. Requires SBE to include, in the social studies competency requirements, that to graduate from 
high school or obtain a high school equivalency diploma, a pupil must successfully complete 
a course or courses that provide instruction on: 
a) American government, including the statutory civics education requirements relating to the 
United States' founding documents and principles, American institutions and ideals, the 
Arizona Constitution, the Arizona history, and expectations of a citizenry; and 
b) American history, including the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I and World 
War II.   
   FACT SHEET 
S.B. 1425 
Page 2 
 
 
2. Specifies that, for the purposes of civic education instruction on the original intent of U.S. 
founding documents and principles, source documents include the U.S. Constitution and 
amendments to the Constitution, with emphasis on each of the 10 amendments that make up 
the Bill of Rights and the arguments presented in the Federalist Papers.  
3. Makes conforming changes.  
4. Becomes effective on the general effective date. 
Prepared by Senate Research 
February 13, 2023 
LB/KT/slp