The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Pennsylvania General Assembly mandates federal citizenship test for middle and high school students
Last action · September 24, 2026: Referred to EDUCATION, Sept. 24, 2026Sponsors: Lynda Culver and 3 others
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What This Bill Would Do
An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in high schools, further providing for assessment of civic knowledge.
School districts face mandatory reporting deadlines starting next school year and must replace their current civics exams with the federal test within 60 days.
- Senate Bill 1458 amends the Public School Code of 1949, which serves as the foundational legal statute governing public education across Pennsylvania. context
- The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Test is the standard civics examination given to applicants for U.S. naturalization. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
school entities
School entities must administer the mandated USCIS test in grades eight through twelve, issue certificates of recognition, and complete annual electronic compliance surveys by November 30.
students in grades eight through twelve
Students in grades eight through twelve must take the USCIS civics assessment and are eligible for certificates of recognition upon achieving a perfect score.
teachers
Teachers are eligible to receive a certificate of recognition if 90% or more of their students score 90% or higher on the assessment.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which students are required to take the civics assessment?
What test must schools use to satisfy the civics assessment requirement?
What recognition do teachers receive if their students perform well?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Sep 24, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to EDUCATION, Sept. 24, 2026
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift from Local to Uniform Testing
The legislation removes the provision allowing locally developed civics assessments and mandates the use of the federal USCIS test.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.palegis.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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