The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia bill requires high school students to pass civics and naturalization exams for graduation
Last action · February 17, 2026: To EducationSponsor: Tom Willis
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What This Bill Proposed
Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, West Virginia public high school students must pass a civics test based on the U.S. , a mandatory civics class covering the state constitution, and a special test on the history and failures of communism and socialism in order to graduate.
Changes high school graduation requirements by mandating specific test-passing criteria for all public school students.
- State Board of Education oversees public education policies and curriculum standards within the state. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
West Virginia public high school students
Students must pass the civics and naturalization examinations, complete a mandatory civics class, and pass communism and socialism history questions as a prerequisite for graduation.
State Board of Education
The board is responsible for ensuring testing instruments are administered and aligning academic standards.
Key Facts
- Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, public school students must take and pass a test substantially similar to the civics portion of the U.S. Naturalization Examination between their ninth and twelfth grade years.
- Students who fail the civics test are provided the opportunity to retake the test at the beginning of each month of their junior and senior years.
- Students must take a mandatory civics class that includes instruction on the West Virginia Constitution.
- High school students must successfully pass an additional 10 questions covering the dangers and historic failures of communism and socialism in world history, including statistics on imprisoned and killed persons.
Show all 5 facts
- Students eligible by age for voter registration must be afforded the opportunity to register to vote pursuant to state code.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a student does not pass the civics test on the first try?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Feb 17, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Education
- Feb 17, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced in Senate
- Feb 17, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Education
- Feb 17, 2026SenateIntroducedFiled for introduction
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 in Graduation Standards
The bill changes the prerequisite criteria for receiving a high school diploma by adding mandatory passage of a naturalization-style civics test and specific historical ideology assessments.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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