The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill Requires High School Students to Pass Civics and Naturalization Tests for Graduation
Last action · January 29, 2026: To House EducationSponsors: Adam Vance and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
West Virginia high school students must pass a civics exam matching the U.S. Naturalization Test between ninth grade and graduation to earn a diploma, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Students who fail the test may retake it at the beginning of each month during their junior and senior years until passing. Additionally, entering ninth graders in the 2027-2028 school year must earn one unit of credit in a computer science course to graduate.
Students face a new mandatory testing barrier for graduation alongside required computer science coursework that can substitute for math or career technical education credits.
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 a civics examination to graduate and complete one unit of computer science credit starting with the 2027-2028 entering ninth-grade class.
State Board of Education
The board is tasked with administering tests, adopting curriculum rules, and publishing approved course lists for computer science and civics.
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
When must students take the civics and naturalization test?
What happens if a student fails the civics graduation test?
Can the new computer science credit replace a math class?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Education
- Jan 29, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Education
- Jan 29, 2026HouseIntroducedFiled 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.
Transition from Optional to Mandatory Civics Testing
The bill updates prior language from a voluntary or achievement-indicator test to a strict mandatory passing prerequisite for graduation.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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