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Common questions about the mandate
Q: Is there flexibility in how my district implements the mandate?
According to the Illinois Civics Mandate Guidance Document, the legislation led to questions about options for how the civics requirement can be addressed within the middle school structure while still maintaining compliance. Many districts and schools have questions about whether civics is now mandated to be a stand-alone course or if it can be incorporated within existing course structures.
It is NOT a requirement for the civics coursework to be a stand-alone course. The coursework is required to be at least a semester, but required coursework may be incorporated into existing course structures.
The content can be in a stand-alone civics course of at least one semester or (one-half year) in length or at least one semester’s worth of civics (one-half year) can be woven across grades 6,7 and 8.
The minimum of one semester of civics content in sixth, seventh, or eighth grades shall be in accordance with the Illinois Learning Standards for social science.
Q: What are the proven practices of civic education outlined in the mandate?
- Government Institutions: This may include ideas of discussing foundations of our American government, branches of government, and other institutions per the Illinois civics content standards 6-8.
- Discussion of Current and Societal Issues: Current and societal issue discussions may link issues to core curricular goals as well as address meaningful and timely essential questions about public policy issues that deserve the attention of students and the community.
- Service Learning: Service learning addresses the idea of taking informed action upon learning; service learning MUST connect to the content within the classroom. This can take the form of a traditional service project in civil society and/or advocacy for public policy at the local, state, or federal levels of government. Service learning does NOT refer to having students gather community service hours or volunteering.
- Simulations of the Democratic Process: The goal of simulations is to engage students in practices of citizenship and promote a deeper understanding of the workings of government institutions through role-playing, scenario consideration, or problem-based case solutions.
Source: Illinois Civics Mandate Guidance Document 6-8
Q: How does the civics mandate align with other school initiatives?
Each of the proven practices of civic education delineated in the bill has a direct alignment to other important school initiatives like the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, the Danielson Framework for Effective Teaching, the Illinois Social Science Standards, and 21st-Century Skills.
Q: What does assessment look like?
One of the biggest concerns educators have voiced is, “How will we have time to prepare students for the required Constitution test? I will never have time to cover all 200 questions on the test if I have to make time for student-centered inquiry, discussions, simulations, and service learning!”
The Illinois State Board of Education states:
American patriotism and the principles of representative government, as enunciated in the American Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and the proper use and display of the American flag, shall be taught in all public schools and other educational institutions supported or maintained in whole or in part by public funds. No student shall receive a certificate of graduation without passing a satisfactory examination upon such subjects. 105 ILCS 5/27 3 (from Ch. 122, par. 27 3)
This provision requires that students receive instruction and examination on the U.S. and Illinois State Constitutions - but does NOT mandate a 100-200 question multiple-choice examination of disparate facts. The choice of how to measure student growth is left to local control.