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General
Assembly
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File No. 81
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February Session, 2000
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Substitute
House Bill No. 5274
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House of
Representatives, March 16, 2000
The Committee on
Education reported through REP. STAPLES of the 96th Dist.,
Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute
bill ought to pass.
An Act Requiring A Civics Course For High School
Graduation.
Be it enacted by the
Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section
10-221a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof:
[Commencing with classes graduating in 1988, and for
each graduating class thereafter,]
(a) For classes
graduating from 1988 to 2003, inclusive,
no local or regional board of education shall permit any student to
graduate from high school or grant a diploma to any student who has not
satisfactorily completed a minimum of twenty credits, not fewer than four
of which shall be in English, not fewer than three in mathematics, not
fewer than three in social studies, not fewer than two in science, not
fewer than one in the arts or vocational education and not fewer than one
in physical education.
(b) Commencing with
classes graduating in 2004, and for each graduating class thereafter, no
local or regional board of education shall permit any student to graduate
from high school or grant a diploma to any student who has not
satisfactorily completed a minimum of twenty credits, not fewer than four
of which shall be in English, not fewer than three in mathematics, not
fewer than three in social studies, including at least a one-half credit
course on civics and American government, not fewer than two in science,
not fewer than one in the arts or vocational education and not fewer than
one in physical education.
(c)
Any student who presents a certificate from a physician stating that, in
the opinion of the physician, participation in physical education is
medically contraindicated because of the physical condition of such
student, shall be excused from the physical education requirement,
provided the credit for physical education may be fulfilled by an
elective.
(d)
Determination of eligible credits shall be at the discretion of the local
or regional board of education, provided the primary focus of the
curriculum of eligible credits corresponds directly to the subject matter
of the specified course requirements. The local or regional board of
education may permit a student to graduate during a period of expulsion
pursuant to section 10-233d, if the board determines the student has
satisfactorily completed the necessary credits pursuant to this section.
The requirements of this section shall apply to any student requiring
special education pursuant to section 10-76a, except when the planning and
placement team for such student determines the requirement not to be
appropriate. For purposes of this section, a credit shall consist of not
less than the equivalent of a forty-minute class period for each school
day of a school year except for a credit or part of a credit toward high
school graduation earned at an institution accredited by the Department of
Higher Education or regionally accredited.
(e)
Only courses taken in grades nine through twelve, inclusive, shall satisfy
this graduation requirement, except that a local or regional board of
education may grant a student credit (1) toward meeting a specified course
requirement upon the successful completion in grade seven or eight of any
course, the primary focus of which corresponds directly to the subject
matter of a specified course requirement in grades nine to twelve,
inclusive; or (2) toward meeting the high school graduation requirement
upon the successful completion of coursework at an institution accredited
by the Department of Higher Education or regionally accredited. One
three-credit semester course, or its equivalent, at such an institution
shall equal one-half credit for purposes of this section.
(f)
A local or regional board of education may offer one-half credit in
community service which, if satisfactorily completed, shall qualify for
high school graduation credit pursuant to this section, provided such
community service is supervised by a certified school administrator or
teacher and consists of not less than fifty hours of actual service that
may be performed at times when school is not regularly in session and not
less than ten hours of related classroom instruction. For purposes of this
section, community service does not include partisan political activities.
The State Board of Education shall assist local and regional boards of
education in meeting the requirements of this section.
ED
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Committee Vote:
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Yea
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30
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Nay
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0
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JFS
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OFA
Fiscal Note
State
Impact:
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Future
Cost
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Affected
Agencies:
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Department
of Education
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Municipal
Impact:
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Potential
Future Cost, STATE MANDATE
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sHB 5274
AN ACT
REQUIRING A CIVICS COURSE FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION.
SUMMARY:
This bill requires that
at least one-half of the three credits in social studies necessary to
graduate from high school must be in civics and American government. The
requirement applies to students who plan to graduate or receive diplomas
in 2004 and thereafter.
EFFECTIVE
DATE: October 1, 2000
BACKGROUND
Graduation
Requirements
In
order to graduate from high school, the law requires students to
satisfactorily complete at least 20 credits, including at least:
4
in English,
3 in mathematics,
3 in social studies,
2 in science,
1 in the arts or
vocational education, and
1 in physical
education.
One
credit equals a daily 40-minute high school class period for one year.
Social
Studies and Civics
Current
law requires that children receive instruction in citizenship, including a
study of the town, state, and federal governments.
High
school social studies commonly include history, government, economics,
geography, sociology, or anthropology. Webster's Third New
International Dictionary defines civics as the "study of the
workings of the national and local government especially as the subject of
a secondary school course suited as training for citizenship."
COMMITTEE
ACTION
Education
Committee
Joint
Favorable Substitute
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