eighth grade; social studies; civics

SB1810 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
eighth grade; social studies; civics

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1810

Introduced by

Senator
Gowan

AN
ACT

amending title 1, chapter 3, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 1-319.01; amending section 15-701,
Arizona Revised Statutes; amending title 15, chapter 7, article 1, Arizona
Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-701.05; relating to civics.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 1, chapter 3, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 1-319.01, to read:

START_STATUTE
1-319.01.

Arizona civics learning week

A. The week that Begins on September
17 and ends on September 25, in each year, shall be observed as Arizona civics
learning week.

B. Arizona civics learning week is
not a legal holiday.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 15-701, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
15-701.

Common schools; promotions; requirements; certificate;
supervision of eighth grades by superintendent of high school district; high
school admissions; academic credit; definition

A. The state board of education shall:

1. Prescribe a minimum course of study incorporating
the academic standards adopted by the state board of education to be taught in
the common schools.

2. Prescribe competency requirements for the
promotion of pupils from the eighth grade and competency requirements for the
promotion of pupils from the third grade that incorporate the academic
standards in at least the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science and
social studies.�
The competency requirements for the promotion
of pupils from the eighth grade shall include the instruction requirements
prescribed by section 15-701.05.
The competency
requirements for the promotion of pupils from the third grade shall include the
following:

(a) A requirement that a pupil not be promoted from
the third grade if the pupil obtains a score on the reading portion of the
statewide assessment that does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills as
established by the state board. A pupil may not be retained pursuant
to this subdivision if data regarding the pupil's performance on the statewide
assessment is not available before the end of the current academic year and may
not be retained more than once.� A pupil who is not retained due to the unavailability
of test data must receive evidence-based intervention and remedial
strategies pursuant to subdivision (c) of this paragraph if the third grade
assessment data subsequently does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills.

(b) A mechanism to allow a school district governing
board or charter school governing body to promote from the third grade a pupil
who does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills pursuant to subdivision (a)
of this paragraph if the pupil:

(i) Is an English learner or a limited English
proficient student as defined in section 15-751 and has had fewer than
three years of English language instruction.

(ii) Is in the process of a special education
referral or evaluation for placement in special education, has been diagnosed
as having a significant reading impairment, including dyslexia, or is a child
with a disability as defined in section 15-761 if the pupil's
individualized education program team and the pupil's parent or guardian agree
that promotion is appropriate based on the pupil's individualized education
program.

(iii) Has demonstrated or subsequently demonstrates
sufficient reading skills or adequate progress toward sufficient reading skills
of the third grade reading standards as evidenced through a collection of
reading assessments approved by the state board of education, which includes an
alternative standardized reading assessment approved by the state board.

(iv) Receives intervention and remedial services
during the summer or a subsequent school year pursuant to subdivision (c) of
this paragraph and demonstrates sufficient progress based on guidelines issued
pursuant to subsection B, paragraph 7 of this section.

(c) Evidence-based intervention and remedial
strategies developed by the state board of education for pupils who are not
promoted from the third grade. A school district governing board or
charter school governing body shall offer more than one of the intervention and
remedial strategies developed by the state board of education. The
parent or guardian of a pupil who is not promoted from the third grade and the
pupil's teacher and principal may choose the most appropriate intervention and
remedial strategies that will be provided to that pupil. The
intervention and remedial strategies developed by the state board of education
shall include:

(i) A requirement that the pupil be assigned for
evidence-based reading instruction by a different teacher who was
designated in that teacher's most recent performance evaluation in one of the
top two performance classifications.

(ii) Summer school reading instruction.

(iii) In the next academic year, intensive reading
instruction that occurs before, during or after the regular school day, or any
combination of before, during and after the regular school day.

(iv) Small group and teacher-led evidence-based
reading instruction, which may include computer-based or online reading
instruction.

(d) A requirement that a school district governing
board or charter school governing body that promotes a pupil pursuant to
subdivision (b) of this paragraph provide annual reporting to the department of
education on or before October 1 that includes information on the total number
of pupils subject to the retention provisions of subdivision (a) of this
paragraph, the total number of students promoted pursuant to subdivision (b) of
this paragraph, the total number of pupils retained in grade three and the interventions
administered pursuant to subdivision (c) of this paragraph.

3. Provide for universal screening of pupils in
preschool programs, kindergarten programs and grades one through three that is
designed to identify pupils who have reading deficiencies pursuant to section
15-704.�

4. Develop evidence-based intervention and remedial
strategies pursuant to paragraph 2, subdivision (c) of this subsection for
pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one through three who are identified
as having reading deficiencies pursuant to section 15-704.

5. Distribute guidelines for the school districts to
follow in prescribing criteria for the promotion of pupils from grade to grade
in the common schools. These guidelines shall include recommended
procedures for ensuring that the cultural background of a pupil is taken into
consideration when criteria for promotion are being applied.

B. School districts and charter schools shall
provide annual written notification to parents of pupils in kindergarten
programs and first, second and third grades that a pupil who does not
demonstrate sufficient reading skills pursuant to subsection A of this section
will not be promoted from the third grade. School districts and
charter schools shall identify each pupil who is at risk of reading below grade
level in kindergarten and grades one, two and three and shall provide to the
parent of that pupil a specific written notification of the reading deficiency
within three weeks after identifying the reading deficiency. The notification
shall include the following information:

1. A description of the pupil's specific individual
needs.

2. A description of the current reading services
provided to the pupil.

3. A description of the available supplemental
instructional services and supporting programs that are designed to remediate
reading deficiencies. Each school district or charter school shall
offer more than one evidence-based intervention strategy and more than
one remedial strategy developed by the state board of education for pupils with
reading deficiencies. The notification shall list the intervention
and remedial strategies offered and shall instruct the parent to choose, in
consultation with the pupil's teacher, the most appropriate strategies to be
provided and implemented for that child.

4. Parental strategies to assist the pupil to attain
reading proficiency.

5. The frequency with which the school district or
charter school will provide timely updates and information to the parent on the
pupil's progress toward reading proficiency.

6. A statement that the pupil will not be promoted
from the third grade if the pupil does not demonstrate sufficient reading
skills pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 2, subdivision (a) of this section,
unless the pupil is exempt from mandatory retention in grade three or the pupil
qualifies for an exemption pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 2, subdivision
(b) of this section.

7. A description of the school district or charter
school policies on midyear promotion to a higher grade.

C. Pursuant to the guidelines that the state board
of education distributes, the governing board of a school district shall:

1. Prescribe curricula that include the academic
standards in the required subject areas pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1
of this section.

2. Prescribe criteria for the promotion of pupils
from grade to grade in the common schools in the school
district. These criteria shall include accomplishment of the
academic standards in at least reading, writing, mathematics, science and
social studies, as determined by district assessment. Other criteria
may include additional measures of academic achievement and attendance.

D. The governing board may prescribe the course of
study and competency requirements for promotion that are in addition to or
higher than the course of study and competency requirements the state board
prescribes.

E. A teacher shall determine whether to promote or
retain a pupil in a grade in a common school on the basis of the prescribed
criteria.� The governing board, if it reviews the decision of a teacher to
promote or retain a pupil in a grade in a common school as provided in section
15-342, paragraph 11, shall base its decision on the prescribed criteria.

F. A governing board may provide and issue
certificates of promotion to pupils whom it promotes from the eighth grade of a
common school. Such certificates shall be signed by the principal or
superintendent of schools. If there is no principal or
superintendent of schools, the certificates shall be signed by an eighth grade
teacher. The certificates shall admit the holders to any high school
in this state.

G. Within any high school district or union high
school district, the superintendent of the high school district shall supervise
the work of the eighth grade of all schools that do not employ a superintendent
or principal.

H. A school district shall not deny a pupil who is
between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one years admission to a high
school because the pupil does not hold an eighth grade
certificate. Governing boards shall establish procedures for
determining the admissibility of pupils who are under sixteen years of age and
who do not hold eighth grade certificates.

I. The state board of education shall adopt rules to
allow common school pupils who can demonstrate competency in a particular
academic course or subject to obtain academic credit for the course or subject
without enrolling in the course or subject.

J. A school district may conduct a ceremony to honor
pupils who have been promoted from the eighth grade.

K. For the purposes of this section,
"dyslexia" means a condition that:

1. Is neurological in origin.

2. Is characterized by difficulties with accurate or
fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities, including
difficulties that typically result from a deficit in the phonological component
of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities
and to the provision of effective classroom instruction.

3. May include secondary consequences such as
problems with reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that may
impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Title 15, chapter 7, article 1, Arizona
Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-701.05, to read:

START_STATUTE
15-701.05.

Promotion from eighth grade; competency requirements; social
studies; exemption; definition

A. In adopting the course of study
and competency requirements for the promotion of students from the eighth grade
pursuant to section 15-701, the state BOARD of education shall include a
requirement that each student successfully complete a total of at least three
course credits in social studies in grades six, seven and eight, including at
least one course credit, or the equivalent instructional time, in civics
education.

B. A school may provide the civics
education required by subsection A of this section as a separate course or by
incorporating the civics education into the social studies curricula.� The
civics education must include instruction on all of the following:

1. The roles and responsibilities of
federal, state and local governments.

2. The structures and functions of
the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.

3. the meaning and significance of
historical documents, including the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration
of independence and the Constitution of the United States.

C. Notwithstanding subsection A of
this section, a student who transfers into a public school during the second
semester of the eighth grade may be promoted from the eighth grade without
successfully completing at least one course credit, or the equivalent
instructional time, in civics education if the student meets all of the
following requirements:

1. Transfers from another state or
country or from a private school or homeschool in this state.

2. Successfully completed at least
three course credits, or the equivalent, in social studies.

3. Received instruction on American
civics in any of grades six, seven or eight.

D.
This
section does not require the state board of education to adopt, or a school to
administer, a new statewide assessment, test or other examination pursuant to
article 3 of this chapter.

E. For the
purposes of this section, "course credit" means a unit of measurement
that represents an instructional unit or course, or the equivalent
instructional time.

END_STATUTE

Sec. 4.
Legislative
findings

The legislature finds that instruction
in civics education is essential to preparing students to engage in civic life
as informed participants and to understand the structure and functions of
government.