Missouri lawmaker wants college students to pass a ‘citizenship test’ to graduate

A Missouri state lawmaker wants every college student in the state to pass a “citizenship test” as a condition of receiving a bachelor’s or associate’s degree.

The Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination would model one that immigrants must pass to obtain full citizenship. Rep. Dean Dohrman, a Republican from La Monte, told The Star he filed the bill, HB1528, last month in hopes of “shoring up” students’ knowledge of the Missouri and U.S. constitutions.

“Basically I’m just saying let’s up the game a little bit,” he said. “Make sure students demonstrate they understand the material that’s presented.”

But the proposed exam seems redundant to a curriculum that already has history and political science classes, said Tracy McGrady, provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs at Ozarks Technical Community College.

“We already have something like that existing,” she said, citing courses that cover the U.S. and Missouri constitutions.

Dohrman acknowledged that the Missouri legislature already passed a requirement for high school students to pass a citizenship test, but he said his proposal for college students is “common sense.”

“We have one of the most if not the most complex government systems in the world,” he said, “so I think it’s a lifelong learning experience for all of us.”

Actually the knowledge tested in the basic naturalization or citizen test is covered in the first three or four chapters of every textbook for the already required college course students take on the American government and the U.S. Constitution, said Greg Vonnahme, associate professor of political science at University of Missouri-Kansas City. “it’s the easiest material in the course,” Vonnahme said.

A U.S. and Missouri constitution course, Vonnahme said, is already required for every student graduating from a four-year institution in the state of Missouri, including foreign students seeking a degree in the state.

Vonnahmen said the only new thing in the proposed bill is criteria for passing the test.

Under Dohrman’s proposals, students must pass the test with at least a 70 percent to graduate. The exam must have 50 to 100 questions. Dohrman said the questions could fold into an existing test in professors’ curricula.

Dohrman said it would include questions on the country’s founding documents such as the Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution, constitutional amendments, geography and a section on the history of federalism.

The test would apply to students enrolled at public and private higher education institutions. Private trade schools are exempt.

Possible questions include:

▪ Who is in charge of the executive branch?

▪ How many U.S. senators are there?

▪ How many amendments are in the U.S. Constitution?

▪ Name one branch or part of government.

The bill was referred to the House Committee on Higher Education.

Dohrman teaches online classes in social sciences and public management for Colorado State University-Global Campus.

He said his bill, if passed, would “better educate our students and make better citizens for the future.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 10:47 AM with the headline "Missouri lawmaker wants college students to pass a ‘citizenship test’ to graduate."