The Ohio Senate Education Committee is currently considering Substitute Senate Bill 272. You may have seen this bill listed online under the title "Regards civics assessment in lieu of American govt course exam" — but that title is misleading and outdated. The substitute version of this bill does NOT replace Ohio's American Government end-of-course exam. It creates an additional graduation requirement on top of existing requirements. We have attached the substitute bill text to this email because it has not yet been updated on the Ohio legislature's website.

Beginning with the 2027–2028 school year, the bill would require students to pass an assessment identical to the civics portion of the U.S. Naturalization Test, with a passing score of 60 percent, in a multiple-choice format, with unlimited retakes. While OCSS strongly supports civic education and accountability, this low-level recall test is not aligned to Ohio's K–12 social studies standards, was designed for adults seeking citizenship — not high school students — and is not supported by research showing improved civic engagement or outcomes.

The OCSS Executive Board has voted to oppose Substitute SB 272. Please read the Board-approved position statement. You can also read the position statement below.

The hearing will be this Tuesday, June 9th at 3:00pm in the South Hearing Room in the Statehouse. 

What can you do?
Submit written testimony to the Senate Education Committee and show up in person if possible! If you plan to testify, you must submit your testimony through the Ohio Senate website no later than 24 hours in.

How to Submit Testimony:

• To submit testimony, click this link to access the Senate Education Committee's testimony upload page.
• Written Instructions: Step by Step (Click Here) — READ THIS!
• Videos on Submitting Testimony (Click Here)

A few highlights:

• Address your testimony to "Chair Brenner, Vice-Chair Blessing, Ranking Member Ingram, and Members of the Senate Education Committee"
• Even if you cannot attend in person, written testimony still makes a difference!

If you have ANY questions at all — no matter how small — please do not hesitate to reach out.