A new law has been passed that requires Arizona high school students to pass the equivalent of the U.S. citizenship test to achieve their high school diploma. It is set to begin in the 2016-2017 school year.

As if passing the many different subjects weren't enough for high schoolers to graduate, they have been burdened with one more such load. And it comes in the form of a civics test.

Like Us on Facebook

The new law was recently passed and approved by the Republican-controlled state Legislature. This is the first law of its kind in the nation. It garnered support from all 53 Republicans in the state House and Senate, as well as 10 of 27 Democrats.

The bill was signed into law on Thursday. Republican Arizona Governor Doug Ducey first called for the bill. The law states that students must answer 60% of the test correctly. Initially, the 100-question test is taken by new immigrants and contains a portion on civics.

Questions will include information on historical U.S. matters like the Revolutionary War, the Founding Fathers, rights defined by the Constitution, and political figures. Former Californian congressman and current president and chief executive of the Joe Foss Institute, Frank Riggs, says that it is a common-sense thing to have the requirement as a base line for everyone.

Riggs hopes that by 2017 - the 230^th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution - all states will adopt the same requirement. This year, it was reported that 15 states are expected to consider this measure including North Dakota, Utah, and Louisiana.

Democrats on the other hand are not quite convinced of the importance of the requirement. It is not that Democrats don't like the idea of it. Rather, their qualm is that the Republicans are in a rush to pass the bill in the face of other more pressing educational needs.

Tagsnew law, high school, students, diploma, citizenship test, requirement