“I don’t mind taking the civics exam, it doesn’t really bother me at all. I think it’s a good idea to test people on how much they know about civics, especially if they’re going to be voting in upcoming elections,” Harris said.

   Mr. Scott describes some of the ways that he has been preparing his students for the upcoming exam.

   “I’m reviewing some of the key court cases that are likely to appear on the test. Some of the key documents, just generally reviewing and preparing for our final will hopefully also help them and prepare for the Florida Civic Literacy exam. I also gave them a study guide,” Mr. Scott said.   Split between two dates, Dec. 11 and Dec. 12, some of the senior class will be taking the civic literacy exam. Any senior that’s finishing up their semester class of government is required to take the exam. Mr. John Scott (FAC), an AP and DE government teacher,  explains the breakdown of the test, and why seniors must take it.

   “The exam is given at the end of this semester and at the end of next semester. It is not a requirement for graduating high school but it is a requirement for graduating from a Florida College. The Florida civics literary exam is both an American US government knowledge test, and American history. It is designed to show that a college graduate from Florida has an understanding of what a citizen’s rights and responsibilities are,” Mr. Scott said.

   Emery Julian (‘24), one of the students that will be taking this test in the upcoming week. He takes classes like Dual Enrollment (DE) Government that are helping to make sure that he is ready and is ready for the Civics exam.

   “I think [the test] should be optional, but not required. I would bet my entire life that I’ll pass. I’m not studying at all,” Julian said.

  Emily Harris (‘24) also shares her thoughts on the exam and how it correlates with voting in elections.

   Harris describes how she feels for the upcoming exam and how she is preparing for it.

   “I personally think I’ll do well on it, especially because Mr Scott said his AP and DE students typically score higher on it. I am preparing for it by using the study guide he gave us and finding Quizlets online to review,” Harris said.

   The Civics exam that the seniors have to take is not a requirement to graduate high school, but it is a college graduation requirement by the state of Florida.

   “I think it’s good that it’s a college requirement because you should know how your government works as a citizen of the United States,” Julian said.

   Mr. Scott goes into detail about some of the things that he wishes would change about the exam.

   “I wish that it was just a government exam and not a government and US History exam. I will have a student or two say ‘you didn’t teach me that,’ well no I didn’t I taught you government you learned the American history your junior year,” Mr. Scott said.

   Harris goes into detail on her thoughts of the exam being a requirement to graduate from college.

   “I’m honestly indifferent to it being a college requirement, but I do think it’s a good idea overall to test the students’ knowledge on government to ensure they’re ready to participate in it. On the other hand, I don’t think it should stop them from graduating, it would be better if they did a test like that before someone became a legal voter,” Harris said.

   With opinions differing on the usefulness of this upcoming civics exam, this does not change the fact that every senior has to take it.