Gov. Ron DeSantis says high school seniors need to be tested on civics

Tallahassee, Fla. — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a new citizenship requirement for all high school seniors Tuesday as part of his plan to add more emphasis on civics education.

The new test will be similar to the exams required to become a naturalized U.S. citizen.

"You may need some skills you learned in school, you may not need others, but no matter what you do, you are going to be required to exercise the duties of citizenship." DeSantis said.

He is moving quickly on the issue,  asking Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to roll out a trial run of the test this year,  that’s if they can work quickly enough with the state Legislature.

By next school year, the Governor wants the exam in place, but no decision has been made if passing the test will be a requirement for graduation.

The discussion on civics education for grades K-12 will continue and we expect more announcements in the coming months.

The announcement comes as part of the executive order DeSantis issued in January, calling for a complete overhaul of Florida's education standards, which included eliminating Common Core, a set of education standards from 2010.