Amends existing law to provide that students may satisfy state civics and government standards through participation in a certain course and examination and to provide that the State Department of Education shall make available funding for certain civics education.

There is broad consensus on the need to help students become more engaged, informed citizens. This bill seeks to do that by expanding opportunities for civics education in Idaho. Current law requires students to pass a civics test before they graduate from high school. This bill expands that law so that a college-credit-bearing exam associated with an advanced civics course, such as the Advanced Placement Government and Politics test can serve as a way of meeting the requirement. The bill also emphasizes the importance of providing high-quality teacher training by targeting professional development dollars for teachers to be trained in civics education instruction. This is a narrowly crafted bill to create more pathways for students to learn civics and become more engaged citizens.