Civic Literacy Requirement
The State of Florida requires that all students graduating from Seminole State College of Florida and other institutions in the Florida College System (FCS), as well as from any State University System (SUS) institution, fulfill a Civic Literacy Competency requirement prior to submitting an Intent to Graduate form in the term they plan to graduate. Beginning in Fall 2018, students entering a Florida public institution as a Associate in Arts and bachelor’s degree-seeking First-Time-In-College (FTIC) student needed to demonstrate civic literacy through either taking a certain course or passing an exam. The 2021 Florida Legislature amended the statute and now requires students entering a Florida public institution to complete both a civic literacy course and exam. Thus, there are three cohorts of students currently matriculated at Florida public institutions subject to varying requirements. As shown in Table 1, the exact civic literacy requirements are based on the academic term in which a student first enrolled in a Florida public institution.
Dual Enrollment students who began taking courses in the Florida College System or Florida State University System Fall 2018 and thereafter, must satisfy the Civic Literacy requirement prior to the award of an Associate in Arts or Baccalaureate degree.
Table 1: Civic Literacy Requirements by Cohorts of Students
Students included in Cohort
|
| Civic Literacy Competency Requirement
|
Cohort 1
| Degree-seeking students first entering the FCS or SUS prior to Fall 2018
| None
|
Cohort 2
| Degree-seeking first time in college students entering the FCS or SUS in Fall 2018-Summer 2021
| Complete a course or exam
|
Cohort 3
| Degree-seeking students first entering the FCS or SUS in Fall 2021 and thereafter
| Complete both a course and exam*
|
*There are two exceptions for Cohort 3 students only. High school students who pass the Florida Civic Literacy Exam in high school, which will be in place beginning Fall 2021, are exempt from the postsecondary exam requirement. They are still required, however, to take the course. Also, certain accelerated mechanisms meet the course requirement (see Table 2)
Table 2: Current Options for Cohorts 2 & 3
Options
| Score
| Meets Course Competency
| Meets Exam Competency
|
Courses
|
POS 2041/H
| Passing Grade
| X
|
|
AMH 2020/H
| Passing Grade
| X
|
|
Accelerated Mechanisms
|
Advanced Placement (AP)Government and Politics: United States Exam
| 3
| X
| X
|
Advanced Placement (AP) United States History Exam
| 4
| X
| X
|
| Cambridge AICE History, US History, c.1840-1990 (A-Level) | A-E | X |
|
CLEP American Government Exam
| 50
| X
| X
|
| IB History, (HL): History of the Americas | 5-7 | X |
|
Additional Assessments
|
Florida Civic Literacy Examination (FCLE) *
| 60
|
| X
|
*Students are encouraged to take the Florida Civic Literacy Examination (FCLE) while they are currently enrolled in AMH 2020, or POS 2041, or upon recent completion of these courses.
Students who wish to meet the Assessment requirement with the Florida Civic Literacy Examination (FCLE) must schedule an appointment to complete the FCLE with the Assessment and Testing Center during specified testing windows. Testing windows can be found using the FCLE appointment page.
