TN HB1658

Beginning July 1, 2027, applicants for first-time practitioner teacher licenses or practitioner occupational teacher licenses must pass a U.S. civics test to obtain licensure.

The Tennessee Department of Education must create a 100-question civics test using questions from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization exam, with test administration beginning January 1, 2027.

Passing score requires correctly answering at least 70 out of 100 questions; those who pass receive a certificate of completion.

The department is prohibited from providing remediation or civics instruction to test-takers, but must post links to reference materials and instructional resources on its website.

The act takes effect July 1, 2026, and is cited as the "Tennessee Civics Education Act."