Once you've reviewed the Civic Literacy requirement details below, be sure to check out our special resources, which include the EFSC Study Guide, to help you prepare.
Civic Literacy Requirement
The Florida Legislature wants to ensure graduates of the Florida College System and State University System have sufficient knowledge of America's civics, particularly the principles reflected in the United States Constitution. Lawmakers modified the existing Civic Literacy Graduation Requirement in fall 2021 impacting all Associate in Arts, and Bachelor students. In the 2022-2023 catalog and thereafter, all Associate in Science, Associate in Arts, and Bachelor students must satisfy the civic literacy competency requirement through a method explained below.
The Civic Literacy requirements vary slightly for those two groups of students so carefully review the table and Frequently Asked Questions accordion below. Your academic advisor is also a resource to evaluate your specific situation and provide guidance on meeting the graduation requirement.
Current EFSC students can also find their Civic Literacy requirements listed in the myGPS Degree Audit tool in the myEFSC Portal. myGPS will list whether the requirements have been met and also indicates a student's official catalog year that governs their graduation requirements.
It's also important to understand the role that maintaining continuous enrollment plays in the Civic Literacy requirement. Continuous enrollment is defined as taking at least one course that earns a grade during the timeframe that spans three academic terms, such as spring, summer, and fall. Students who have not met this continuous enrollment requirement, and then return to EFSC in fall 2021 or later, must follow the Civic Literacy requirements in effect when they return. For example, the student who started in 2014 and stopped attending until fall 2021 (or later), as well as the student who started in spring 2019 and stopped attending until fall 2021 (or later) must meet the new requirements for graduation.
Who the Civic Literacy Requirement Applies to & How it Can Be Met
| Date Students Entered EFSC | Requirement Applies To: | Programs Impacted | Student Civic Literacy Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2018 - Summer 2021 | First-time-in-college-students (FTIC) maintaining continuous enrollment | Associate in Arts | Pass a course (AMH 2020 or POS 2041) OR pass an AP or CLEP assessment |
| Fall 2021 & beyond | Students initially entering EFSC under the 2021-2022 catalog year | Associate in Arts & Bachelor Degrees | 1. Successfully pass either AMH 2020 or POS 2041 AND pass the Florida Civic Literacy
Exam (FCLE) with a score of 60% or higher. (See the FAQ below for more on the FCLE,
which may have been taken as a Florida high school student or is available at EFSC Assessment Centers). 2. AP and CLEP can be used to meet both the course and assessment requirement. 3. Note: AICE and IB programs can only be used to meet the course requirement. |
| 2022-2023 & beyond | All students under the 2022-2023 catalog year and beyond | Associate in Arts, Associate in Science & Bachelor Degrees | The same Civic Literacy requirements listed above for Fall 2021 & beyond apply to all three degree types. Please Note: This does include A.S. degree students who started their programs Fall Term 2022 and beyond. |
Satisfying the Civic Literacy Requirement: Details, How to Register for the Exam & FAQ
Courses identified by the state to meet the requirement are:
• AMH 2020: United States History from 1877 to Present
• POS 2041: American Federal Government
The EFSC Class Schedule lists the available on-campus and online sections for AMH 2020 and POS 2041. Students must earn a grade of a "C" or higher in one of those to meet the requirement. The EFSC Catalog has course descriptions plus the official catalog version of the Civic Literacy Graduation Requirement.
An Advanced Placement course and exam or CLEP test can satisfy the course AND exam requirements. See question #3 for more on those options.
Credit earned through an International Baccalaureate (IB) or AICE program can only be used to meet the course requirement. Students with AICE or IB credit must also pass an approved assessment, such as the Florida Civic Literacy Exam (FCLE).
Passing Score Requirements
• Florida Civic Literacy Examination (FCLE) - Score of 48 (or higher) out of 80 questions
(60% correct)*
• AP Government and Politics: United States - Score of 3 (or higher) out of 5
• AP United States History - Score of 4 (or higher) out of 5
• CLEP American Government - Score of 50 (or higher) out of 80
* If you took an earlier version of the state exam that had 100 questions, the required passing rate is still 60%.
If you took an approved Advanced Placement course in high school from the list below and made the required passing score, that would meet both the course and assessment Civic Literacy requirements. If meeting the requirement through a CLEP testing record, that will also be applied in your student degree audit.
CLEP American Government is available through the EFSC Assessment Centers.
See more about preparing for the CLEP American Government exam.
These three AP or CLEP options can meet the course AND exam requirement:
• AP Government and Politics: United States - Score of 3 (or higher) out of 5
• AP United States History - Score of 4 (or higher) out of 5
• CLEP American Government - Score of 50 (or higher) out of 80
This CLEP exam can meet ONLY the course requirement:
• CLEP History of the United States 2: 1865 to Present - Score of 50 (or higher) out
of 80
Official AP and CLEP scores must be forwarded to EFSC for posting of earned course credits to meet Civic Literacy graduation requirements. Details on how to have score reports and/or transcripts sent to EFSC are available at the CLEP website and also at the Advanced Placement/AP website.
Senate Bill 1108 amended s.1007.25, Florida Statutes (F.S.) and as put into practice
by the State Board of Education through Rule 6A-10.02413, students must develop and demonstrate civic literacy competency that includes:
• Understanding the basic principles and practices of American democracy and how they
are applied in our form of government
• Understanding the United States Constitution and its application
• Knowledge of the founding documents and how they have shaped the nature and functions
of our institutions of self-governance
• Understanding of landmark Supreme Court cases, landmark legislation and landmark
executive actions and their impact on law and society
The rule also requires that institutions must ensure that they provide opportunities for students to engage synchronously in political discussions and civil debates with multiple points of view and to master the ability to synthesize information that informs civic decision-making. Examples include course lectures, discussion groups, registered student organizations (e.g., speech or debate club, student government association), guest speaker series, community partnership and civic engagement events, service-learning and internships, among others.
The FCLE is offered free for Eastern Florida State College students at the EFSC Assessment Centers on all four campuses. You must have an appointment to take the exam, which can be made through the RegisterBlast online system. The RegisterBlast link includes instructions for registering, including choosing an appointment day and time.
Schedule FCLE Using RegisterBlast
To take the Civic Literacy Exam, we encourage students to be currently enrolled in POS 2041 or AMH 2020 or to have completed either course with a grade of "C" or higher.
The examination, which is proctored, is administered at the EFSC Assessment Centers via a computer-based testing platform developed for the state of Florida by Cambium Assessment, Inc. Currently, there is no remote option for the FCLE.
A score of 48 correct or higher out of 80 questions will meet the minimum required threshold of 60% correct or higher. If a passing score is not earned, FCLE retesting will require a 14-day wait period for attempts after the initial exam.
See more about retesting below.
Visit our Exam Preparation Resources page for multiple study guides and links to assist as you prepare. These resources are intended to help you review information covered during the required courses.
The requirement allows an unlimited number of attempts, and EFSC requires a one-day waiting period between retakes.
Students who fail to meet the required passing score of at least 48 correct out of 80 questions can retake the exam the next day if needed.
Scheduling an FCLE retest is simple! When making your new appointment through the EFSC Assessment Center’s RegisterBlast system, be sure to select “Retest” from the dropdown menu. The Testing Center will be notified of your appointment and you will receive a confirmation email with details of your appointment and links to study materials.
Accommodations will be available for the Florida Civic Literacy Examination. The Florida Department of Education plans to announce a timeline for implementation and a description of allowed accommodations later. In the meantime:
- EFSC Assessment Centers are prepared to provide test accommodations for those with disabilities.
- The test software will allow all students to choose the print size, background color, and mouse pointer for their test.
- The FCLE is an untimed test, but all students must end their test sessions when the Assessment Center closes. We recommend those who require extended time consider making an appointment earlier in the day to ensure plenty of time to complete the test.
- Students who use assistive technology may contact an Access Specialist in the SAIL department with any concerns regarding compatibility with the testing software
Students enrolled in a U.S. Government course as part of their high school coursework must take a civic literacy assessment and that assessment may be the Florida Civic Literacy Exam. Students who have passed the FCLE in high school will be exempt from the civic literacy competency assessment portion of the requirement when they enter a Florida College System (FCS) or State University System (SUS) institution. However, these students will still need to fulfill the post-secondary civic literacy course requirement.
Baccalaureate students who enter EFSC under the 2021-2022 catalog year or beyond are required to meet the civics course and assessment requirement. If the student previously demonstrated civic literacy competency based on the previous civic literacy requirement through a course or an assessment under their Associate in Arts (A.A.) or Associate in Science (A.S.) degree program, those passed courses or passing scores could also be used toward demonstration of civic literacy competency for baccalaureate completion. The student would then just need to fulfill the missing requirement, if applicable, via an assessment or course.
The civic literacy requirement applies to students who are entering into A.A. and baccalaureate (bachelor) programs under the 2021-2022 catalog year and beyond, and to A.S. degree students who entered their program in the 2022-2023 catalog year and beyond, regardless of prior postsecondary coursework. This includes transfer students and students entering with prior postsecondary coursework. Students who have previously achieved a passing score on an approved assessment or passed an approved course will have met the assessment requirement or coursework requirement, respectively, and will not need to re-take assessments or courses. EFSC will know this information because the postsecondary FASTER electronic transcript will be updated to reflect if a student met the course requirement and assessment requirement.
The civic literacy requirement applies to students who are entering into A.A. and baccalaureate programs under the 2021-2022 catalog year and beyond, regardless of prior postsecondary coursework. This includes students from out-of-state.
Your academic advisor can answer questions about the Civic Literacy requirement and your particular situation. Make an appointment with your advisor by logging into the myEFSC Portal and using the Navigate icon.
For questions about the exam, contact an EFSC Campus Assessment Center.