Blog New citizenship test
September 11th, 2008nstructors and directors at several Inland adult schools and immigration groups have noticed a small bump in enrollment in citizenship classes in recent weeks. They attribute that in part to students wanting to beat the Sept. 30 deadline for eligibility for the current civics exam, which requires less detailed answers than the one about to be put into use. But they say the increase in students would have been greater if there had been no application-fee increase.
People who apply for naturalization before Oct. 1 have a choice between taking the new or old exam. Kathy Bywater, citizenship coordinator at Riverside Adult School, said most students at her school are opting for the old exam.
Teachers at the school have been trying to alleviate students’ concerns by assuring them that the new test is not necessarily more difficult. But students are convinced that it is, Bywater said.
The new exam is designed to make studying for citizenship more meaningful, Rummery said. It tests concepts rather than easy-to-memorize facts, she said.
For example, the current exam asks, “Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?” The new exam asks respondents to name two rights in the document.
Fred Tsao, of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, which spearheaded a nationwide petition drive against the new test, said many questions are too abstract.
For example, one question is “What is the ‘rule of law?’ ”
“It’s hard to know what the questioner is looking for,” he said.
English Level
In addition, the test requires a higher level of English — and educational attainment in general — from applicants, because the questions are sometimes worded confusingly and require longer answers, he said.
“We don’t want to cut off citizenship for people who are hard-working, patriotic and fully committed to life in this country, and to people who are struggling with the language and may not have had educational opportunities here or in their home country,” he said.
Rummery said the government has always required a high-beginner level of English. Study materials for the tests come with answers, so students will not be confused by questions if they study the answers in advance, she said.
The immigration agency administered more than 6,000 of the new exams last year in a test run and saw the pass rate rise, from 84 percent with the old exam to 92 percent with the new one, Rummery said. The government used feedback from the test run to eliminate questions that applicants found confusing. In many questions on the new exam, students have a range of answers they can give, such as naming one of the five rights in the First Amendment.
With the new and old exams, applicants can study from a list of 100 questions. During their citizenship interviews, applicants are asked up to 10 of the questions, she said. They must get at least six right.
Amaya said he likes the new exam more than the old one.
“It permits people to think a little more what it means to be a citizen,” he said. “That’s something we support, because we want citizens to participate in the political process.”