Civics Literacy Excellence Initiative (CLEI)

Civics Literacy

Florida is committed to preparing students to become civically engaged and knowledgeable adults who make positive contributions to their communities. Florida students will graduate with sufficient knowledge of America's civics, particularly the principles reflected in the United States Constitution, so as to be capable of discharging their responsibilities as American citizens. On December 10, 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis asked former Commissioner Richard Corcoran to implement a new civic literacy requirement for high school students.

Revised Civics and Government Standards (Full implementation 2023-2024 School year)

Standards (PDF)

Civics Literacy Support

Florida is continuing to lead the nation in Civics education. To help your schools and teachers, the Regional Civics Literacy Directors and Coaches can provide the following support.

In-person school visits
One-on-One coaching
Support with primary document implementation
Conducting civics and government Professional Learning opportunities
Partnering with the Consortiums to provide additional support

Civics and Government Resources

http://www.CivicsLiteracy.org

Instructional Guides

The Instructional Guide for the revised Civics and Government standards is intended to assist educators with planning for student learning and instruction aligned to Florida’s benchmarks for an upright and desirable citizen. This guide is designed to aid high-quality instruction through the identification of components that support learning and teaching the Civics and Government Benchmarks and Clarifications.

K-12 Civics Curriculum

The K-12 Civics curriculum is aligned to the current civics and government standards. Implementation began in the 2023-2024 school year. Curricular resources will be able to serve as a comprehensive primary instructional tool for civics and government content or be used as supplemental resources available to all users.

K-12 Integrated Civics Curriculum

The K-12 Integrated curriculum provides teachers with supplemental resources that align to the civics and government standards and allow teachers to integrate the civics education cross-curriculum. Curricular resources will be able to serve as a supplemental Integrated Civic Literacy Curriculum resource available to all users.

Portraits in Patriotism

This video series focuses on the resiliency of those who fled oppressive governments from around the world and embraced the opportunities that the United States and Florida provided. It offers students with a first-hand account of life under oppressive regimes and includes lessons as supplemental activities that pair with the videos.

Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement

The Florida Department of Education designed and developed the content of this first-of-its-kind teacher training program, which aligns with Florida’s revised civics and government academic standards. In each lesson, participants will study video-based lessons created and delivered by 53 expert scholars and practitioners in history, government, and political science from Florida and around the country. In most lessons, participants will submit responses to reflection activities and complete interactive assessments. For the average participant, the course should take about 50 hours, and participants have two months to complete the course. The platform is currently closed to new enrollment, but it will be reopened soon. Please check back periodically for updates.

You can also use the following link to find out more information about the course: https://www.civicsliteracy.org/

3-Day Summer Civics Professional Learning

Summer Professional Learning opportunities for 2024 will take place in Tallahassee, Fort Myers and Winter Garden. Please visit our registration site or contact your district supervisor for more information.

Use the following link for “registration site.” https://www.floridalearns.org/2024/summer/

Civic Literacy in Florida Schools

Grades K-5

Civics and Government standards include Foundations of Government, Law, and the American Political System; Civic and Political Participation; and Structure and Functions of Government.

Grades 6-8

In order for a student to be promoted to high school from a school that includes middle grades 6, 7, and 8, the student must successfully complete a one-semester civics education course that includes the roles and responsibilities of federal, state, and local governments; the structures and functions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government; and the meaning and significance of historic documents, such as the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States. Each student’s performance on the statewide, standardized end-of-course assessment in civics education constitutes 30 percent of the student’s final course grade.

Grades 9-12

Requirements for the receipt of a standard high school diploma include one credit in United States History and one-half credit in United States Government. Students enrolled in a United States Government course are required to participate in the Florida Civic Literacy Exam, per section 1008.4282(3)(d), F.S.: Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, students taking the United States Government course are required to take the assessment of civic literacy identified by the State Board of Education pursuant to s. 1007.25(5). Students earning a passing score on the assessment are exempt from the postsecondary civic literacy assessment required by s. 1007.25(5). See the Florida Civic Literacy Exam (FCLE) website for more information.

Postsecondary Civic Literacy

Students initially entering a Florida College System institution or state university in 2018-19 and thereafter must demonstrate competency in civic literacy. See the Postsecondary Civic Literacy page for more information. Civic literacy competencies and outcomes include:

An understanding of the basic principles of American democracy and how they are applied in our republican form of government.
An understanding of the United States Constitution.
Knowledge of the founding documents and how they have shaped the nature and functions of our institutions of self-governance.
An understanding of landmark Supreme Court cases and their impact on law and society.