Hello NCL members, USCIS is announcing plans to update the naturalization test. I can hardly believe it, but the last update came out in 2008 (not 2009 as this memo states). I was working at the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians then, and we had numerous conversations with our USCIS Community Relations Officer during the test development and piloting phase, which took several years. I thought I remembered that back then, USCIS had made a commitment to TESOL and other advocates that the revision would not significant affect passage rates, but I've just combed through my e-mail archive and can't find evidence of that commitment anywhere. Does anyone else remember? And more importantly, does anyone know if USCIS has reached out to any national association of adult educators or TESOL experts since this memo was signed two months (!) ago? I recommend clicking through the USCIS press release to read the actual memo. It's only a few pages long but much more substantive. -Amanda ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services <uscis@public.govdelivery.com<mailto:uscis@public.govdelivery.com>> Date: Fri, Jul 19, 2019 at 10:10 AM Subject: USCIS Announces Plan to Improve the Naturalization Test To: <amandabs@nationalskillscoalition.org<mailto:amandabs@nationalskillscoalition.org>> Memorandum Announces a Decennial Revision Schedule WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is revising the current naturalization test with improvements to ensure it continues to serve as an accurate measure of a naturalization applicant’s civics knowledge and that it reflects best practices in adult education assessments. The goal is to create a meaningful, uniform, and efficient test that will assess applicants’ knowledge and understanding of U.S. history, government and values. 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S. citizenship is the highest honor our nation bestows,” said USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli. “Updating, maintaining, and improving a test that is current and relevant is our responsibility as an agency in order to help potential new citizens fully understand the meaning of U.S. citizenship and the values that unite all Americans.” In December 2018, USCIS formed a naturalization test revision working group with members from across the agency. The working group has been reviewing and updating the naturalization test questions. The working group will also assess potential changes to the speaking portion of the test. USCIS is soliciting the input of experts in the field of adult education to ensure that this process is fair and transparent. After careful analysis of the pilot, and thorough officer training, USCIS will set an implementation date in December 2020 or early 2021. Section 312 of the Immigration and Nationality Act outlines the English and civics requirements for naturalization. By law, candidates for naturalization must have “…an understanding of the English language, including an ability to read, write, and speak words in ordinary usage in the English language…” and “…knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history, and of the principles and form of government, of the United States...” This test revision will comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements, and USCIS will pilot it this fall. In Fiscal Year 2018, USCIS naturalized nearly 757,000 people, a five-year high in new oaths of citizenship. The naturalization test revision is a key part of preparing legal immigrants to fully exercise their rights and meet their responsibilities. 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