Michigan fails citizenship test

Do you think you could pass a U.S. Citizenship test?

The Woodrow Wilson Foundation did a study to see how many Americans could pass the test and which states did better than others, and in honor of President's Day, we thought we would pass on the results.

"The Foundation found that in the highest-performing state, only 53 percent of the people were able to earn a passing grade for U.S. history, and that people in every other state failed; in the lowest-performing state, only 27 percent were able to pass," according to the survey.

Michigan had a low outcome with the following grades:

A (90-100) 2%

B (80-89) 7%

C (70-79) 14%

D (60-69) 13%

F (59 or less) 64%

The top states that answered the most questions correctly were Vermont, Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana and Virginia.

The lowest-performing states were Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Louisiana.

“Unfortunately, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation has validated what studies have shown for a century: Americans don’t possess the history knowledge they need to be informed and engaged citizens,” WW Foundation President Arthur Levine said.

The results show that Americans have a waning knowledge of their own history, according to the study.

"As a result, the Foundation is launching a major national initiative to transform how American history is learned today, providing high school students with an interactive digital platform intended to make American history more interesting and appreciated by all learners, particularly those who do not see the importance history plays in the now and tomorrow."

The survey found only 15% of American adults could correctly note the year the U.S. Constitution was written and only 25% knew how many amendments there are to the U.S. Constitution. And, 25% did not know that freedom of speech was guaranteed under the First Amendment, and 57% did not know that Woodrow Wilson was the commander in chief during World War I.

Teachers should check out the Woodrow Wilson Foundation's

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It's a professional development program for social studies and civics teachers that will also provide resources and learning opportunities for K–12 history teachers to improve their instructional practice.