Seal of Civic Readiness

The Seal of Civic Readiness has been created by the New York State Education Department to serve as both an additional pathway to graduation as well as a seal of distinction and recognition for students who have demonstrated civic readiness, the ability to make a positive difference in the public life of our communities through the combination of civic knowledge, skills and actions, mindsets and experiences.   

Civic Readiness Domains:

Civic readiness is continuously developed throughout students’ prekindergarten - 12th grade education and should include:

Demonstrate a fundamental and functional knowledge of government, law, history, geography, culture, economics, and current events.  These may include inequities within our democratic system at the federal, state and local level. Students should know how to apply this knowledge to different circumstances and settings.  

Demonstrate a broad array of critical analytic, verbal, communication, media literacy and other skills and participate in a wide variety of actions. Students should practice such actions both inside and outside of school on a regular basis.

Demonstrate the mindset of a participant in a democratic society. A civic mindset is a commitment to democratic interpersonal and intrapersonal values, virtues, attitudes, and beliefs and informed actions that promote and facilitate meaningful participation in civic life.  It is an understanding of self as part of and responsible to larger social groups.

Participate in developmentally appropriate civic experiences. Civic readiness should be developed in a variety of settings and ways—inside and outside of the classroom, across content areas, and for multiple purposes. Civic Readiness should be promoted by engaging students in relevant experiences that include students as active participants. 

Domain Examples:

  Civic Knowledge

 Fundamental civic knowledge in grade level appropriate forms includes:

• The structure and functioning of government, law, and democracy at the federal, state, local, and school levels, and how to participate therein;    

• Civil and educational rights and responsibilities guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, the Constitution of the State of New York, and federal, state and local statutes and regulations;  

• History, geography, economics, and current events within our country and in our global society;  

• The impact of individual and collective histories in shaping contemporary issues;   

• View and analyze history and current issues from multiple perspectives

• The importance of civic rights and responsibilities, such as voting, volunteering, serving on a jury, and the importance of ensuring a free press;

  Civic Skills & Actions

Critical intellectual and participatory civic skills students should develop and actions they should take in grade-level appropriate forms include the ability to:

• Demonstrate respect for the rights of others in discussions and classroom debates, and how to respectfully disagree with other viewpoints and provide evidence for a counterargument;

• Participate in activities that focus on a classroom, school, community, state or national issue or problem;

• Identify, describe and contrast the roles of the individual in opportunities for social and political participation in different societies;

• Work to influence those in positions of power to achieve extensions of freedom, social justice, and human rights;

• Fulfill social and political responsibilities associated with participation in a democratic society and the interdependent global community by developing awareness of and/or engaging in the political process;

• Analyze and evaluate news (news literacy), media, social media and other sources of information for accuracy, bias, reliability, and credibility.

• Engagement in working toward the public good

  Civic Mindsets

Key civic mindsets students should develop in grade-level appropriate ways include:

• Valuing equity, inclusivity, diversity, and fairness;  

• Recognizing the need to plan for both current needs and the good of future generations;  

• Empathy, compassion, and respect for the views of people with other opinions and perspectives;

• Committing to balancing the common good with individual liberties;  

• Demonstrating a sense of self as an active participant in society, willing to contribute to solving local and/or national problems;

• Respecting fundamental democratic principles, such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the rule of law.  

  Civic Experiences

Examples of civic experiences in which students should be able to participate in grade-level appropriate ways include:    

• Completing a civic readiness capstone or, civic engagement project;

• Engaging in service-learning;   

• Engaging in civil discourse around controversial issues;  

• Engaging with news and digital tools, such as social media, responsibly;

• Participating in civic-centered co-curricular and extracurricular activities such as Model UN, Student Government, Debate Club, Moot Court, Student Journalism or Mock Trial;

• Participating in school governance;  

• Voting, volunteering and participating in community organizations and governmental systems, such as community boards, youth advisory councils, etc., to promote continuous improvement;

• Engaging with local officials and government institutions through activities such as providing public comment before a government agency, or meeting with public and elected officials.