Impossible Civics Test - High Achiever | Presidential 1776 Award Competition, U.S. Department of Education

Skills & Competencies

Skills developed through this program

Intellectual Curiosity
Research
Investigation

Career Pathways

Occupations this program prepares you for

Occupations matched to this program, with median wage, top wage, growth, and openings
SOC	Occupation	Method	Wage	Growth	Openings
Match confidence: medium25-2031.00	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	title_inference	$64,580 median$104,670 top	-1.63%	-1,780

Program Pathways

Credentials this program stacks toward

No program pathways.

What You'll Learn

Key competencies developed through this program

Auto-populatedfrom NSX Competency Framework

Mastery: emerging (Level 1)(based on Badge)

Lesson objectives — identify and communicate in writing to students at the start of each class period under mentor guidance.
Classroom rules and behavioral procedures — establish and post in a secondary school setting with support from a cooperating teacher.
Instructional materials and classroom environment — prepare and arrange prior to each lesson following a provided curriculum plan.
Lecture and discussion techniques — deliver foundational subject-matter content to small groups under direct supervision in a secondary classroom.
Formative assessments and homework assignments — administer and grade using department-provided rubrics to monitor early student progress.
Student behavior and social development — observe and document patterns during classroom activities and report findings to supervising staff.
Learning management system and email software — use to distribute assignments, post announcements, and communicate with students in a school technology environment.
Active listening skills — apply during student questions and small-group discussions to identify comprehension gaps in familiar subject areas.
Differentiated instructional materials — select from provided resources to begin addressing varied student learning needs with mentor input.
Growth mindset and academic perseverance — encourage in students by modeling effort and providing structured reinforcement during challenging tasks under direction.

Program Details

Detailed information about this program

This badge recognizes participants who achieved one of the highest scores across all three levels of Round One of the Presidential 1776 Award, the U.S. Department of Education national civics competition announced as part of the America 250 celebration to enhance students' understanding of civics and knowledge of America's founding. Round One consisted of an online multiple-choice test combining Foundational, Intermediate, and Advanced sections, scored using an Item Response Theory weighted rubric (the same model used by the SAT) in which more challenging questions had a greater impact on the final score and which rewarded mastery of complex material.

Under the official competition structure, the four highest-scoring participants and two alternates from each state, district, and territory advance from Round One to the regional semifinals, with regional finalists and alternates announced by March 30, 2026. The full competition continues with five in-person Regional Contests on May 2, 2026 and a televised Final Round in Washington, D.C. in June 2026, with scholarships of $150,000, $75,000, and $25,000 awarded to the top three finishers.

Requirements

What you need to earn this credential

No requirements listed.

Financial Aid

Eligible funding programs

No funding information available.

Scholarships

No scholarships listed.