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The Legislative Semester is a nonpartisan semester-long civics and government curriculum that empowers high school students to authentically simulate the legislative process. Daily discussion of controversial issues is at the center of the course, as students learn about the defining issues that frame political debate and evaluate their own ideas and beliefs. Students choose and research issues, write bills, and lobby their peers. They learn to value multiple perspectives, hold each other accountable for using credible sources, and work to compromise or build consensus about their proposals. The program has a strong emphasis on using civil discourse to ensure that every voice is heard.
“I am the person I am today because of the influence this class had on me. This class has helped me and so many others become informed on our future and it helped me make decisions on what I’d like our future to look like. ”
“This curriculum is one of the most exciting and motivating methods I have seen in my thirty years of teaching and
administration. ”
“With the Legislative Semester, we were not doing work for points or grades. We worked as hard as we did because we cared about the issues. The issues were deeper than grades; they were personal. ”
Were you impacted by the Legislative Semester as a high school student?
Over 40,000 students at 14 schools have participated in the Legislative Semester over the course of three decades. Use our map to find a school near you.
Access free simulation-based curriculum resources to support students in exploring controversial issues using civil discourse.
In the News
On November 9th the Legislative Semester was profiled in a front page article on civics education in the Madison paper, The Capital Times. Read this coverage and more on our media page.
Get a feeling for the Legislative Semester…
Videos and interviews courtesy of WisconsinEye www.WisEye.org
Teachers from Middleton High School talk about how they engage students in the simulation from day one.
Watch the Full Session deliberation on a bill to require Mandatory National Service.
On using parliamentary procedure and the importance of civil discourse.
Middleton graduate Lucas Kostecki created a summary of the Legislative Semester for his final project as the official videographer.