SALISBURY — The Rowan County Literacy Council wants to help make the path to citizenship a little less bumpy.

Starting Feb. 13, the Literacy Council will offer a twice-weekly evening class on the ins and outs of the citizenship exam and interview, which are conducted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency.

The class is open to anyone who is eligible to apply for citizenship. Students will be pre-registered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The naturalization test consists of two parts — a civics test and an English test. The material covered by the civics test includes questions on American government, integrated civics and U.S. history. The English test includes reading and writing tests as well as an interview that focuses on the personal information contained on the applicant’s N-400 “Application for Naturalization” form.

“Applying for citizenship can be a daunting task. We want to help students understand exactly what to expect during the process and to prepare them so they have the best chance at passing the exam and interview on the first try,” said Laurel Harry, program coordinator for the Literacy Council.

The class will be taught by veteran tutors Joel Scott and Liesa Montag-Siegel. Montag-Siegel has previously shepherded a student through the naturalization process. Both instructors have worked extensively with ESL students.

Last fall, Scott attended a training program hosted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security designed to give organizations the tools to provide effective citizenship instruction to clients. “We learned how to structure a class to prepare students to pass their naturalization examination and how to avoid many common pitfalls,” said Harry, who also attended the training.

“Many students over-focus on the civics questions and neglect to prepare adequately for the personal interview. We now know how to work with students to give them the best chance of passing on the first try.”

The class will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 200 W. Innes St., meeting in Room 215 in the education hallway.

The class will meet from 6 to 7:30 p.m.Tuesdays and Thursdays starting Feb 13.

Pre-registration is required. To register, call 704-216-8266.

The Rowan County Literacy Council is a United Way Agency whose student programs are free. The organization is headquartered in the main branch of the Rowan County Public Library, 201 W. Fisher St.

For more information, visit www.rcliteracy.org or call 704-216-8266.