SENATE BILL No. 1153

 

 

April 21, 2004, Introduced by Senators KUIPERS, SWITALSKI, JELINEK, VAN WOERKOM, GARCIA, McMANUS and THOMAS and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "The revised school code,"                                                  

                                                                                

    by amending sections 1278, 1279, 1279a, 1279c, 1279d, and 1525              

                                                                                

    (MCL 380.1278, 380.1279, 380.1279a, 380.1279c, 380.1279d, and               

                                                                                

    380.1525), sections 1278 and 1279c as amended by 1995 PA 289,               

                                                                                

    section 1279 as amended by 1997 PA 175, section 1279a as added by           

                                                                                

    2002 PA 592, section 1279d as added by 2002 PA 640, and section             

                                                                                

    1525 as amended by 2003 PA 202, and by adding section 1279g.                

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 1278.  (1) In addition to the requirements for                         

                                                                                

2   accreditation under section 1280 specified in that section, if              

                                                                                

3   the board of a school district wants all of the schools of the              

                                                                                

4   school district to be accredited under section 1280, the board              

                                                                                

5   shall provide to all pupils attending public school in the                  

                                                                                

6   district a core academic curriculum in compliance with subsection           

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   (3) in each of the curricular areas specified in the state board            

                                                                                

2   recommended model core academic curriculum content standards                

                                                                                

3   developed under subsection (2).  The state board model core                 

                                                                                

4   academic curriculum content standards shall encompass academic              

                                                                                

5   and cognitive instruction only.  For purposes of this section,              

                                                                                

6   the state board model core academic curriculum content standards            

                                                                                

7   shall not include attitudes, beliefs, or value systems that are             

                                                                                

8   not essential in the legal, economic, and social structure of our           

                                                                                

9   society and to the personal and social responsibility of citizens           

                                                                                

10  of our society.                                                             

                                                                                

11      (2) Recommended model core academic curriculum content                      

                                                                                

12  standards shall be developed and periodically updated by the                

                                                                                

13  state board, shall be in the form of knowledge and skill content            

                                                                                

14  standards that are recommended as state standards for adoption by           

                                                                                

15  public schools in local curriculum formulation and adoption, and            

                                                                                

16  shall be distributed to each school district in the state.  The             

                                                                                

17  recommended model core academic curriculum content standards                

                                                                                

18  shall set forth desired learning objectives in math, science,               

                                                                                

19  reading, history, geography, economics, American government, and            

                                                                                

20  writing for all children at each stage of schooling and be based            

                                                                                

21  upon the "Michigan K-12 program standards of quality" to ensure             

                                                                                

22  that high academic standards, academic skills, and academic                 

                                                                                

23  subject matters are built into the instructional goals of all               

                                                                                

24  school districts for all children.  The state board also shall              

                                                                                

25  ensure that the Michigan educational assessment program and the             

                                                                                

26  high school proficiency exam  Michigan merit examination are               

                                                                                

27  based on the state recommended model core curriculum content                


                                                                                

1   standards, are testing only for proficiency in basic and advanced           

                                                                                

2   academic skills and academic subject matter, and are not used to            

                                                                                

3   measure pupils' values or attitudes.                                        

                                                                                

4       (3) The board of each school district, considering academic                 

                                                                                

5   curricular objectives defined and recommended pursuant to                   

                                                                                

6   subsection (2), shall do both of the following:                             

                                                                                

7       (a) Establish a core academic curriculum for its pupils at                  

                                                                                

8   the elementary, middle, and secondary school levels.  The core              

                                                                                

9   academic curriculum shall define academic objectives to be                  

                                                                                

10  achieved by all pupils and shall be based upon the school                   

                                                                                

11  district's educational mission, long-range pupil goals, and pupil           

                                                                                

12  performance objectives.  The core academic curriculum may vary              

                                                                                

13  from the model core academic curriculum content standards                   

                                                                                

14  recommended by the state board pursuant to subsection (2).                  

                                                                                

15      (b) After consulting with teachers and school building                      

                                                                                

16  administrators, determine the aligned instructional program for             

                                                                                

17  delivering the core academic curriculum and identify the courses            

                                                                                

18  and programs in which the core academic curriculum will be                  

                                                                                

19  taught.                                                                     

                                                                                

20      (4) The board may supplement the core academic curriculum by                

                                                                                

21  providing instruction through additional classes and programs.              

                                                                                

22      (5) For all pupils, the subjects or courses, and the delivery               

                                                                                

23  of those including special assistance, that constitute the                  

                                                                                

24  curriculum the pupils engage in shall assure the pupils have a              

                                                                                

25  realistic opportunity to learn all subjects and courses required            

                                                                                

26  by the district's core academic curriculum.  in order to give all           

                                                                                

27  pupils a reasonable opportunity to attain a state-endorsed                  


                                                                                

1   diploma.  A subject or course required by the core academic                 

                                                                                

2   curriculum pursuant to subsection (3) shall be provided to all              

                                                                                

3   pupils in the school district by a school district, a consortium            

                                                                                

4   of school districts, or a consortium of 1 or more school                    

                                                                                

5   districts and 1 or more intermediate school districts.                      

                                                                                

6       (6) To the extent practicable, the state board may adopt or                 

                                                                                

7   develop academic objective-oriented high standards for knowledge            

                                                                                

8   and life skills, and a recommended core academic curriculum, for            

                                                                                

9   special education pupils for whom it may not be realistic or                

                                                                                

10  desirable to expect achievement of  novice level or  initial                

                                                                                

11  mastery of the state board recommended model core academic                  

                                                                                

12  content standards objectives or of a high school diploma.                   

                                                                                

13      (7) The state board shall make available to all nonpublic                   

                                                                                

14  schools in this state, as a resource for their consideration, the           

                                                                                

15  model core academic curriculum content standards developed for              

                                                                                

16  public schools pursuant to subsection (2) for the purpose of                

                                                                                

17  assisting the governing body of a nonpublic school in developing            

                                                                                

18  its core academic curriculum.                                               

                                                                                

19      (8) Excluding special education pupils, pupils having a                     

                                                                                

20  learning disability, and pupils with extenuating circumstances as           

                                                                                

21  determined by school officials, a pupil who does not score                  

                                                                                

22  satisfactorily on the 4th or 7th grade Michigan educational                 

                                                                                

23  assessment program reading test shall be provided special                   

                                                                                

24  assistance reasonably expected to enable the pupil to bring his             

                                                                                

25  or her reading skills to grade level within 12 months.                      

                                                                                

26      (9) Any course that would have been considered a nonessential               

                                                                                

27  elective course under Snyder v Charlotte School Dist, 421 Mich              


                                                                                

1   517 (1984), on April 13, 1990 shall continue to be offered to               

                                                                                

2   resident pupils of nonpublic schools on a shared time basis.                

                                                                                

3       Sec. 1279.  (1)  The  Until the end of the 2005 calendar                    

                                                                                

4   year, the board of a school district or public school academy               

                                                                                

5   shall administer state assessments to high school pupils in the             

                                                                                

6   subject areas of communications skills, mathematics, science, and           

                                                                                

7   , beginning with pupils scheduled to graduate in 2000,  social             

                                                                                

8   studies.  The board shall include on the pupil's high school                

                                                                                

9   transcript all of the following:                                            

                                                                                

10      (a) For each high school graduate who has completed a subject               

                                                                                

11  area assessment under this section, the pupil's scaled score on             

                                                                                

12  the assessment.                                                             

                                                                                

13      (b) If the pupil's scaled score on a subject area assessment                

                                                                                

14  falls within the range required under subsection (2) for a                  

                                                                                

15  category established under subsection (2), an indication that the           

                                                                                

16  pupil has achieved state endorsement for that subject area.                 

                                                                                

17      (c) The number of school days the pupil was in attendance at                

                                                                                

18  school each school year during high school and the total number             

                                                                                

19  of school days in session for each of those school years.                   

                                                                                

20      (2) The  department  superintendent of public instruction                   

                                                                                

21  shall develop scaled scores for reporting subject area assessment           

                                                                                

22  results for each of the subject areas under this section.                   

                                                                                

23  Subject to approval by the state board, the superintendent of               

                                                                                

24  public instruction shall establish 3 categories for each subject            

                                                                                

25  area indicating basic competency, above average, and outstanding,           

                                                                                

26  and shall establish the scaled score range required for each                

                                                                                

27  category.  The  department  superintendent of public instruction            


                                                                                

1   shall design and distribute to school districts, intermediate               

                                                                                

2   school districts, public school academies, and nonpublic schools            

                                                                                

3   a simple and concise document that describes these categories in            

                                                                                

4   each subject area and indicates the scaled score ranges for each            

                                                                                

5   category in each subject area.  A school district or public                 

                                                                                

6   school academy may award a high school diploma to a pupil who               

                                                                                

7   successfully completes local school district or public school               

                                                                                

8   academy requirements established in accordance with state law for           

                                                                                

9   high school graduation, regardless of whether the pupil is                  

                                                                                

10  eligible for any state endorsement.                                         

                                                                                

11      (3) The assessments administered for the purposes of this                   

                                                                                

12  section shall be administered to pupils during the last 30 school           

                                                                                

13  days of grade 11.  The  department  superintendent of public                

                                                                                

14  instruction shall ensure that the assessments are scored and the            

                                                                                

15  scores are returned to pupils, their parents or legal guardians,            

                                                                                

16  and school districts or public school academies not later than              

                                                                                

17  the beginning of the pupil's first semester of grade 12.   Not              

                                                                                

18  later than fall 1999, the department  The superintendent of                 

                                                                                

19  public instruction shall arrange for those portions of a pupil's            

                                                                                

20  assessment that cannot be scored mechanically to be scored in               

                                                                                

21  Michigan by persons who are Michigan teachers, retired Michigan             

                                                                                

22  teachers, or Michigan school administrators and who have been               

                                                                                

23  trained in scoring the assessments.  The returned scores shall              

                                                                                

24  indicate the pupil's scaled score for each subject area                     

                                                                                

25  assessment, the range of scaled scores for each subject area, and           

                                                                                

26  the range of scaled scores required for each category established           

                                                                                

27  under subsection (2).  In reporting the scores to pupils,                   


                                                                                

1   parents, and schools, the  department  superintendent of public             

                                                                                

2   instruction shall provide specific, meaningful, and timely                  

                                                                                

3   feedback on the pupil's performance on the assessment.                      

                                                                                

4       (4) For each pupil who does not achieve  state endorsement                  

                                                                                

5   proficiency in 1 or more subject areas, the board of the school             

                                                                                

6   district or public school academy in which the pupil is enrolled            

                                                                                

7   shall provide that there be at least 1 meeting attended by at               

                                                                                

8   least the pupil and a member of the school district's or public             

                                                                                

9   school academy's staff or a local or intermediate school district           

                                                                                

10  consultant who is proficient in the measurement and evaluation of           

                                                                                

11  pupils.  The school district or public school academy may provide           

                                                                                

12  the meeting as a group meeting for pupils in similar                        

                                                                                

13  circumstances.  If the pupil is a minor, the school district or             

                                                                                

14  public school academy shall invite and encourage the pupil's                

                                                                                

15  parent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis to attend the            

                                                                                

16  meeting and shall mail a notice of the meeting to the pupil's               

                                                                                

17  parent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis.  The purpose            

                                                                                

18  of this meeting and any subsequent meeting under this subsection            

                                                                                

19  shall be to determine an educational program for the pupil                  

                                                                                

20  designed to have the pupil achieve state endorsement in each                

                                                                                

21  subject area in which he or she did not achieve state                       

                                                                                

22  endorsement.  In addition, a school district or public school               

                                                                                

23  academy may provide for subsequent meetings with the pupil                  

                                                                                

24  conducted by a high school counselor or teacher designated by the           

                                                                                

25  pupil's high school principal, and shall invite and encourage the           

                                                                                

26  pupil's parent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis to               

                                                                                

27  attend the subsequent meetings.  The school district or public              


                                                                                

1   school academy shall provide special programs for the pupil or              

                                                                                

2   develop a program using the educational programs regularly                  

                                                                                

3   provided by the district unless the board of the school district            

                                                                                

4   or public school academy decides otherwise and publishes and                

                                                                                

5   explains its decision in a public justification report.                     

                                                                                

6       (5) A pupil who wants to repeat an assessment administered                  

                                                                                

7   under this section may repeat the assessment, without charge to             

                                                                                

8   the pupil, in the next school year or after graduation.  An                 

                                                                                

9   individual may repeat an assessment at any time the school                  

                                                                                

10  district or public school academy administers an applicable                 

                                                                                

11  assessment instrument or during a retesting period under                    

                                                                                

12  subsection (7).                                                             

                                                                                

13      (6) The  department  superintendent of public instruction                   

                                                                                

14  shall ensure that the length of the assessments used for the                

                                                                                

15  purposes of this section and the combined total time necessary to           

                                                                                

16  administer all of the assessments, including social studies, are            

                                                                                

17  the shortest possible that will still maintain the degree of                

                                                                                

18  reliability and validity of the assessment results determined               

                                                                                

19  necessary by the  department  superintendent of public                      

                                                                                

20  instruction.  The  department  superintendent of public                     

                                                                                

21  instruction shall ensure that the maximum total combined length             

                                                                                

22  of time that schools are required to set aside for administration           

                                                                                

23  of all of the assessments used for the purposes of this section,            

                                                                                

24  including social studies, does not exceed 8 hours.  However, this           

                                                                                

25  subsection does not limit the amount of time that individuals may           

                                                                                

26  have to complete the assessments.                                           

                                                                                

27      (7) The  department  superintendent of public instruction                   


                                                                                

1   shall establish, schedule, and arrange periodic retesting periods           

                                                                                

2   throughout the year for individuals who desire to repeat an                 

                                                                                

3   assessment under this section.  The  department  superintendent             

                                                                                

4   of public instruction shall coordinate the arrangements for                 

                                                                                

5   administering the repeat assessments and shall ensure that the              

                                                                                

6   retesting is made available at least within each intermediate               

                                                                                

7   school district and, to the extent possible, within each school             

                                                                                

8   district.                                                                   

                                                                                

9       (8) A school district or public school academy shall provide                

                                                                                

10  accommodations to a pupil with disabilities for the assessments             

                                                                                

11  required under this section, as provided under section 504 of               

                                                                                

12  title V of the rehabilitation act of 1973,  Public Law 93-112, 29           

                                                                                

13  U.S.C.  29 USC 794; subtitle A of title II of the Americans with            

                                                                                

14  disabilities act of 1990,  Public Law 101-336, 42 U.S.C.  42 USC            

                                                                                

15  12131 to 12134; and the implementing regulations for those                  

                                                                                

16  statutes.                                                                   

                                                                                

17      (9) For the purposes of this section, the  state board                      

                                                                                

18  superintendent of public instruction shall develop or select and            

                                                                                

19  approve assessment instruments to measure pupil performance in              

                                                                                

20  communications skills, mathematics, social studies, and science.            

                                                                                

21  The assessment instruments shall be based on the state board                

                                                                                

22  model core academic content standards objectives.                           

                                                                                

23      (10) All assessment instruments developed or selected and                   

                                                                                

24  approved by the state under any statute or rule for a purpose               

                                                                                

25  related to K to 12 education shall be objective-oriented and                

                                                                                

26  consistent with the state board model core academic content                 

                                                                                

27  standards objectives.                                                       


                                                                                

1       (11)  A  Until the end of the 2005 calendar year, a person                  

                                                                                

2   who has graduated from high school after 1996 and who has not               

                                                                                

3   previously taken an assessment under this section may take an               

                                                                                

4   assessment used for the purposes of this section, without charge            

                                                                                

5   to the person, at the school district from which he or she                  

                                                                                

6   graduated from high school at any time that school district                 

                                                                                

7   administers the assessment or during a retesting period scheduled           

                                                                                

8   under subsection (7) and have his or her scaled score on the                

                                                                                

9   assessment included on his or her high school transcript.  If the           

                                                                                

10  person's scaled score on a subject area assessment falls within             

                                                                                

11  the range required under subsection (2) for a category                      

                                                                                

12  established under subsection (2), the school district shall also            

                                                                                

13  indicate on the person's high school transcript that the person             

                                                                                

14  has achieved state endorsement for that subject area.                       

                                                                                

15      (12) Not later than July 1 of each year until 2000, the                     

                                                                                

16  department shall submit a comprehensive report to the legislature           

                                                                                

17  on the status of the assessment program under this section.  The            

                                                                                

18  report shall include at least all of the following:                         

                                                                                

19      (a) The annual pupil assessment data.                                       

                                                                                

20      (b) A description of the feedback provided to pupils,                       

                                                                                

21  parents, and schools.                                                       

                                                                                

22      (c) A description of any significant alterations made in the                

                                                                                

23  program by the department or state board during the period                  

                                                                                

24  covered by the report.                                                      

                                                                                

25      (d) Any recommendations by the department or state board for                

                                                                                

26  legislative changes to the program.                                         

                                                                                

27      (e) An update of the reports of the assessment advisory                     


                                                                                

1   committees of the state board.                                              

                                                                                

2       (13) Pupils scheduled to graduate in 1998 who took the                      

                                                                                

3   assessments used for the purposes of this section during the                

                                                                                

4   1996-97 school year may repeat 1 or more of the assessments                 

                                                                                

5   during the 1997-98 school year.  The department, in cooperation             

                                                                                

6   with school districts and public school academies, shall make               

                                                                                

7   arrangements for repeat assessments to be available for these               

                                                                                

8   pupils in each school district that operates a high school during           

                                                                                

9   the 1997-98 school year in time for these pupils to repeat the              

                                                                                

10  assessments before graduation.  The repeat assessments may be               

                                                                                

11  administered at times other than regular school hours.                      

                                                                                

12      (12)  (14)  A child who is a student in a nonpublic school or               

                                                                                

13  home school may take an assessment under this section.  To take             

                                                                                

14  an assessment, a child who is a student in a home school shall              

                                                                                

15  contact the school district in which the child resides, and that            

                                                                                

16  school district shall administer the assessment, or the child may           

                                                                                

17  take the assessment at a nonpublic school if allowed by the                 

                                                                                

18  nonpublic school.  Upon request from a nonpublic school, the                

                                                                                

19  department  superintendent of public instruction shall supply              

                                                                                

20  assessments and the nonpublic school may administer the                     

                                                                                

21  assessment.                                                                 

                                                                                

22      (13)  (15)  The purpose of the assessment under this section                

                                                                                

23  is to assess pupil performance in mathematics, science, social              

                                                                                

24  studies, and communication arts for the purpose of improving                

                                                                                

25  academic achievement and establishing a statewide standard of               

                                                                                

26  competency.  The assessment under this section provides a common            

                                                                                

27  measure of data that will contribute to the improvement of                  


                                                                                

1   Michigan schools' curriculum and instruction by encouraging                 

                                                                                

2   alignment with Michigan's curriculum framework standards.  These            

                                                                                

3   standards are based upon the expectations of what pupils should             

                                                                                

4   know and be able to do by the end of grade 11.                              

                                                                                

5       (14)  (16) Not later than 90 days after the effective date of               

                                                                                

6   this subsection, the state board  The superintendent of public              

                                                                                

7   instruction shall appoint an 11-member assessment administration            

                                                                                

8   advisory committee to advise the  state board  superintendent of            

                                                                                

9   public instruction on Michigan education assessment program                 

                                                                                

10  (MEAP) tests and, until the end of the 2005 calendar year, on the           

                                                                                

11  assessments used for state endorsements under this section.  This           

                                                                                

12  advisory committee shall be composed of representatives of school           

                                                                                

13  districts, intermediate school districts, school administrators,            

                                                                                

14  teachers, and parents, with the appointments reflecting the                 

                                                                                

15  geographic and population diversity of school districts in this             

                                                                                

16  state.  The representatives of school districts and intermediate            

                                                                                

17  school districts shall be persons who are expert in testing or              

                                                                                

18  test administration.  This advisory committee shall evaluate                

                                                                                

19  these tests and assessments and make recommendations to the state           

                                                                                

20  board and department on issues related to administration,                   

                                                                                

21  scoring, and reporting and use of results of these tests and                

                                                                                

22  assessments, including, but not limited to, length of the tests             

                                                                                

23  and assessments; the time of the testing period during the school           

                                                                                

24  year; feedback provided to pupils, parents, and schools; accurate           

                                                                                

25  and relevant reporting of results to the general public; the                

                                                                                

26  selection of a retesting period and procedures and arrangements             

                                                                                

27  for repeating tests or assessments; local scoring and other                 


                                                                                

1   general issues regarding scoring of tests and assessments;                  

                                                                                

2   categories of scoring on the MEAP tests and categories of state             

                                                                                

3   endorsement under this section; and professional development for            

                                                                                

4   teachers to assist in preparing pupils to have the necessary                

                                                                                

5   skills and knowledge to succeed on the tests and assessments.               

                                                                                

6       (15)  (17)  As used in this section:                                        

                                                                                

7       (a) "Communications skills" means reading and writing.                      

                                                                                

8       (b) "Social studies" means geography, history, economics, and               

                                                                                

9   American government.                                                        

                                                                                

10      Sec. 1279a.  If the  department of treasury  superintendent                 

                                                                                

11  of public instruction has reason to suspect that there are                  

                                                                                

12  irregularities in a school district's or public school academy's            

                                                                                

13  administration of, or preparation of pupils for, a Michigan                 

                                                                                

14  educational assessment program (MEAP) test or the Michigan merit            

                                                                                

15  examination, the  department of treasury  superintendent of                 

                                                                                

16  public instruction shall not report the suspected irregularities            

                                                                                

17  to any person or entity not involved in the scoring or                      

                                                                                

18  administration of the test before notifying the school district             

                                                                                

19  or public school academy of the suspected irregularities and                

                                                                                

20  allowing at least 5 business days for school officials to                   

                                                                                

21  respond.                                                                    

                                                                                

22      Sec. 1279c.  The state board, the superintendent of public                  

                                                                                

23  instruction, the board of each school district, and each public             

                                                                                

24  school academy shall ensure that the Michigan educational                   

                                                                                

25  assessment program (MEAP) tests and the Michigan merit                      

                                                                                

26  examination are not used to measure pupils' values or attitudes.            

                                                                                

27      Sec. 1279d.  If the  department of treasury  superintendent                 


                                                                                

1   of public instruction or any other state agency has reason to               

                                                                                

2   suspect that there are irregularities in a school district's or             

                                                                                

3   public school academy's administration of, or preparation of                

                                                                                

4   pupils for, a Michigan educational assessment program (MEAP) test           

                                                                                

5   or the Michigan merit examination, the  department of treasury              

                                                                                

6   superintendent of public instruction or any other state agency              

                                                                                

7   shall not report the suspected irregularities to any person or              

                                                                                

8   entity not involved in the scoring or administration of the test            

                                                                                

9   before notifying the school district or public school academy of            

                                                                                

10  the suspected irregularities and allowing at least 5 business               

                                                                                

11  days for school officials to respond.                                       

                                                                                

12      Sec. 1279g.  (1) Beginning in the 2006 calendar year, the                   

                                                                                

13  board of a school district or board of directors of a public                

                                                                                

14  school academy shall comply with this section and shall                     

                                                                                

15  administer the Michigan merit examination to pupils in grade 11             

                                                                                

16  as provided in this section.                                                

                                                                                

17      (2) For the purposes of this section, the department of                     

                                                                                

18  management and budget shall contract with 1 or more providers to            

                                                                                

19  develop, supply, and score the Michigan merit examination.  The             

                                                                                

20  Michigan merit examination shall consist of all of the                      

                                                                                

21  following:                                                                  

                                                                                

22      (a) A curriculum-based achievement test that measures                       

                                                                                

23  English, mathematics, reading, and science and is used by                   

                                                                                

24  colleges and universities in this state for entrance and                    

                                                                                

25  placement purposes.                                                         

                                                                                

26      (b) One or more tests that assess a pupil's ability to apply                

                                                                                

27  reading and mathematics skills in a manner that is intended to              


                                                                                

1   allow employers to use the results in making employment                     

                                                                                

2   decisions.                                                                  

                                                                                

3       (c) A social studies component.                                             

                                                                                

4       (3) Beginning with pupils completing grade 11 in 2006, a                    

                                                                                

5   school district or public school academy that operates a high               

                                                                                

6   school shall include on each pupil's high school transcript all             

                                                                                

7   of the following:                                                           

                                                                                

8       (a) For each high school graduate who has completed the                     

                                                                                

9   Michigan merit examination under this section, the pupil's scaled           

                                                                                

10  score on each subject area component of the Michigan merit                  

                                                                                

11  examination.                                                                

                                                                                

12      (b) The number of school days the pupil was in attendance at                

                                                                                

13  school each school year during high school and the total number             

                                                                                

14  of school days in session for each of those school years.                   

                                                                                

15      (4) The superintendent of public instruction shall work with                

                                                                                

16  the provider or providers of the Michigan merit examination to              

                                                                                

17  produce Michigan merit examination subject area scores for each             

                                                                                

18  pupil participating in the Michigan merit examination, including            

                                                                                

19  scaling and merging of test items for the different subject area            

                                                                                

20  components.  The superintendent of public instruction shall                 

                                                                                

21  design and distribute to school districts, public school                    

                                                                                

22  academies, intermediate school districts, and nonpublic schools a           

                                                                                

23  simple and concise document that describes the scoring for each             

                                                                                

24  subject area and indicates the scaled score ranges for each                 

                                                                                

25  subject area.                                                               

                                                                                

26      (5) The Michigan merit examination shall be administered                    

                                                                                

27  each year after March 1 and before June 1 to pupils in grade 11.            


                                                                                

1   The superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that the              

                                                                                

2   Michigan merit examination is scored and the scores are returned            

                                                                                

3   to pupils, their parents or legal guardians, and schools not                

                                                                                

4   later than the beginning of the pupil's first semester of grade             

                                                                                

5   12.  The returned scores shall indicate at least the pupil's                

                                                                                

6   scaled score for each subject area component and the range of               

                                                                                

7   scaled scores for each subject area.  In reporting the scores to            

                                                                                

8   pupils, parents, and schools, the superintendent of public                  

                                                                                

9   instruction shall provide specific, meaningful, and timely                  

                                                                                

10  feedback on the pupil's performance on the Michigan merit                   

                                                                                

11  examination.                                                                

                                                                                

12      (6) A pupil who does not qualify for a Michigan merit award                 

                                                                                

13  scholarship under the Michigan merit award scholarship act, 1999            

                                                                                

14  PA 94, MCL 390.1451 to 390.1459, and who wants to repeat the                

                                                                                

15  Michigan merit examination may repeat the Michigan merit                    

                                                                                

16  examination, without charge to the pupil, in the next school year           

                                                                                

17  on a designated testing date.                                               

                                                                                

18      (7) The superintendent of public instruction shall ensure                   

                                                                                

19  that the length of the Michigan merit examination and the                   

                                                                                

20  combined total time necessary to administer all of the components           

                                                                                

21  of the Michigan merit examination are the shortest possible that            

                                                                                

22  will still maintain the degree of reliability and validity of the           

                                                                                

23  Michigan merit examination results determined necessary by the              

                                                                                

24  superintendent of public instruction.  The superintendent of                

                                                                                

25  public instruction shall ensure that the maximum total combined             

                                                                                

26  length of time that schools are required to set aside for                   

                                                                                

27  administration of all of the components of the Michigan merit               


                                                                                

1   examination does not exceed 8 hours.                                        

                                                                                

2       (8) A school district or public school academy shall provide                

                                                                                

3   accommodations approved by the provider or providers of the                 

                                                                                

4   Michigan merit examination to a pupil with disabilities for the             

                                                                                

5   Michigan merit examination, as provided under section 504 of                

                                                                                

6   title V of the rehabilitation act of 1973, 29 USC 794; subtitle A           

                                                                                

7   of title II of the Americans with disabilities act of 1990, 42              

                                                                                

8   USC 12131 to 12134; and the implementing regulations for those              

                                                                                

9   statutes.                                                                   

                                                                                

10      (9) To the greatest extent possible, the Michigan merit                     

                                                                                

11  examination shall be based on the model core academic content               

                                                                                

12  standards objectives under section 1278 of the revised school               

                                                                                

13  code, MCL 380.1278.                                                         

                                                                                

14      (10) A child who is a student in a nonpublic school or home                 

                                                                                

15  school may take the Michigan merit examination under this                   

                                                                                

16  section.  To take the Michigan merit examination, a child who is            

                                                                                

17  a student in a home school shall contact the school district in             

                                                                                

18  which the child resides, and that school district shall                     

                                                                                

19  administer the Michigan merit examination, or the child may take            

                                                                                

20  the Michigan merit examination at a nonpublic school if allowed             

                                                                                

21  by the nonpublic school.  Upon request from a nonpublic school,             

                                                                                

22  the superintendent of public instruction shall direct the                   

                                                                                

23  provider or providers to supply the Michigan merit examination to           

                                                                                

24  the nonpublic school and the nonpublic school may administer the            

                                                                                

25  Michigan merit examination.                                                 

                                                                                

26      (11) The purpose of the Michigan merit examination is to                    

                                                                                

27  assess pupil performance in mathematics, science, social studies,           


                                                                                

1   and communication arts for the purpose of improving academic                

                                                                                

2   achievement and establishing a statewide standard of competency.            

                                                                                

3   The assessment under this section provides a common measure of              

                                                                                

4   data that will contribute to the improvement of Michigan schools'           

                                                                                

5   curriculum and instruction by encouraging alignment with                    

                                                                                

6   Michigan's curriculum framework standards and promotes pupil                

                                                                                

7   participation in higher level mathematics, science, social                  

                                                                                

8   studies, and language arts courses.  These standards are based              

                                                                                

9   upon the expectations of what pupils should learn through high              

                                                                                

10  school and are aligned with national standards.  As used in this            

                                                                                

11  subsection:                                                                 

                                                                                

12      (a) "Communications skills" means reading and writing.                      

                                                                                

13      (b) "Social studies" means geography, history, economics,                   

                                                                                

14  and American government.                                                    

                                                                                

15      Sec. 1525.  (1) State and federal funds appropriated by the                 

                                                                                

16  legislature to support professional development and education may           

                                                                                

17  be used for the following:                                                  

                                                                                

18      (a) Professional development programs for administrators and                

                                                                                

19  teachers.  These programs shall emphasize the improvement of                

                                                                                

20  teaching and pupils' learning of academic core curriculum                   

                                                                                

21  objectives, as measured by Michigan educational assessment                  

                                                                                

22  program, the Michigan merit examination, and other criterion -              

                                                                                

23  reference assessments; collaborative decision-making; site-based            

                                                                                

24  management; the process of school improvement; instructional                

                                                                                

25  leadership; and the use of data and assessment instruments to               

                                                                                

26  improve teaching and learning for all pupils.                               

                                                                                

27      (b) A biennial education policy leadership institute.  The                  


                                                                                

1   state board shall organize and convene a biennial education                 

                                                                                

2   policy leadership institute for the governor, the lieutenant                

                                                                                

3   governor, the state board, the state superintendent, the                    

                                                                                

4   legislature, and the presidents of the state board approved                 

                                                                                

5   teacher education institutions, and the staff of each as may be             

                                                                                

6   considered appropriate, to examine the most current public                  

                                                                                

7   education policy issues and initiatives and the appropriate role            

                                                                                

8   of policy leaders.                                                          

                                                                                

9       (c) A statewide academy for school leadership established by                

                                                                                

10  the state board.                                                            

                                                                                

11      (d) A principal leadership academy.  The department, in                     

                                                                                

12  collaboration with statewide associations of school principals,             

                                                                                

13  shall establish the principal leadership academy.  The principal            

                                                                                

14  leadership academy shall consist of training for school                     

                                                                                

15  principals that is conducted by other school principals who have            

                                                                                

16  a record of demonstrated success in improving pupil performance.            

                                                                                

17  The department shall solicit input from school district                     

                                                                                

18  superintendents and intermediate superintendents to compile a               

                                                                                

19  list of successful school principals who would likely be                    

                                                                                

20  effective in conducting the training at the principal leadership            

                                                                                

21  academy and shall select school principals to conduct the                   

                                                                                

22  training from this list.  The training shall include all aspects            

                                                                                

23  of successful school leadership, including at least all of the              

                                                                                

24  following:                                                                  

                                                                                

25                                                                               (i) Strategies for increasing parental involvement.                                 

                                                                                

26      (ii) Strategies for engaging community support and                           

                                                                                

27  involvement.                                                                


                                                                                

1       (iii) Creative problem-solving.                                              

                                                                                

2       (iv) Financial decision-making.                                              

                                                                                

3       (v) Management rights and techniques.                                       

                                                                                

4       (vi) Other strategies for improving school leadership to                     

                                                                                

5   achieve better pupil performance.                                           

                                                                                

6       (e) Community leadership development.  The state board, in                  

                                                                                

7   conjunction with intermediate school districts, shall conduct a             

                                                                                

8   leadership development training program in each school district             

                                                                                

9   for members of the community.                                               

                                                                                

10      (f) Promotion of high educational standards.  The state                     

                                                                                

11  board, in collaboration with the business community and                     

                                                                                

12  educators, shall coordinate and assist in the promotion of a                

                                                                                

13  statewide public education and information program concerning the           

                                                                                

14  need to achieve world class educational standards in the public             

                                                                                

15  schools of this state.                                                      

                                                                                

16      (g) Sabbatical leaves.  School districts shall provide                      

                                                                                

17  sabbatical leaves for up to 1 academic year for selected master             

                                                                                

18  teachers who aid in professional development.                               

                                                                                

19      (h) Any other purpose authorized in the appropriation for                   

                                                                                

20  professional development in the state school aid act of 1979.               

                                                                                

21      (2) In order to receive professional development funding                    

                                                                                

22  described in subsection (1), each school district and                       

                                                                                

23  intermediate school district shall prepare and submit to the                

                                                                                

24  state board for approval an annual professional development                 

                                                                                

25  plan.                                                                       

                                                                                

26      (3) The state board may disapprove for state funding proposed               

                                                                                

27  professional development that the state board finds to be 1 or              


                                                                                

1   more of the following:                                                      

                                                                                

2       (a) Not in furtherance of core academic curriculum needs.                   

                                                                                

3       (b) Not constituting serious, informed innovation.                          

                                                                                

4       (c) Of generally inferior overall quality or depth regardless               

                                                                                

5   of who sponsors or conducts the education or training.                      

                                                                                

6       (d) Not in compliance with the requirements of section 1526.                

                                                                                

7       Enacting section 1.  This amendatory act does not take                      

                                                                                

8   effect unless all of the following bills of the 92nd Legislature            

                                                                                

9   are enacted into law:                                                       

                                                                                

10      (a) Senate Bill No. 1155.                                                   

                                                                                

11                                                                              

                                                                                

12      (b) Senate Bill No. 1154.                                                   

                                                                                

13                                                                              

                                                                                

14      (c) Senate Bill No. 1156.                                                   

                                                                                

15                                                                              

                                                                                

16      (d) Senate Bill No. 1157.                                                   

                                                                                

17