PERSONAL CURRICULUM

Senate Bill 1427

Sponsor:  Sen. Wayne Kuipers

House Committee:  Education

Senate Committee:  Education

Complete to 12-5-06

A SUMMARY OF SENATE BILL 1427 (S-4) AS PASSED BY THE SENATE 11-30-06

Under the recent legislation that put a standardized high school curriculum (known as the Michigan Merit Core), a parent or legal guardian can request a personal curriculum that modifies certain aspects of the requirements.  The bill would amend provisions in the Revised School Code (MCL 380.1278b) dealing with the personal curriculum option to do the following:

o                   Specify that a personal curriculum approved for a student would have to incorporate as much of the subject area content expectations for the credits required under the Michigan Merit Curriculum as practicable "for the pupil."

o                   Require that the personal curriculum be developed by a group that included at least the student, at least one of the student's parents (or a legal guardian), and the student's high school counselor, school psychologist, or another designee qualified under the code and selected by the high school principal.

o                   Allow the parent of a student who transferred from out-of-state or from a nonpublic school and had completed at least the equivalent of two years of high school before the transfer, to request a personal curriculum for the student.

o                   Require a personal curriculum for a student who had transferred from out-of-state or from a nonpublic school to include math in his or her final year of high school, and if the student were enrolled in the school for at least one full school year, require that math course to be at least algebra I.

o                   Require the parent or legal guardian of a student for whom a personal curriculum had been approved to be in communication with each of the student's teachers at least once every calendar quarter.

o                   Permit a student who was at least 18 years of age or an emancipated minor to act on his or her own behalf under these provisions.

o                   Allow a school district or the board of directors of a charter school to award a high school diploma to a student who successfully completed his or her personal curriculum, even if it did not meet the requirements of the Michigan Merit Standards required under the code.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Senate Bill 1427 would have no fiscal impact on state or local government.

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   J. Hunault

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Mary Ann Cleary

                                                                                                                           Bethany Wicksall

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.