HOUSE BILL No. 4114

 

 

January 31, 2017, Introduced by Reps. Kelly, Iden, Hughes, Alexander, Lilly, Hornberger, Garcia and Crawford and referred to the Committee on Education Reform.

 

     A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled

 

"The revised school code,"

 

by amending section 1278a (MCL 380.1278a), as amended by 2015 PA

 

186.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1278a. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section

 

or section 1278b, beginning with pupils entering grade 8 in 2006,

 

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

 

school academy shall not award a high school diploma to a pupil

 

unless the pupil meets all of the following:

 

     (a) Has successfully completed all of the following credit

 

requirements of the Michigan merit standard before graduating from

 

high school:

 

     (i) At least 4 credits in mathematics that are aligned with

 

subject area content expectations developed by the department and


approved by the state board under section 1278b, including

 

completion of at least algebra I, geometry, and algebra II, or an

 

integrated sequence of this course content that consists of 3

 

credits, and an additional mathematics credit, such as

 

trigonometry, statistics, precalculus, calculus, applied math,

 

accounting, business math, a retake of algebra II, or a course in

 

financial literacy as described in section 1165. A pupil may

 

complete algebra II over 2 years with 2 credits awarded or over 1.5

 

years with 1.5 credits awarded for the purposes of this section and

 

section 1278b. A pupil also may partially or fully fulfill the

 

algebra II requirement by completing a department-approved formal

 

career and technical education program or curriculum, such as a

 

program or curriculum in electronics, machining, construction,

 

welding, engineering, computer science, or renewable energy, and in

 

that program or curriculum successfully completing the same content

 

as the algebra II benchmarks assessed on the department-prescribed

 

state high school assessment, as determined by the department. The

 

department shall post on its website guidelines for implementation

 

of the immediately preceding sentence. Each pupil must successfully

 

complete at least 1 mathematics course during his or her final year

 

of high school enrollment. This subparagraph does not require

 

completion of mathematics courses in any particular sequence.

 

     (ii) At least 3 credits in social science that are aligned

 

with subject area content expectations developed by the department

 

and approved by the state board under section 1278b, including

 

completion of at least 1 credit in United States history and

 

geography, 1 credit in world history and geography, 1/2 credit in


economics, and the civics course described in section 1166(2). The

 

1/2-credit economics requirement may be satisfied by completion of

 

at least a 1/2-credit course in personal economics that includes a

 

financial literacy component as described in section 1165, if that

 

course covers the subject area content expectations for economics

 

developed by the department and approved by the state board under

 

section 1278b.

 

     (iii) At least 1 credit in subject matter that includes both

 

health and physical education aligned with guidelines developed by

 

the department and approved by the state board under section 1278b,

 

or at least 1/2 credit in health aligned with guidelines developed

 

by the department and approved by the state board under section

 

1278b and at least 1/2 credit awarded by the school district or

 

public school academy for approved participation in extracurricular

 

athletics or other extracurricular activities involving physical

 

activity.

 

     (iv) At least 1 credit in visual arts, performing arts, or

 

applied arts, as defined by the department, that is 3 credits in

 

21st century skills, aligned with guidelines developed by the

 

department and approved by the state board under section 1278b. For

 

the purposes of this subparagraph, the credits in 21st century

 

skills may be satisfied by successfully completing any combination

 

of 3 credits in the following:

 

     (A) A language other than English as described in subsection

 

(2).

 

     (B) Visual arts, performing arts, or applied arts, as defined

 

by the department. A school district or public school academy is


strongly encouraged to offer visual arts and performing arts

 

courses.

 

     (C) Computer science or computer coding, or a combination of

 

these.

 

     (D) A department-approved formal career and technical

 

education program.

 

     (v) The credit requirements specified in section 1278b(1).

 

     (b) Meets the online course or learning experience requirement

 

of this subsection. A school district or public school academy

 

shall provide the basic level of technology and internet access

 

required by the state board to complete the online course or

 

learning experience. For a pupil to meet this requirement, the

 

pupil shall meet either of the following, as determined by the

 

school district or public school academy:

 

     (i) Has successfully completed at least 1 course or learning

 

experience that is presented online, as defined by the department.

 

     (ii) The pupil's school district or public school academy has

 

integrated an online experience throughout the high school

 

curriculum by ensuring that each teacher of each course that

 

provides the required credits of the Michigan merit curriculum has

 

integrated an online experience into the course.

 

     (2) In addition to the requirements under subsection (1),

 

beginning with pupils entering grade 3 in 2006, the board of a

 

school district or board of directors of a public school academy

 

shall not award a high school diploma to a pupil unless the pupil

 

has successfully completed during grades K to 12 at least 2 A pupil

 

may complete 1 or more credits in a language other than English


toward fulfilling the requirements under subsection (1)(a)(iv) by

 

completing at any time during grades K to 12 one or more credits

 

that are grade-appropriate in a language other than English or

 

course work or other learning experiences that are substantially

 

equivalent to 2 credits in a language other than English, based on

 

guidelines developed by the department. For pupils who graduate

 

from high school in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, or 2021 only, a

 

pupil may partially or fully fulfill 1 credit of this requirement

 

by completing a department-approved formal career and technical

 

education program or curriculum or by completing visual or

 

performing arts instruction that is in addition to the requirements

 

under subsection (1)(a)(iv). The board of a school district or

 

board of directors of a public school academy is strongly

 

encouraged to ensure that all pupils complete at least 1 credit in

 

a language other than English in grades K to 6. For the purposes of

 

this subsection, all of the following apply:

 

     (a) American sign language is considered to be a language

 

other than English.

 

     (b) The pupil may meet satisfy all or part of this requirement

 

the requirements for a credit in a language other than English with

 

online course work.

 

     (3) The requirements under this section and section 1278b for

 

a high school diploma are in addition to any local requirements

 

imposed by the board of a school district or board of directors of

 

a public school academy. The board of a school district or board of

 

directors of a public school academy, as a local requirement for a

 

high school diploma, may require a pupil to complete the Michigan


merit examination under section 1279g or may require a pupil to

 

participate in the MIAccess assessments if appropriate for the

 

pupil.

 

     (4) For the purposes of this section and section 1278b, all of

 

the following apply:

 

     (a) A pupil is considered to have completed a credit if the

 

pupil successfully completes the subject area content expectations

 

or guidelines developed by the department that apply to the credit.

 

For a career and technical education credit, a school district or

 

public school academy may supplement those content expectations and

 

guidelines with additional guidelines developed by the school

 

district or public school academy.

 

     (b) A school district or public school academy shall base its

 

determination of whether a pupil has successfully completed the

 

subject area content expectations or guidelines developed by the

 

department that apply to a credit at least in part on the pupil's

 

performance on the assessments developed or selected by the

 

department under section 1278b or on 1 or more assessments

 

developed or selected by the school district or public school

 

academy that measure a pupil's understanding of the subject area

 

content expectations or guidelines that apply to the credit.

 

     (c) A school district or public school academy shall also

 

grant a pupil a credit if the pupil earns a qualifying score, as

 

determined by the department, on the assessments developed or

 

selected for the subject area by the department under section 1278b

 

or the pupil earns a qualifying score, as determined by the school

 

district or public school academy, on 1 or more assessments


developed or selected by the school district or public school

 

academy that measure a pupil's understanding of the subject area

 

content expectations or guidelines that apply to the credit.

 

     (5) If a high school is designated by the superintendent of

 

public instruction as a specialty school and the high school meets

 

the requirements of subsection (6), then the pupils of the high

 

school are not required to successfully complete the 4 credits in

 

English language arts required under section 1278b(1)(a) or the 3

 

credits in social science required under subsection (1)(a)(ii) and

 

the school district or public school academy is not required to

 

ensure that each pupil is offered the curriculum necessary for

 

meeting those English language arts or social science credit

 

requirements. The superintendent of public instruction may

 

designate up to 15 high schools that meet the requirements of this

 

subsection as specialty schools. Subject to this maximum number,

 

the superintendent of public instruction shall designate a high

 

school as a specialty school if the superintendent of public

 

instruction finds that the high school meets all of the following

 

criteria:

 

     (a) The high school incorporates a significant reading and

 

writing component throughout its curriculum.

 

     (b) The high school uses a specialized, innovative, and

 

rigorous curriculum in such areas as performing arts, foreign

 

language, extensive use of internships, or other learning

 

innovations that conform to pioneering innovations among other

 

leading national or international high schools.

 

     (6) A high school that is designated by the superintendent of


public instruction as a specialty school under subsection (5) is

 

only exempt from requirements as described under subsection (5) as

 

long as the superintendent of public instruction finds that the

 

high school continues to meet all of the following requirements:

 

     (a) The high school clearly states to prospective pupils and

 

their parents that it does not meet the requirements of the

 

Michigan merit standard under this section and section 1278b but is

 

a designated specialty school that is exempt from some of those

 

requirements and that a pupil who enrolls in the high school and

 

subsequently transfers to a high school that is not a specialty

 

school meeting the requirements of this subsection will be required

 

to comply with the requirements of the Michigan merit standard

 

under this section and section 1278b.

 

     (b) For the most recent year for which the data are available,

 

the mean scores on both the mathematics and science portions of the

 

ACT examination for the pupils of the high school exceed by at

 

least 10% the mean scores on the mathematics and science portions

 

of the ACT examination for the pupils of the school district in

 

which the greatest number of the pupils of the high school reside.

 

     (c) For the most recent year for which the data are available,

 

the high school had a graduation rate of at least 85%, as

 

determined by the department.

 

     (d) For the most recent year for which the data are available,

 

at least 75% of the pupils who graduated from the high school the

 

preceding year are enrolled in a postsecondary institution.

 

     (e) All pupils of the high school are required to meet the

 

mathematics credit requirements of subsection (1)(a)(i), with no


modification of these requirements under section 1278b(5), and each

 

pupil is offered the curriculum necessary to meet this requirement.

 

     (f) All pupils of the high school are required to meet the

 

science credit requirements of section 1278b(1)(b) and are also

 

required to successfully complete at least 1 additional science

 

credit, for a total of at least 4 science credits, with no

 

modification of these requirements under section 1278b(5), and each

 

pupil is offered the curriculum necessary to meet this requirement.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.