SENATE BILL No. 133
January 31,
2013, Introduced by Senators CASWELL, PAPPAGEORGE, NOFS, GREEN, JANSEN, BOOHER,
MARLEAU, WALKER and JONES and referred to the Committee on Education.
A
bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled
"The
revised school code,"
by
amending section 1278a (MCL 380.1278a), as amended by 2009 PA
205.
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, 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 that has
appropriate
embedded mathematics content, such as a program or
curriculum
in electronics, machining, construction, welding,
engineering,
or renewable energy. Not later than 30 days after the
effective
date of the amendatory act that added the immediately
preceding
sentence, the department shall post on its website and
submit
to the senate and house standing committees on education
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).
(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.
(iv) At Subject
to subsection (7), at least 1 credit in
visual
arts,
performing arts, or applied arts, as defined by the
department,
that is aligned with guidelines developed by the
department
and approved by the state board under section 1278b.
(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) and
subject
to subsection (7), 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 9
to
12 at least 2 credits, as determined by the department, in a
language
other than English, or the pupil has successfully
completed
at any time during grades K to 12 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 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 all or part of this requirement 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
or,
for a career and technical education credit, the pupil
successfully
completes the subject area content expectations or
guidelines
developed by the school district or public school
academy
that apply to the credit.
(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.
(7)
Both of the following apply to the credit requirements of
the
Michigan merit standard under this section:
(a)
A pupil is not required to successfully complete the
requirement
of 1 credit in visual arts, performing arts, or applied
arts
under subsection (1)(a)(iv) if the pupil has successfully
completed
at least 1 additional science credit, for a total of at
least
4 science credits, of the type described in section
1278(1)(b),
or has successfully completed at least 1 career and
technical
education credit that meets the department's standards
for
career and technical education.
(b)
A pupil is not required to successfully complete the
requirement
of 2 credits in a language other than English under
subsection
(2) if the pupil has successfully completed at least 2
additional
science credits, for a total of at least 5 science
credits,
of the type described in section 1278(1)(b), or has
successfully
completed at least 2 career and technical education
credits
that meet the department's standards for career and
technical
education.