Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

HOUSE BILL NO. 4209
     March 08, 2023, Introduced by Reps. Neyer, Schuette, Kunse, Prestin, Harris, Alexander, Beson,
       St. Germaine, Martin, Markkanen, Hoadley, DeBoer and Steele and referred to the Committee
       on Education.
          A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled
    "The revised school code,"
    by amending sections 1278a, 1278b, and 1278c (MCL 380.1278a,
1278b, and 380.1278c), sections 1278a and 1278b as amended by
PA 105 and section 1278c as amended by 2018 PA 242, and by
    adding section 1278f.
                      THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
       Sec. 1278a. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section,
 or section 1278b, or section 1278f, the board of a school district
 or board of directors of a public school academy shall not award a
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 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, for only
 pupils entering grade 8 before 2023, 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
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 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). For
 only pupils entering grade 8 before 2023, 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. The
 1/2 credit in economics required under this subparagraph cannot be
 fulfilled by completion of the 1/2 credit course in personal
 finance described in subsection (3).
       (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 aligned with
 guidelines developed by the department and approved by the state
 board under section 1278b. A school district or public school
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 academy is strongly encouraged to offer visual arts and performing
 arts courses.
       (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 must 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) Except as otherwise provided in this section, and in
 addition to the requirements under subsection (1), 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 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. 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
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 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, both 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) Beginning with pupils entering grade 8 in 2023, 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 completes a 1/2 credit course in personal finance that aligns
 with subject area content expectations developed by the department
 and approved by the state board under section 1278b. The 1/2 credit
 course in personal finance must fulfill 1/2 credit of mathematics
 required under subsection (1)(a)(i), 1/2 credit of visual arts,
 performing arts, or applied arts required under subsection
 (1)(a)(iv), or 1/2 credit of a language other than English required
 under subsection (2), as determined by the board of the school
 district or board of directors of the public school academy in
 which the pupil is enrolled. The 1/2 credit course in personal
 finance required under this subsection may be fulfilled through a
 department-approved formal career and technical education program
 or curriculum that aligns with the subject area content
 expectations developed by the department and approved by the state
 board for the credit under section 1278b.
       (4) The requirements under this section and section 1278b for
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 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.
       (5) For the purposes of this section and section 1278b, all of
 the following apply:
       (a) A Except as otherwise provided in this section, section
 1278b, or section 1278f, 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 assessments developed or selected by the department
 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
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 determined by the department, on assessments developed or selected
 for the subject area by the department 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.
       (6) 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 (7), 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.
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       (7) A high school that is designated by the superintendent of
 public instruction as a specialty school under subsection (6) is
 only exempt from requirements as described under subsection (6) 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
 applicable state assessment for the pupils of the high school
 exceed by at least 10% the mean scores on the mathematics and
 science portions of the applicable state assessment 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
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 modification of these requirements under section 1278b(5) , or
 section 1278f, as applicable, 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) , or
 section 1278f, as applicable, and each pupil is offered the
 curriculum necessary to meet this requirement.
       Sec. 1278b. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section,
 or section 1278a, or section 1278f, as part of the requirements
 under section 1278a 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 all
 of the following credit requirements of the Michigan merit standard
 before graduating from high school:
       (a) At least 4 credits in English language arts that are
 aligned with subject area content expectations developed by the
 department and approved by the state board under this section.
       (b) At least 3 credits in science that are aligned with
 subject area content expectations developed by the department and
 approved by the state board under this section, including
 completion of at least biology and either chemistry, physics,
 anatomy, or agricultural science, or successfully completing a
 program or curriculum that provides the same content as the
 chemistry or physics benchmarks, as determined by the department. A
 student may fulfill the requirement for the third science credit by
 completing a department-approved computer science program or
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 curriculum or formal career and technical education program or
 curriculum. The legislature strongly encourages pupils to complete
 a fourth credit in science, such as forensics, astronomy, Earth
 science, agricultural science, environmental science, geology,
 physics, chemistry, physiology, or microbiology.
       (c) The credit requirements specified in section 1278a(1)(a)(i)
 to (iv).
       (2) If a pupil successfully completes 1 or more of the high
 school credits required under subsection (1) or under section
 1278a(1) or (3) before entering high school, the pupil must be
 given high school credit for that credit.
       (3) For the purposes of this section, and section 1278a, and
 section 1278f, the department shall do all of the following:
       (a) Develop subject area content expectations that apply to
 the credit requirements of the Michigan merit standard that are
 required under subsection (1)(a) and (b) and section 1278a(1)(a)(i)
 and (ii) and