OMIT MEAP SCORES OF HIGH

SCHOOL REPORT

House Bill 4901

Sponsor: Rep. Gerald Law

Committee: Education

Complete to 9-29-99

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4901 AS INTRODUCED 9-28-99

House Bill 4901 would amend the Revised School Code to provide that if a student taking a MEAP test has been absent from school for 30 or more days during the school year in which the test is taken, the school district or public school academy in which the pupil is enrolled can designate (on the portion of the test that is returned to the Department of Education) that the pupil is a high absenteeism student. Under the bill, if a student is designated as a high absenteeism pupil, then all of the following would apply:

1. the department could not use the pupil's MEAP test result for determining the accreditation status of the pupil's school; and,

1. the department could not include the pupil's MEAP test results in reporting the aggregate MEAP test results of that school district or public school academy for any purpose.

House Bill 4901 also specifies that no later than March 30, 2000, the department would be required to develop a uniform procedure for school districts and public school academies to use when they designate a student as a high absenteeism pupil, and to notify the districts and academies of that procedure.

Under the bill, "MEAP test" would mean a test administered as part of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program or administered under section 1279 of the code. [Section 1279 (MCL 380.1279) concerns the administration of state assessments to high school pupils in the subject areas of communications skills (reading and writing), mathematics, science, and beginning with pupils scheduled to graduate in 2000, social studies.]

MCL 380.1279g

Analyst: J. Hunault