HOUSE BILL No. 5882 June 8, 2000, Introduced by Reps. Woodward, Wojno, Jamnick, Basham, Clark, Reeves, Hardman, Gieleghem, Vaughn, Dennis, Bogardus, Lockwood, Switalski, Jacobs, Quarles and Minore and referred to the Committee on Education. A bill to amend 1979 PA 94, entitled "The state school aid act of 1979," by amending section 104a (MCL 388.1704a), as amended by 1999 PA 119. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT: 1 Sec. 104a. (1) In order to receive state aid under this 2 act, a district shall comply with this section and shall adminis- 3 ter state assessments to high school pupils in the subject areas 4 of communications skills, mathematics, science, and, beginning 5 with pupils scheduled to graduate in 2000, social studies. The 6 district shall include on the pupil's high school transcript all 7 of the following: 8 (a) For each high school graduate who has completed a 9 subject area assessment under this section, the pupil's scaled 10 score on the assessment. 04373'99 TAV 2 1 (b) If the pupil's scaled score on a subject area assessment 2 falls within the range required under subsection (2) for a cate- 3 gory established under subsection (2), an indication that the 4 pupil has achieved state endorsement for that subject area. 5 (c) The number of school days the pupil was in attendance at 6 school each school year during high school and the total number 7 of school days in session for each of those school years. 8 (2) The department shall develop scaled scores for reporting 9 subject area assessment results for each of the subject areas 10 under this section. The superintendent shall establish 3 catego- 11 ries for each subject area indicating basic competency, above 12 average, and outstanding, and shall establish the scaled score 13 range required for each category. The department shall design 14 and distribute to districts, intermediate districts, and nonpub- 15 lic schools a simple and concise document that describes these 16 categories in each subject area and indicates the scaled score 17 ranges for each category in each subject area. A district may 18 award a high school diploma to a pupil who successfully completes 19 local district requirements established in accordance with state 20 law for high school graduation, regardless of whether the pupil 21 is eligible for any state endorsement. 22 (3) The assessments administered for the purposes of this 23 section shall be administered to pupils during the last 30 school 24 days of grade 11. The department shall ensure that the assess- 25 ments are scored and the scores are returned to pupils, their 26 parents or legal guardians, and districts not later than the 27beginning of the pupil's first semester of grade 12IMMEDIATELY 04373'99 3 1 FOLLOWING JULY. Not later than fall 1999, the department shall 2 arrange for those portions of a pupil's assessment that cannot be 3 scored mechanically to be scored in Michigan by persons who are 4 Michigan teachers, retired Michigan teachers, or Michigan school 5 administrators and who have been trained in scoring the 6 assessments. The returned scores shall indicate the pupil's 7 scaled score for each subject area assessment, the range of 8 scaled scores for each subject area, and the range of scaled 9 scores required for each category established under 10 subsection (2). In reporting the scores to pupils, parents, and 11 schools, the department shall provide specific, meaningful, and 12 timely feedback on the pupil's performance on the assessment. IN 13 ADDITION, THE REPORT TO A PUPIL'S SCHOOL SHALL INCLUDE AT LEAST A 14 COPY OF EACH ASSESSMENT TEST, A REPORT OF THE PUPIL'S ANSWER ON 15 EACH MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION, A COPY OF THE PUPIL'S ANSWER ON 16 EACH ESSAY QUESTION, AND A REPORT OF THE PUPIL'S SCORE ON EACH 17 ESSAY QUESTION. 18 (4) For each pupil who does not achieve state endorsement in 19 1 or more subject areas, the board of the district in which the 20 pupil is enrolled shall provide that there be at least 1 meeting 21 attended by at least the pupil and a member of the district's 22 staff or a local or intermediate district consultant who is pro- 23 ficient in the measurement and evaluation of pupils. The dis- 24 trict may provide the meeting as a group meeting for pupils in 25 similar circumstances. If the pupil is a minor, the district 26 shall invite and encourage the pupil's parent, legal guardian, or 27 person in loco parentis to attend the meeting and shall mail a 04373'99 4 1 notice of the meeting to the pupil's parent, legal guardian, or 2 person in loco parentis. The purpose of this meeting and any 3 subsequent meeting under this subsection shall be to determine an 4 educational program for the pupil designed to have the pupil 5 achieve state endorsement in each subject area in which he or she 6 did not achieve state endorsement. In addition, a district may 7 provide for subsequent meetings with the pupil conducted by a 8 high school counselor or teacher designated by the pupil's high 9 school principal, and shall invite and encourage the pupil's 10 parent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis to attend the 11 subsequent meetings. The district shall provide special programs 12 for the pupil or develop a program using the educational programs 13 regularly provided by the district unless the board of the dis- 14 trict decides otherwise and publishes and explains its decision 15 in a public justification report. 16 (5) A pupil who wants to repeat an assessment administered 17 under this section may repeat the assessment, without charge to 18 the pupil, in the next school year or after graduation. An indi- 19 vidual may repeat an assessment at any time the district adminis- 20 ters an applicable assessment instrument or during a retesting 21 period under subsection (7). 22 (6) The department shall ensure that the length of the 23 assessments used for the purposes of this section and the com- 24 bined total time necessary to administer all of the assessments, 25 including social studies, are the shortest possible that will 26 still maintain the degree of reliability and validity of the 27 assessment results determined necessary by the department. The 04373'99 5 1 department shall ensure that the maximum total combined length of 2 time that schools are required to set aside for administration of 3 all of the assessments used for the purposes of this section, 4 including social studies, does not exceed 8 hours. However, this 5 subsection does not limit the amount of time that individuals may 6 have to complete the assessments. 7 (7) The department shall establish, schedule, and arrange 8 periodic retesting periods throughout the year for individuals 9 who desire to repeat an assessment under this section. The 10 department shall coordinate the arrangements for administering 11 the repeat assessments and shall ensure that the retesting is 12 made available at least within each intermediate district and, to 13 the extent possible, within each district. 14 (8) A district shall provide accommodations to a pupil with 15 disabilities for the assessments required under this section, as 16 provided under section 504 of title V of the rehabilitation act 17 of 1973, Public Law 93-112, 29 U.S.C. 794; subtitle A of title II 18 of the Americans with disabilities act of 1990, Public Law 19 101-336, 42 U.S.C. 12131 to 12134; and the implementing regula- 20 tions for those statutes. 21 (9) For the purposes of this section, the superintendent 22 shall develop or select and approve assessment instruments to 23 measure pupil performance in communications skills, mathematics, 24 social studies, and science. The assessment instruments shall be 25 based on the model core academic content standards objectives 26 under section 1278 of the revised school code, MCL 380.1278. 04373'99 6 1 (10) Upon written request by the pupil's parent or legal 2 guardian stating that the request is being made for the purpose 3 of providing the pupil with an opportunity to qualify to take 1 4 or more postsecondary courses as an eligible student under the 5 postsecondary enrollment options act, 1996 PA 160, MCL 388.511 to 6 388.524, the board of a district shall allow a pupil who is in at 7 least grade 10 to take an assessment administered under this sec- 8 tion without charge at any time the district regularly adminis- 9 ters the assessment or during a retesting period established 10 under subsection (7). A district is not required to include in 11 an annual education report, or in any other report submitted to 12 the department for accreditation purposes, results of assessments 13 taken under this subsection by a pupil in grade 11 or lower until 14 the results of that pupil's graduating class are otherwise 15 reported. 16 (11) All assessment instruments developed or selected and 17 approved by the state under any statute or rule for a purpose 18 related to K to 12 education shall be objective-oriented and con- 19 sistent with the model core academic content standards objectives 20 under section 1278 of the revised school code, MCL 380.1278. 21 (12) A person who has graduated from high school after 1996 22 and who has not previously taken an assessment under this section 23 may take an assessment used for the purposes of this section, 24 without charge to the person, at the district from which he or 25 she graduated from high school at any time that district adminis- 26 ters the assessment or during a retesting period scheduled under 27 subsection (7) and have his or her scaled score on the assessment 04373'99 7 1 included on his or her high school transcript. If the person's 2 scaled score on a subject area assessment falls within the range 3 required under subsection (2) for a category established under 4 subsection (2), the district shall also indicate on the person's 5 high school transcript that the person has achieved state 6 endorsement for that subject area. 7 (13) Not later than July 1 of each year until 2000, the 8 department shall submit a comprehensive report to the legislature 9 and the state budget director on the status of the assessment 10 program under this section. The report shall include at least 11 all of the following: 12 (a) The annual pupil assessment data. 13 (b) A description of the feedback provided to pupils, par- 14 ents, and schools. 15 (c) A description of any significant alterations made in the 16 program during the period covered by the report. 17 (d) Any recommendations for legislative changes to the 18 program. 19 (e) An update of the reports of the assessment advisory com- 20 mittees of the state board. 21 (14) A child who is a student in a nonpublic school or home 22 school may take an assessment under this section. To take an 23 assessment, a child who is a student in a home school shall con- 24 tact the district in which the child resides, and that district 25 shall administer the assessment, or the child may take the 26 assessment at a nonpublic school if allowed by the nonpublic 27 school. Upon request from a nonpublic school, the department 04373'99 8 1 shall supply assessments and the nonpublic school may administer 2 the assessment. 3 (15) The purpose of the assessment under this section is to 4 assess pupil performance in mathematics, science, social studies, 5 and communicationartsSKILLS for the purpose of improving aca- 6 demic achievement and establishing a statewide standard of 7 competency. The assessment under this section provides a common 8 measure of data that will contribute to the improvement of 9 Michigan schools' curriculum and instruction by encouraging 10 alignment with Michigan's curriculum framework standards. These 11 standards are based upon the expectations of what pupils should 12 know and be able to do by the end of grade 11. 13 (16) As used in this section: 14 (a) "Communications skills" means reading and writing. 15 (b) "Social studies" means geography, history, economics, 16 and American government. 04373'99 Final page. TAV