HB-4143, As Passed Senate, September 29, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE SUBSTITUTE FOR

 

HOUSE BILL NO. 4143

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1996 PA 160, entitled

 

"Postsecondary enrollment options act,"

 

by amending section 3 (MCL 388.513), as amended by 2004 PA 594.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 3. (1) As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Community college" means a community college established

 

under the community college act of 1966, 1966 PA 331, MCL 389.1 to

 

389.195, or under part 25 of the revised school code, 1976 PA 451,

 

MCL 380.1601 to 380.1607, or a federal tribally controlled

 

community college located in this state that is recognized under

 

the tribally controlled community college assistance act of 1978,

 

25 USC 1801 to 1852, and is determined by the department to meet

 

the requirements for accreditation by a recognized regional

 


accrediting body.

 

     (b) "Department" means the department of education.

 

     (c) "Eligible charges" means tuition and mandatory course

 

fees, material fees, and registration fees required by an eligible

 

institution for enrollment in an eligible course. Eligible charges

 

also include any late fees charged by an eligible postsecondary

 

institution due to the school district's failure to make a required

 

payment according to the timetable prescribed under this act.

 

Eligible charges do not include transportation or parking costs or

 

activity fees.

 

     (d) "Eligible course" means a course offered by an eligible

 

postsecondary institution that is not offered by the school

 

district in which the eligible student is enrolled, or that is

 

offered by the school district but is determined by the board of

 

the school district to not be available to the eligible student

 

because of a scheduling conflict beyond the eligible student's

 

control; that is an academic course not ordinarily taken as an

 

activity course; that is a course that the postsecondary

 

institution normally applies toward satisfaction of degree

 

requirements; that is not a hobby craft or recreational course; and

 

that is in a subject area other than physical education, theology,

 

divinity, or religious education. However, until the 2006-2007

 

school year, for an eligible student who has not achieved state

 

endorsement in all subject areas under section 1279 of the revised

 

school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1279, an eligible course is

 

limited to a course in a subject area for which he or she has

 

achieved state endorsement, a course in computer science or foreign

 


language not offered by the school district, or a course in fine

 

arts as permitted by the school district. Beginning with

 

eligibility to participate under this act during the 2006-2007

 

school year, for an eligible student who has not achieved a

 

qualifying score in each subject area on a readiness assessment or

 

the Michigan merit examination, as applicable for the student, an

 

eligible course is limited to a course in a subject area for which

 

he or she has achieved a qualifying score, a course in computer

 

science or foreign language not offered by the school district, or

 

a course in fine arts as permitted by the school district.

 

     (e) "Eligible postsecondary institution" means a state

 

university, community college, or independent nonprofit degree-

 

granting college or university that is located in this state and

 

that chooses to comply with this act.

 

     (f) "Eligible student" means, except as otherwise provided in

 

this subdivision, a student enrolled in at least 1 high school

 

class in at least grade 11 in a school district in this state,

 

except a foreign exchange pupil enrolled in a school district under

 

a cultural exchange program.  Until the 2006-2007 school year, to

 

be an eligible student a student must have achieved state

 

endorsement in all subject areas under section 1279 of the revised

 

school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1279, and, subject to subsection

 

(2), the student shall not have been enrolled in high school for

 

more than 4 school years including the school year in which the

 

student seeks to enroll in an eligible course under this act.

 

However, if the student has not achieved state endorsement in all

 

subject areas under that section, the student is an eligible

 


student only for the limited purpose of enrolling in 1 or more

 

eligible courses under this act in a subject area for which he or

 

she has achieved state endorsement, in computer science or foreign

 

language not offered by the school district, or in fine arts as

 

permitted by the school district. Beginning with eligibility to

 

participate under this act during the 2006-2007 school year, to be

 

an eligible student a student who has not taken the Michigan merit

 

examination must have achieved a qualifying score in all subject

 

areas on a readiness assessment and a student who has taken the

 

Michigan merit examination must have achieved a qualifying score in

 

all subject areas on the Michigan merit examination, and, subject

 

to subsection (2), the student shall not have been enrolled in high

 

school for more than 4 school years including the school year in

 

which the student seeks to enroll in an eligible course under this

 

act. However, if the student has not achieved a qualifying score in

 

all subject areas on a readiness assessment or the Michigan merit

 

examination, as applicable for the student, the student is an

 

eligible student only for the limited purpose of enrolling in 1 or

 

more eligible courses under this act in a subject area for which he

 

or she has achieved a qualifying score, in computer science or

 

foreign language not offered by the school district, or in fine

 

arts as permitted by the school district. For the purposes of

 

determining the number of years a pupil has been enrolled in high

 

school, a pupil who is enrolled in high school for less than 90

 

days of a school year due to illness or other circumstances beyond

 

the control of the pupil or the pupil's parent or guardian is not

 

considered to be enrolled in high school for that school year.

 


House Bill No. 4143 as amended September 27, 2005

 

     (g) "Intermediate school district" means that term as defined

 

in section 4 of the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.4.

 

     (h) "Michigan merit examination" means that examination

 

developed under section 1279g of the revised school code, 1976 PA

 

451, MCL 380.1279g.

 

     (i) "Qualifying score" means a score on a readiness assessment

 

or the Michigan merit examination that has been determined by the

 

superintendent of public instruction to indicate readiness to

 

enroll in a postsecondary course in that subject area under this

 

act.

 

     (j) "Readiness assessment" means assessment instruments that

 

are aligned with state learning standards; that are used nationally

 

to provide high school students with an early indication of college

 

readiness proficiency in English, mathematics, reading, social

 

studies, and science and may contain a comprehensive career

 

planning program; and that are approved by the superintendent of

 

public instruction for the purposes of this act.

 

     (k) "School district" means that term as defined in section 6

 

of the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.6, a local act

 

school district as defined in section 5 of the revised school code,

 

1976 PA 451, MCL 380.5, or a public school academy as defined in

 

section 5 of the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.5.

 

     (l) "State university" means a state institution of higher

 

education described in section 4, 5, or 6 of article VIII of the

 

state constitution of 1963.

 

     (2) The <<superintendent of public instruction>> shall promulgate

rules

 

establishing criteria and procedures under which a student who has

 


been enrolled in high school for more than 4 years but not more

 

than 5 years may be considered to be an eligible student. The rules

 

shall address special circumstances under which a student may

 

qualify to be considered an eligible student under this subsection

 

and may limit the number of courses in which a student who

 

qualifies under this subsection may enroll. For the purposes of

 

determining the number of years a pupil has been enrolled in high

 

school, a pupil who is enrolled in high school for less than 90

 

days of a school year due to illness or other circumstances beyond

 

the control of the pupil or the pupil's parent or guardian is not

 

considered to be enrolled for that school year.