HOUSE BILL No. 4143

 

February 2, 2005, Introduced by Rep. Moolenaar and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

     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. 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 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 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 whether a pupil has been enrolled in

 

high school for more than 4 school years, 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.


 

     (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.