Rep. Meadows offered the following concurrent resolution:

            House Concurrent Resolution No. 83.

            A concurrent resolution requesting the United States Department of Education to allow Michigan, under certain circumstances, to use more than four years of high school education as the "standard number of years" for graduation.

            Whereas, The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is an ambitious effort to impose nationwide standards and accountability in our education system and to adequately fund efforts to allow children to achieve the high standards we set. Schools must demonstrate adequate yearly progress in meeting the standards of NCLB; and

            Whereas, The laudable goal of nationwide standards to promote excellence must be tempered with the reality that across fifty states, and the numerous school districts in each state, there are local conditions and circumstances. These unique situations must be addressed to make sure the statistical measures we are using to judge progress toward high standards of education are, in fact, measuring progress and not penalizing innovative local programs designed for individual students; and

            Whereas, Michigan is home to alternative education programs that do not fit into the neat nationwide standard that says a high school student must finish a degree in four years. These students in alternative education programs will have the opportunity to graduate with the high standards we require, but students with disabilities, those learning English, those unable to attend school full time in a particular year, and migratory status students, cannot reasonably be expected to complete their degrees in four years. Michigan needs the flexibility to allow up to five years to be used, on a case-by-case basis, for students in alternative education programs; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That we request the United States Department of Education to allow Michigan, under certain circumstances, to use more than four years of high school education as the "standard number of years" for graduation; and be it further

            Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Secretary of the United States Department of Education.