ED. DEVELOPMENT/SCHOOL IMPROV. PLANS S.B. 684 (S-1) & 685 (S-2):
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 684 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Senate Bill 685 (Substitute S-2 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Ken Horn (S.B. 684)
Senator Peter MacGregor (S.B. 685)
Committee: Economic Development and International Investment
CONTENT
The bills would amend the Revised School Code to modify the requirements of an educational development plan and a school improvement plan, respectively, to include additional information on careers, learning activities, and other opportunities.
Senate Bill 684 (S-1) would add to current requirements that the board of a school district or board of directors of a public school academy provide the opportunity for each pupil to develop an educational development plan. The bill also would require the board of a school district or public school academy to ensure that each pupil reviewed and revised his or her educational development plan as appropriate during each year of high school.
In addition, during the process of developing and reviewing an educational development plan, the bill would require pupils to be provided with at least all of the following:
-- Information on various types of careers and current and projected job openings in Michigan and those jobs' actual and projected wages.
-- An opportunity to explore careers specific to a pupil's interests and identify career pathways and goals for achieving success in those careers, including the level and type of educational preparation necessary to accomplish those goals.
-- An opportunity to develop a talent portfolio.
A talent portfolio would have to be developed and revised throughout the implementation of a pupil's educational development plan as a record of the pupil's experiences, proficiencies, certifications, or accomplishments that demonstrated talents or marketable skills. The Department of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Talent and Economic Development, would have to develop and make available to the public schools model information materials that districts or public school academies could use to comply with this requirement.
Senate Bill 685 (S-2) would amend provisions that require the board of a school district, if it wants all of the schools of the district to be accredited, to adopt and implement and, by September 1 each year, make available to the Department of Education a copy of a three- to five-year school improvement plan and continuing school improvement process for each school within the district.
The bill would require school improvement plans to include the following:
-- Programs that would provide pupils in grades 6 to 12 with work-based learning activities that would ensure that those pupils made connections with workers or experts in a variety of fields.
-- Programs or instruction that ensured that every pupil in grade 12 knew how to develop and use a resume, letter of reference, school record, and talent portfolio.
In addition, a school improvement plan would have to include a requirement that each school operated by the school district provide to pupils a variety of age-appropriate career informational resources in grades K to 12 and an opportunity to do each of the following:
-- During grade levels that the board of the school district considered appropriate, complete one or more experiences in a field of a pupil's interests or aptitude and participate in a follow-up process that provided the pupil with sufficient reflection of those experiences.
-- During grades K to 12, discuss career interests, options, and preparations with a school counselor or, as considered appropriate by the board of the school district, another knowledgeable adult.
Currently, school improvement plans must include ways to make available in as many fields as practicable opportunities for structured on-the-job learning, such as apprenticeships and internships, combined with classroom instruction. The bill would require apprenticeships and internships involving active, direct, and hands-on learning, and classroom instruction that enhanced a pupil's employability, including instruction relating to problem solving, personal management, organizational and negotiation skills, and teamwork.
MCL 380.1278b (S.B. 684) Legislative Analyst: Nathan Leaman
380.1277 (S.B. 685)
FISCAL IMPACT
The bills would have a minor fiscal impact on the State, and could add an indeterminate cost to local units of governments. Under the bills, the Department of Education would have to ensure that school accreditation requirements met the specified changes. This could add minor costs to the Department in order to update the accreditation standards. In addition, the Departments of Education and Talent and Economic Development could see increased costs associated with the requirement to make available to districts model talent portfolio information.
Local school districts and public school academies would have to ensure that school improvement plans met the changes in the bills. Meeting these new requirements could lead to additional local costs to ensure that students were getting career opportunity information and activities as required by the bills. Due to the varying differences in career opportunity exposure and curriculum provided throughout the State, it is not possible to accurately estimate additional statewide costs that school districts would face.
Date Completed: 1-22-18 Fiscal Analyst: Cory Savino
Kathryn Summers
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.