DUAL ENROLLMENT: REMOVE LIMIT S.B. 980:
SUMMARY OF INTRODUCED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 980 (as introduced 5-3-18)
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act to delete the limits on the number of postsecondary courses in which a qualified high school pupil may enroll.
Under the Act, an eligible student who is enrolled in a school district may enroll in an eligible course for high school credit or postsecondary credit, or both, and receive payment by the school district of all or part of eligible charges for the course.
For each individual eligible student, unless there is a written agreement between the eligible student's school district and the eligible postsecondary institution to waive these limits, a course is not an eligible course if the eligible student's enrollment in the course and the payment of eligible charges under the Act for the course would exceed the following limits:
-- Not more than 10 courses overall.
-- If the eligible student first enrolls in a course under the Act when he or she is in ninth grade, not more than two courses during each academic year in the student's first, second, or third academic year of enrollment under the Act in an eligible postsecondary institution, and not more than four courses during the academic year in the student's fourth academic year of enrollment.
-- If the eligible student first enrolls in a course under the Act when he or she is in 10th grade, not more than two courses during the academic year in the eligible student's first academic year of enrollment in an eligible postsecondary institution, not more than four courses during the academic year in the student's second academic year of enrollment, and not more than four courses during the academic year in the student's third academic year of enrollment.
-- Subject to the overall course limit, if the eligible student first enrolls in a course under the Act when he or she is in 11th or 12th grade, not more than six courses during either of those academic years of enrollment in an eligible postsecondary institution.
The limits do not apply to a course if the eligible student does not receive tuition and fee support under the Act for that course.
The bill would remove these limits.
The Act defines "eligible course" as a course offered by an eligible postsecondary institution that is offered for postsecondary credit and meets all of the following criteria:
-- Is not offered by the school district or State-approved nonpublic school in which the eligible student is enrolled, or is offered by the school district or State-approved nonpublic school but is determined by its governing board to not be available to the eligible student because of a scheduling conflict beyond the student's control.
-- Is an academic course not ordinarily taken as an activity course.
-- Is a course that the postsecondary institution normally applies toward satisfaction of degree requirements.
-- Is not a hobby craft or recreational course.
-- Is in a subject area other than physical education, theology, divinity, or religious education.
However, 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.
MCL 388.513 Legislative Analyst: Nathan Leaman
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on the Department of Education and an indeterminate impact on postsecondary institutions, school districts, public school academies, nonpublic schools, and the Department of Treasury. By removing the cap on the number of dual enrollment courses a student may take, the bill could result in postsecondary institutions, school districts, and public school academies having more students enrolled in dual enrollment courses, which would have an impact on those local units. Local school districts and public schools would spend more toward postsecondary institutions for the additional students taking dual enrollment courses, while postsecondary institutions would receive additional revenue. This impact is indeterminate since the change would vary throughout the State and depend on the increase in students taking dual enrollment courses.
For nonpublic school students, the Department of Treasury reimburses nonpublic schools for the costs of dual enrollment. If there were a significant increase in the number of nonpublic school students taking dual enrollment courses, then the reimbursement amount would increase. In FY 2017-18, $2,007,600 was appropriated to the Department of Treasury for dual enrollment reimbursement.
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.