HOUSE BILL No. 4521 March 27, 2001, Introduced by Reps. Switalski, Jamnick, Neumann, Lipsey, Schauer, Dennis, Plakas, Anderson and Lemmons and referred to the Committee on Education. A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled "The revised school code," by amending section 1561 (MCL 380.1561), as amended by 1996 PA 339, and by adding section 1295. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT: 1 SEC. 1295. (1) THE DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY SHALL MAKE 2 MICHIGAN EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (MEAP) TESTS AVAILABLE 3 FOR THE PURPOSES OF SECTION 1561(5) AND SHALL SCORE AND RETURN 4 TESTS SUBMITTED UNDER SECTION 1561(5) IN THE SAME MANNER AS FOR 5 PUBLIC SCHOOL PUPILS. 6 (2) AT LEAST ANNUALLY, THE DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY SHALL 7 SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE THAT INCLUDES ALL OF THE FOL- 8 LOWING INFORMATION FOR EACH MEAP TEST IN EACH APPLICABLE GRADE 9 LEVEL: 03481'01 TAV 2 1 (A) THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC SCHOOL PUPILS WHO TOOK THE TEST IN 2 THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR AND THE AVERAGE SCORE ON THE TEST FOR 3 ALL OF THOSE PUBLIC SCHOOL PUPILS. 4 (B) THE NUMBER OF HOME-SCHOOLED CHILDREN WHO TOOK THE TEST 5 IN THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR AND THE AVERAGE SCORE ON THE TEST FOR 6 ALL OF THOSE HOME-SCHOOLED CHILDREN. 7 (3) THE DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY SHALL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT 8 GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH 9 SUBSECTION (1) AND ACCURATE REPORTING OF INFORMATION UNDER 10 SUBSECTION (2), INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ALL OF THE 11 FOLLOWING: 12 (A) GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES FOR ADMINISTRATION OF MEAP 13 TESTS TO HOME-SCHOOLED CHILDREN. 14 (B) GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES FOR SUBMISSION OF COMPLETED 15 TESTS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. 16 (C) GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES TO ENSURE THAT, IF A MEAP TEST 17 IS ADMINISTERED TO A HOME-SCHOOLED CHILD BY A PUBLIC SCHOOL, THE 18 CHILD'S TEST SCORES WILL BE INCLUDED IN CALCULATING THE INFORMA- 19 TION REPORTED UNDER SUBSECTION (2)(B) RATHER THAN UNDER 20 SUBSECTION (2)(A). 21 (4) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, "HOME-SCHOOLED CHILD" MEANS A 22 CHILD DESCRIBED IN SECTION 1561(4). 23 Sec. 1561. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this sec- 24 tion, every parent, guardian, or other person in this state 25 having control and charge of a child from the age of 6 to the 26 child's sixteenth birthday shall send that child to a public 27 school during the entire school year. The child's attendance 03481'01 3 1 shall be continuous and consecutive for the school year fixed by 2 the school district in which the child is enrolled. In a school 3 district that maintains school during the entire calendar year 4 and in which the school year is divided into quarters, a child is 5 not required to attend the public school more than 3 quarters in 6 1 calendar year, but a child shall not be absent for 2 or more 7 consecutive quarters. 8 (2) A child becoming 6 years of age before December 1 shall 9 be enrolled on the first school day of the school year in which 10 the child's sixth birthday occurs. A child becoming 6 years of 11 age on or after December 1 shall be enrolled on the first school 12 day of the school year following the school year in which the 13 child's sixth birthday occurs. 14 (3) A child is not required to attend a public school in any 15 of the following cases: 16 (a)TheSUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (5), THE child is attending 17 regularly and is being taught in a state approved nonpublic 18 school, which teaches subjects comparable to those taught in the 19 public schools to children of corresponding age and grade, as 20 determined by the course of study for the public schools of the 21 district within which the nonpublic school is located. 22 (b) The child is less than 9 years of age and does not 23 reside within 2-1/2 miles by the nearest traveled road of a 24 public school. If transportation is furnished for pupils in the 25 school district of the child's residence, this subdivision does 26 not apply. 03481'01 4 1 (c) The child is age 12 or 13 and is in attendance at 2 confirmation classes conducted for a period of 5 months or less. 3 (d) The child is regularly enrolled in a public school while 4 in attendance at religious instruction classes for not more than 5 2 class hours per week, off public school property during public 6 school hours, upon written request of the parent, guardian, or 7 person in loco parentis under rules promulgated by the state 8 board. 9 (e) The child has graduated from high school or has ful- 10 filled all requirements for high school graduation. 11 (f)TheSUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (5), THE child is being edu- 12 cated at the child's home by his or her parent or legal guardian 13 in an organized educational program in the subject areas of read- 14 ing, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, 15 writing, and English grammar. 16 (4)ForSUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (5), FOR a child being edu- 17 cated at the child's home by his or her parent or legal guardian, 18 exemption from the requirement to attend public school may exist 19 under either subsection (3)(a) or (3)(f), or both. 20 (5) FOR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ATTENDANCE 21 REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION TO APPLY TO A CHILD BEING EDUCATED 22 AT THE CHILD'S HOME BY HIS OR HER PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN, THE 23 CHILD MUST TAKE THE MICHIGAN EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM 24 (MEAP) TESTS FOR EACH SUBJECT AREA IN WHICH THOSE TESTS ARE 25 ADMINISTERED TO PUBLIC SCHOOL PUPILS IN THE CHILD'S GRADE LEVEL, 26 AND THE CHILD'S COMPLETED TESTS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE 27 DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. 03481'01 Final page.