HOUSE BILL No. 4681 May 1, 2001, Introduced by Reps. Bogardus, Hale, Kolb, Quarles, Woodward, Gieleghem and Jacobs and referred to the Committee on Education. A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled "The revised school code," by amending section 1279 (MCL 380.1279), as amended by 1997 PA 175. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT: 1 Sec. 1279. (1) The board of a school district or public 2 school academy shall administer state assessments to high school 3 pupils in the subject areas of communications skills, mathemat- 4 ics, science, and, beginning with pupils scheduled to graduate in 5 2000, social studies. The board shall include on the pupil's 6 high school transcript all of the following: 7 (a) For each high school graduate who has completed a 8 subject area assessment under this section, the pupil's scaled 9 score on the assessment. 00767'01 TAV 2 1 (b) If the pupil's scaled score on a subject area assessment 2 falls within the range required under subsection (2) for a 3 category established under subsection (2), an indication that the 4 pupil has achieved state endorsement for that subject area. 5 (c) The number of school days the pupil was in attendance at 6 school each school year during high school and the total number 7 of school days in session for each of those school years. 8 (2) The department OF TREASURY shall develop scaled scores 9 for reporting subject area assessment results for each of the 10 subject areas under this section.Subject to approval by the11state board, the superintendent of public instructionTHE 12 DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY shall establish 3 categories for each 13 subject area indicating basic competency, above average, and out- 14 standing, and shall establish the scaled score range required for 15 each category. The department OF TREASURY shall design and dis- 16 tribute to school districts, intermediate school districts, 17 public school academies, and nonpublic schools a simple and con- 18 cise document that describes these categories in each subject 19 area and indicates the scaled score ranges for each category in 20 each subject area. A school district or public school academy 21 may award a high school diploma to a pupil who successfully com- 22 pletes local school district or public school academy require- 23 ments established in accordance with state law for high school 24 graduation, regardless of whether the pupil is eligible for any 25 state endorsement. 26 (3) The assessments administered for the purposes of this 27 section shall be administered to pupils during the last 30 school 00767'01 3 1 days of grade 11. The department OF TREASURY shall ensure that 2 the assessments are scored and the scores are returned to pupils, 3 their parents or legal guardians, and school districts or public 4 school academies not later than the beginning of the pupil's 5 first semester of grade 12.Not later than fall 1999, theTHE 6 department OF TREASURY shall arrange for those portions of a 7 pupil's assessment that cannot be scored mechanically to be 8 scored in Michigan by persons who are Michigan teachers, retired 9 Michigan teachers, or Michigan school administrators and who have 10 been trained in scoring the assessments. The returned scores 11 shall indicate the pupil's scaled score for each subject area 12 assessment, the range of scaled scores for each subject area, and 13 the range of scaled scores required for each category established 14 under subsection (2). In reporting the scores to pupils, par- 15 ents, and schools, the department OF TREASURY shall provide spe- 16 cific, meaningful, and timely feedback on the pupil's performance 17 on the assessment. 18 (4) For each pupil who does not achieve state endorsement in 19 1 or more subject areas, the board of the school district or 20 public school academy in which the pupil is enrolled shall pro- 21 vide that there be at least 1 meeting attended by at least the 22 pupil and a member of the school district's or public school 23 academy's staff or a local or intermediate school district con- 24 sultant who is proficient in the measurement and evaluation of 25 pupils. The school district or public school academy may provide 26 the meeting as a group meeting for pupils in similar 27 circumstances. If the pupil is a minor, the school district or 00767'01 4 1 public school academy shall invite and encourage the pupil's 2 parent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis to attend the 3 meeting and shall mail a notice of the meeting to the pupil's 4 parent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis. The purpose 5 of this meeting and any subsequent meeting under this subsection 6 shall be to determine an educational program for the pupil 7 designed to have the pupil achieve state endorsement in each 8 subject area in which he or she did not achieve state 9 endorsement. In addition, a school district or public school 10 academy may provide for subsequent meetings with the pupil con- 11 ducted by a high school counselor or teacher designated by the 12 pupil's high school principal, and shall invite and encourage the 13 pupil's parent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis to 14 attend the subsequent meetings. The school district or public 15 school academy shall provide special programs for the pupil or 16 develop a program using the educational programs regularly pro- 17 vided by the district unless the board of the school district or 18 public school academy decides otherwise and publishes and 19 explains its decision in a public justification report. 20 (5) A pupil who wants to repeat an assessment administered 21 under this section may repeat the assessment, without charge to 22 the pupil, in the next school year or after graduation. An indi- 23 vidual may repeat an assessment at any time the school district 24 or public school academy administers an applicable assessment 25 instrument or during a retesting period under subsection (7). 26 (6) The department OF TREASURY shall ensure that the length 27 of the assessments used for the purposes of this section and the 00767'01 5 1 combined total time necessary to administer all of the 2 assessments, including social studies, are the shortest possible 3 that will still maintain the degree of reliability and validity 4 of the assessment results determined necessary by the department 5 OF TREASURY. The department OF TREASURY shall ensure that the 6 maximum total combined length of time that schools are required 7 to set aside for administration of all of the assessments used 8 for the purposes of this section, including social studies, does 9 not exceed 8 hours. However, this subsection does not limit the 10 amount of time that individuals may have to complete the 11 assessments. 12 (7) The department OF TREASURY shall establish, schedule, 13 and arrange periodic retesting periods throughout the year for 14 individuals who desire to repeat an assessment under this 15 section. The department OF TREASURY shall coordinate the 16 arrangements for administering the repeat assessments and shall 17 ensure that the retesting is made available at least within each 18 intermediate school district and, to the extent possible, within 19 each school district. 20 (8) A school district or public school academy shall provide 21 accommodations to a pupil with disabilities for the assessments 22 required under this section, as provided under section 504 of 23 title V of the rehabilitation act of 1973, Public Law 93-112, 29 24 U.S.C. 794; subtitle A of title II of the Americans with disabil- 25 ities act of 1990, Public Law 101-336, 42 U.S.C. 12131 to 12134; 26 and the implementing regulations for those statutes. 00767'01 6 1 (9) For the purposes of this section, thestate board2 DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY shall develop or select and approve 3 assessment instruments to measure pupil performance in communica- 4 tions skills, mathematics, social studies, and science. The 5 assessment instruments shall be based on the state board model 6 core academic content standards objectives. 7 (10) All assessment instruments developed or selected and 8 approved by the state under any statute or rule for a purpose 9 related to K to 12 education shall be objective-oriented and con- 10 sistent with the state board model core academic content stan- 11 dards objectives. 12 (11) A person who has graduated from high school after 1996 13 and who has not previously taken an assessment under this section 14 may take an assessment used for the purposes of this section, 15 without charge to the person, at the school district from which 16 he or she graduated from high school at any time that school dis- 17 trict administers the assessment or during a retesting period 18 scheduled under subsection (7) and have his or her scaled score 19 on the assessment included on his or her high school transcript. 20 If the person's scaled score on a subject area assessment falls 21 within the range required under subsection (2) for a category 22 established under subsection (2), the school district shall also 23 indicate on the person's high school transcript that the person 24 has achieved state endorsement for that subject area. 25(12) Not later than July 1 of each year until 2000, the26department shall submit a comprehensive report to the legislature00767'01 7 1on the status of the assessment program under this section. The2report shall include at least all of the following:3(a) The annual pupil assessment data.4(b) A description of the feedback provided to pupils, par-5ents, and schools.6(c) A description of any significant alterations made in the7program by the department or state board during the period cov-8ered by the report.9(d) Any recommendations by the department or state board for10legislative changes to the program.11(e) An update of the reports of the assessment advisory com-12mittees of the state board.13(13) Pupils scheduled to graduate in 1998 who took the14assessments used for the purposes of this section during the151996-97 school year may repeat 1 or more of the assessments16during the 1997-98 school year. The department, in cooperation17with school districts and public school academies, shall make18arrangements for repeat assessments to be available for these19pupils in each school district that operates a high school during20the 1997-98 school year in time for these pupils to repeat the21assessments before graduation. The repeat assessments may be22administered at times other than regular school hours.23 (12)(14)A child who is a student in a nonpublic school 24 or home school may take an assessment under this section. To 25 take an assessment, a child who is a student in a home school 26 shall contact the school district in which the child resides, and 27 that school district shall administer the assessment, or the 00767'01 8 1 child may take the assessment at a nonpublic school if allowed by 2 the nonpublic school. Upon request from a nonpublic school, the 3 department OF TREASURY shall supply assessments and the nonpublic 4 school may administer the assessment. 5 (13)(15)The purpose of the assessment under this section 6 is to assess pupil performance in mathematics, science, social 7 studies, and communication arts for the purpose of improving aca- 8 demic achievement and establishing a statewide standard of 9 competency. The assessment under this section provides a common 10 measure of data that will contribute to the improvement of 11 Michigan schools' curriculum and instruction by encouraging 12 alignment with Michigan's curriculum framework standards. These 13 standards are based upon the expectations of what pupils should 14 know and be able to do by the end of grade 11. 15 (14)(16) Not later than 90 days after the effective date16of this subsectionSUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (15), thestate board17 DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY shall appoint an 11-member assessment 18 administration advisory committee to advise thestate board19 DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY on Michigan education assessment program 20 (MEAP) tests and on the assessments used for state endorsements 21 under this section.ThisSUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (15), THIS 22 advisory committee shall be composed of representatives of school 23 districts, intermediate school districts, school administrators, 24 teachers, and parents, with the appointments reflecting the geo- 25 graphic and population diversity of school districts in this 26 state. The representatives of school districts and intermediate 27 school districts shall be persons who are expert in testing or 00767'01 9 1 test administration. This advisory committee shall evaluate 2 these tests and assessments and make recommendations to the 3state board anddepartment OF TREASURY on issues related to 4 administration, scoring, and reporting and use of results of 5 these tests and assessments, including, but not limited to, 6 length of the tests and assessments; the time of the testing 7 period during the school year; feedback provided to pupils, par- 8 ents, and schools; accurate and relevant reporting of results to 9 the general public; the selection of a retesting period and pro- 10 cedures and arrangements for repeating tests or assessments; 11 local scoring and other general issues regarding scoring of tests 12 and assessments; categories of scoring on the MEAP tests and cat- 13 egories of state endorsement under this section; and professional 14 development for teachers to assist in preparing pupils to have 15 the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed on the tests and 16 assessments. 17 (15) NOT LATER THAN 90 DAYS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS 18 SUBSECTION, THE DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY SHALL APPOINT AN ADDI- 19 TIONAL MEMBER TO THE ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE 20 CREATED IN SUBSECTION (14). THIS ADDITIONAL MEMBER SHALL BE A 21 REPRESENTATIVE OF A STATE APPROVED TEACHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION. 22 (16)(17)As used in this section: 23 (a) "Communications skills" means reading and writing. 24 (b) "Social studies" means geography, history, economics, 25 and American government. 00767'01 Final page. TAV