HOUSE BILL No. 4142

 

February 1, 2005, Introduced by Rep. Palmer and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

     A bill to amend 1970 PA 38, entitled

 

"An act to provide for assessment and remedial assistance programs

of students in reading, mathematics and vocational education,"

 

by amending section 2 (MCL 388.1082).

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 2. (1) The statewide assessment program of educational

 

progress shall cover all students annually  at two  in at least 2

 

elementary and middle school grade levels in public schools.

 

     (2) The  department of education, hereinafter referred to as

 

the department,  superintendent of public instruction shall develop

 

and conduct the assessment program  ,  and may utilize the

 


assistance of appropriate testing organizations  and/or  or testing  

 

specialist  specialists.  The program shall expand the current

 

basic skills testing inventory in grades 4 and 7 coordinated by the

 

department.  Beginning with assessments conducted in the 2005-2006

 

school year, all of the following apply to the assessment program:

 

     (a) The superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that

 

any contractor used for scoring an assessment instrument supplies

 

an individual report for each student that will identify for the

 

student's parents and teachers whether the student met expectations

 

or failed to meet expectations for each question, to allow the

 

student's parents and teachers to assess and remedy problems before

 

the student moves to the next grade.

 

     (b) The superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that

 

any contractor used for scoring, developing, or processing an

 

assessment instrument meets quality management standards commonly

 

used in the assessment industry, including at least meeting level 2

 

of the capability maturity model developed by the software

 

engineering institute of Carnegie Mellon university for the 2005-

 

2006 school year assessments and at least meeting level 3 of the

 

capability maturity model for subsequent assessments.

 

     (c) The superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that

 

any contract it enters into for scoring, administering, or

 

developing an assessment instrument includes specific deadlines for

 

all steps of the assessment process, including, but not limited to,

 

deadlines for the correct testing materials to be supplied to

 

schools and for the correct results to be returned to schools, and

 

includes penalties for noncompliance with these deadlines.

 


     (d) The superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that

 

the assessment instruments meet all of the following:

 

     (i) Are designed to test students on grade level content

 

expectations in all subjects tested for each grade level tested.

 

     (ii) Include not more than 2 written response portions for

 

English language arts for each grade level and do not include a

 

written response portion for mathematics or science.

 

     (iii) Comply with requirements of the no child left behind act

 

of 2001, Public Law 107-110.

 

     (e) The superintendent of public instruction shall work with

 

the assessment advisory board established in section 1279g of the

 

revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1279g, as applicable and

 

shall comply with the guidelines and procedures established by the

 

assessment advisory board as provided under that section.

 

     (3) The program shall assess competencies in the basic skills

 

and collect and utilize other relevant information essential to the

 

assessment program.

 

     (4) Based on information from the program, the public schools

 

shall identify students  shall be identified  who have

 

extraordinary need for assistance to improve their competence in

 

the basic skills and shall identify students who have demonstrated

 

extraordinary competence in multiple subject areas who should be

 

recommended for advancement.

 

     (5) Information from the program shall be given to each school  

 

as soon as possible  in accordance with deadlines established by

 

the assessment advisory board under section 1279g of the revised

 

school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1279g, to assist  it  the school

 


in its efforts to improve the achievement of students in the basic

 

skills.