DUAL ENROLLMENT ELIGIBILITY

House Bill 4546 (proposed substitute H-1)

Sponsor:  Rep. Bronna Kahle

House Bill 4547 (proposed substitute H-1)

Sponsor:  Rep. Ben Frederick

Committee:  Education

Complete to 9-24-19

SUMMARY:

        

House Bill 4546 would amend the Career and Technical Preparation Act, and House Bill 4547 would amend the Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act. The bills would largely codify current practice regarding enrollment in eligible postsecondary courses offered in whole or in part when the school district or state-approved nonpublic school is in session. Dual enrollment is the practice of enrolling in a high school and in an eligible postsecondary institution simultaneously, earning college credit while a high school student, with the cost of any tuition and fees for that course, subject to limitation, paid for by the school district using state funds.

Currently, both acts define eligible course as one offered by an eligible postsecondary institution (i.e., a community college, state university, or independent nonprofit degree-granting college or university in Michigan) that either is not offered by the school district or is offered but not available because of a scheduling conflict. An eligible course also must be one that is not ordinarily taken as an activity course; that the postsecondary institution normally applies toward satisfaction of degree requirements; that is not a hobby, craft, or recreational course; and that is not in the area of physical education, theology, divinity, or religious education.

The bills would add that an eligible course must be one that is offered in whole or in part when the district or nonpublic school is in session, except that a course offered only when the district or nonpublic school is not in session could be an eligible course as determined by the district or nonpublic school.

Additionally, the bills would retain the proration of funding for postsecondary programs to reflect the proportion of time the student attended the postsecondary program. In determining the applicable proration for a student, a school district would have to take into account the student’s attendance at a postsecondary program for an eligible course that occurred in whole or in part when the school district was not in session during the summer immediately following that regularly scheduled school year.

The bills would require the Michigan Department of Education to publish guidelines for determining the prorated foundation allowance by September 1, 2020.

The bills would take effect 90 days after enactment.

House Bill 4546: MCL 388.1903 and 388.1904

House Bill 4547: MCL 388.513 and 388.514

BACKGROUND:

The acts that would be amended were last substantively amended by 2012 PAs 131 to 134.[1] Those acts removed the requirement that a student be in at least 11th grade to enroll in dual enrollment and allowed a student to take up to 10 courses overall, among other changes.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The bills would have no fiscal impact for the state or for school districts or public school academies (PSAs).

                                                                                        Legislative Analyst:   Jenny McInerney

                                                                                               Fiscal Analysts:   Samuel Christensen

                                                                                                                           Jacqueline Mullen

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.

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