ACT WORKKEYS ASSESSMENT; OPT-OUT        S.B. 349 (S-3) & 350 (S-3):

        SUMMARY OF BILL

        REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

 

 

 

 

 

Senate Bills 349 and 350 (Substitute S-3 as reported) 

Sponsor: Senator Dayna Polehanki

Committee: Education

 

 

CONTENT

 

Senate Bill 349 (S-3) would amend the Revised School Code to do the following:

 

--       Allow a pupil to opt-out of the ACT® WorkKeys® job skills assessment Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents portion of the Michigan Merit Examination (MME) beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

--       Require the Department of Education (MDE) to develop and post on its website an opt-out waiver that a student and the student’s parent or legal guardian would have to print, sign, and submit to the student’s school district, intermediate school district (ISD), or public school academy (PSA) by February 28 of the testing school year.

--       Require the MDE to consult with industry professionals to develop an informational letter about the purpose and benefit of the ACT® WorkKeys® job skills assessment.

--       Require each school district, ISD, and PSA to provide this informational letter to all students by December 31 of the testing school year.

 

Senate Bill 350 (S-3) would amend the State School Aid Act to specify that school districts, ISDs, and PSAs would continue to receive State funds while providing students with the ability to opt-out of the ACT® WorkKeys® job skills assessment.

 

MCL 380.1279g (S.B. 349); 388.1704b (S.B. 350)

 

BRIEF RATIONALE

 

Grade 11 students are required to take the ACT® WorkKeys® job skills assessment in Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents as part of the MME. The MME is administered over a three-day period. The ACT® WorkKeys® job skills assessment takes half of one of those days. Some believe that the educational loss and administrative burden created by administering this specific assessment are not worth it, as ACT® WorkKeys® job skills assessment credentials are used only for entry into certain skilled trades. The credentials are not used by students bound for college, university, or non-trade industries. Accordingly, it has been suggested that students be given the ability to opt-out of the ACT® WorkKeys® job skills assessment.

 

        Legislative Analyst: Abby Schneider

 

FISCAL IMPACT

 

The bills would have a minimal fiscal impact on the MDE and local schools. The MDE would experience additional one-time costs to develop a waiver to a portion of the MME. Current appropriations should be sufficient to cover these additional costs. Local schools could experience minimal costs to provide waivers to pupils and parents or legal guardians. These costs likely would be covered and incorporated within current costs for administering the MME.

 

Date Completed: 6-20-25        Fiscal Analyst: Ryan Bergan; Cory Savino, PhD

floor\sb349-350                Bill Analysis @ www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa

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.