HOUSE BILL No. 5193 October 11, 2001, Introduced by Reps. Woodward, Dennis, Gieleghem, Kolb, Bovin, Jacobs, Bogardus, Waters, Bernero, Minore, Schauer, Rich Brown, Neumann, Garza, Gosselin, Basham, 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 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. 00864'01 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 00864'01 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 thebeginning of the pupil's5first semester of grade 12NEXT FOLLOWING JULY.Not later than6fall 1999, theTHE department OF TREASURY shall arrange for 7 those portions of a pupil's assessment that cannot be scored 8 mechanically to be scored in Michigan by persons who are Michigan 9 teachers, retired Michigan teachers, or Michigan school adminis- 10 trators and who have been trained in scoring the assessments. 11 The returned scores shall indicate the pupil's scaled score for 12 each subject area assessment, the range of scaled scores for each 13 subject area, and the range of scaled scores required for each 14 category established under subsection (2). In reporting the 15 scores to pupils, parents, and schools, the department OF 16 TREASURY shall provide specific, meaningful, and timely feedback 17 on the pupil's performance on the assessment. IN ADDITION, THE 18 REPORT TO A PUPIL'S SCHOOL SHALL INCLUDE AT LEAST A COPY OF EACH 19 ASSESSMENT TEST, A REPORT OF THE PUPIL'S ANSWER ON EACH MULTIPLE 20 CHOICE QUESTION, A COPY OF THE PUPIL'S ANSWER ON EACH ESSAY QUES- 21 TION, AND A REPORT OF THE PUPIL'S SCORE ON EACH ESSAY QUESTION. 22 (4) For each pupil who does not achieve state endorsement in 23 1 or more subject areas, the board of the school district or 24 public school academy in which the pupil is enrolled shall pro- 25 vide that there be at least 1 meeting attended by at least the 26 pupil and a member of the school district's or public school 27 academy's staff or a local or intermediate school district 00864'01 4 1 consultant who is proficient in the measurement and evaluation of 2 pupils. The school district or public school academy may provide 3 the meeting as a group meeting for pupils in similar 4 circumstances. If the pupil is a minor, the school district or 5 public school academy shall invite and encourage the pupil's 6 parent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis to attend the 7 meeting and shall mail a notice of the meeting to the pupil's 8 parent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis. The purpose 9 of this meeting and any subsequent meeting under this subsection 10 shall be to determine an educational program for the pupil 11 designed to have the pupil achieve state endorsement in each 12 subject area in which he or she did not achieve state 13 endorsement. In addition, a school district or public school 14 academy may provide for subsequent meetings with the pupil con- 15 ducted by a high school counselor or teacher designated by the 16 pupil's high school principal, and shall invite and encourage the 17 pupil's parent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis to 18 attend the subsequent meetings. The school district or public 19 school academy shall provide special programs for the pupil or 20 develop a program using the educational programs regularly pro- 21 vided by the district unless the board of the school district or 22 public school academy decides otherwise and publishes and 23 explains its decision in a public justification report. 24 (5) A pupil who wants to repeat an assessment administered 25 under this section may repeat the assessment, without charge to 26 the pupil, in the next school year or after graduation. An 27 individual may repeat an assessment at any time the school 00864'01 5 1 district or public school academy administers an applicable 2 assessment instrument or during a retesting period under subsec- 3 tion (7). 4 (6) The department OF TREASURY shall ensure that the length 5 of the assessments used for the purposes of this section and the 6 combined total time necessary to administer all of the assess- 7 ments, including social studies, are the shortest possible that 8 will still maintain the degree of reliability and validity of the 9 assessment results determined necessary by the department OF 10 TREASURY. The department OF TREASURY shall ensure that the maxi- 11 mum total combined length of time that schools are required to 12 set aside for administration of all of the assessments used for 13 the purposes of this section, including social studies, does not 14 exceed 8 hours. However, this subsection does not limit the 15 amount of time that individuals may have to complete the 16 assessments. 17 (7) The department OF TREASURY shall establish, schedule, 18 and arrange periodic retesting periods throughout the year for 19 individuals who desire to repeat an assessment under this 20 section. The department OF TREASURY shall coordinate the 21 arrangements for administering the repeat assessments and shall 22 ensure that the retesting is made available at least within each 23 intermediate school district and, to the extent possible, within 24 each school district. 25 (8) A school district or public school academy shall provide 26 accommodations to a pupil with disabilities for the assessments 27 required under this section, as provided under section 504 of 00864'01 6 1 title V of the rehabilitation act of 1973, Public Law 93-112, 29 2 U.S.C. 794; subtitle A of title II of the Americans with disabil- 3 ities act of 1990, Public Law 101-336, 42 U.S.C. 12131 to 12134; 4 and the implementing regulations for those statutes. 5 (9) For the purposes of this section, thestate board6 DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY shall develop or select and approve 7 assessment instruments to measure pupil performance in communica- 8 tions skills, mathematics, social studies, and science. The 9 assessment instruments shall be based on thestate boardmodel 10 core academic content standards objectives UNDER SECTION 1278. 11 (10) All assessment instruments developed or selected and 12 approved by the state under any statute or rule for a purpose 13 related to K to 12 education shall be objective-oriented and con- 14 sistent with the state board model core academic content stan- 15 dards objectives. 16 (11) A person who has graduated from high school after 1996 17 and who has not previously taken an assessment under this section 18 may take an assessment used for the purposes of this section, 19 without charge to the person, at the school district from which 20 he or she graduated from high school at any time that school dis- 21 trict administers the assessment or during a retesting period 22 scheduled under subsection (7) and have his or her scaled score 23 on the assessment included on his or her high school transcript. 24 If the person's scaled score on a subject area assessment falls 25 within the range required under subsection (2) for a category 26 established under subsection (2), the school district shall also 00864'01 7 1 indicate on the person's high school transcript that the person 2 has achieved state endorsement for that subject area. 3(12) Not later than July 1 of each year until 2000, the4department shall submit a comprehensive report to the legislature5on the status of the assessment program under this section. The6report shall include at least all of the following:7(a) The annual pupil assessment data.8(b) A description of the feedback provided to pupils, par-9ents, and schools.10(c) A description of any significant alterations made in the11program by the department or state board during the period cov-12ered by the report.13(d) Any recommendations by the department or state board for14legislative changes to the program.15(e) An update of the reports of the assessment advisory com-16mittees of the state board.17(13) Pupils scheduled to graduate in 1998 who took the18assessments used for the purposes of this section during the191996-97 school year may repeat 1 or more of the assessments20during the 1997-98 school year. The department, in cooperation21with school districts and public school academies, shall make22arrangements for repeat assessments to be available for these23pupils in each school district that operates a high school during24the 1997-98 school year in time for these pupils to repeat the25assessments before graduation. The repeat assessments may be26administered at times other than regular school hours.00864'01 8 1 (12)(14)A child who is a student in a nonpublic school 2 or home school may take an assessment under this section. To 3 take an assessment, a child who is a student in a home school 4 shall contact the school district in which the child resides, and 5 that school district shall administer the assessment, or the 6 child may take the assessment at a nonpublic school if allowed by 7 the nonpublic school. Upon request from a nonpublic school, the 8 department OF TREASURY shall supply assessments and the nonpublic 9 school may administer the assessment. 10 (13)(15)The purpose of the assessment under this section 11 is to assess pupil performance in mathematics, science, social 12 studies, and communication arts for the purpose of improving aca- 13 demic achievement and establishing a statewide standard of 14 competency. The assessment under this section provides a common 15 measure of data that will contribute to the improvement of 16 Michigan schools' curriculum and instruction by encouraging 17 alignment with Michigan's curriculum framework standards. These 18 standards are based upon the expectations of what pupils should 19 know and be able to do by the end of grade 11. 20 (14)(16) Not later than 90 days after the effective date21of this subsection, the state boardTHE DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY 22 shall appoint an 11-member assessment administration advisory 23 committee to advise thestate boardDEPARTMENT OF TREASURY on 24 Michigan education assessment program (MEAP) tests and on the 25 assessments used for state endorsements under this section. This 26 advisory committee shall be composed of representatives of school 27 districts, intermediate school districts, school administrators, 00864'01 9 1 teachers, and parents, with the appointments reflecting the 2 geographic and population diversity of school districts in this 3 state. The representatives of school districts and intermediate 4 school districts shall be persons who are expert in testing or 5 test administration. This advisory committee shall evaluate 6 these tests and assessments and make recommendations to the 7state board anddepartment OF TREASURY on issues related to 8 administration, scoring, and reporting and use of results of 9 these tests and assessments, including, but not limited to, 10 length of the tests and assessments; the time of the testing 11 period during the school year; feedback provided to pupils, par- 12 ents, and schools; accurate and relevant reporting of results to 13 the general public; the selection of a retesting period and pro- 14 cedures and arrangements for repeating tests or assessments; 15 local scoring and other general issues regarding scoring of tests 16 and assessments; categories of scoring on the MEAP tests and cat- 17 egories of state endorsement under this section; and professional 18 development for teachers to assist in preparing pupils to have 19 the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed on the tests and 20 assessments. 21 (15)(17)As used in this section: 22 (a) "Communications skills" means reading and writing. 23 (b) "Social studies" means geography, history, economics, 24 and American government. 00864'01 Final page. 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