S.B. 160: COMMITTEE SUMMARY - PROFICIENCY TEST SCORES

Senate Bill 160 (as introduced 2-12-97)

Sponsor: Senator Mike Rogers

Date Completed: 3-4-97

CONTENT

The bill would amend the State School Aid Act to delete current provisions that require school districts (including public school academies) to award a State-endorsed diploma in order to receive school aid. The bill would require, instead, that a State endorsement appear on a graduate's high school diploma and transcript upon completion of specified assessment instruments. The actual test score achieved by the graduate on each of the assessment instruments would have to be printed on the State endorsement.

Under the bill, a school district would have to include a State endorsement on a graduate's high school diploma and high school transcript for each high school graduate of the district who had completed each of the assessment instruments specified in the Act in the subject areas of communication skills, mathematics, science, and, beginning with pupils scheduled to graduate in 2000, social studies. If a graduate had repeated an assessment instrument for a subject area, the highest test score achieved by the graduate on an assessment instrument for that subject area would be the score printed on the State endorsement for that subject area.

The Act permits any person, after graduation from high school, upon payment of a reasonable fee, to retake the State-endorsed diploma test and, upon achieving the initial mastery level in a subject area, have his or her high school diploma State-endorsed for that subject area. Under the bill, any person after graduation could take one or more State-endorsed diploma assessments, upon payment of a reasonable fee. Upon completion of all available assessments, a person could have his or her high school diploma State-endorsed with his or her test scores for each subject area.

The bill also would delete current provisions that do the following:

-- Establish endorsement requirements for students who were scheduled to graduate from high school in 1994, 1995, 1996, including achieving a passing score on at least one of the following: a locally adopted and State-approved basic proficiency test, the general education test, or the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test as specified in the Act.

-- Require a State endorsement for pupils scheduled to graduate from high school in 1997 and 1998 who achieve the academic objectives required by the State Board, as measured by an assessment instrument developed by or selected and approved by the State Board.

-- Provide for the reevaluation of a pupil who does not achieve the scores specified in the Act.

-- Require that a special education student scheduled to graduate in 1994, 1995, or 1996, who passed an alternative form of assessment permitted under the State School Aid Act, receive the applicable endorsement.

MCL 388.1704a - Legislative Analyst: L. Arasim

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.

- Fiscal Analyst: E. Pratt

S9798\S160SA

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.