Michigan Merit Curriculum

House Bill 5606 and Senate Bill 1021 call for the implementation of the Michigan Merit Curriculum beginning with students scheduled to graduate from high school in 2010.

Course Credit Requirements

• Four credits in English Language Arts.
  
• Four credits in Mathematics, including at least two Algebra courses, one Geometry course, and one additional course beyond Algebra I and Geometry.


• Three credits in Science, including completion of at least one Biology course, one Chemistry or Physics course, and one additional course approved by the Department (at least one of which would be an approved course in earth science).


• House Bill 5606 requires one-half credit in Civics, one-half credit in Economics, one credit in U.S. History and Geography, and one credit in World History and Geography. Senate Bill 1021 requires at least 3 credits in Social Science: U.S. History, World History, Economics, and a Civics or Government course. The History courses shall include Geography.


• One credit in Health and Physical Education from among courses approved by the Department.


• One credit in Fine Arts or Music from among courses approved by the Department.


• One course or learning experience that was presented online, as defined by the Department. (House Bill 5606 states that this requirement would begin in the academic year starting after the state board adopted a resolution indicating that its members had determined that all high school students in Michigan have substantially similar access to the Internet, and to substantially similar computing technology.)


• Senate Bill 1021 include two credits of World Language. House Bill 5606 does not.


• Senate Bill 1021 requires students to successfully complete elective courses developed and offered by the school district. These elective courses shall be aligned with the following 21st century skills: Global Literacy; Civic Literacy; Financial, Economic, and Entrepreneurial Literacy; Information and Communications Technology Literacy; twenty-first century learning skills focused on work based instruction or Accelerated Learning.

Course Content Expectations

• Senate Bill 1021 and House Bill 5606 require the Department of Education to develop course content expectations for all elements of the curriculum. House Bill 5606 requires that course content expectations be consistent with the State Board's recommended model core academic curriculum content standards, and approved by the State Board this year.


• House Bill 5606 specifies that course content expectation shall state in clear and measurable terms what students are expected to know upon completion of each course.


• House Bill 5606 specifies that the course content expectations for sophomore-level English Language Arts would have to be developed and approved before March 1, 2007, the junior-level standards by March 1, 2008, and the senior-level standards before March 1, 2009.


• House Bill 5606 details the focus of course content for English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Civics, Economics, U.S. History and Geography, World History and Geography, Health and Physical Education, and Fine Arts and Music.


• House Bill 5606 specifies that the school district shall ensure that all elements of the required curriculum are made available to all affected pupils. If a school district does not offer all of the required courses, the school district shall ensure that the pupil has access to the required courses by another means, such as enrollment in a postsecondary course; cooperative arrangement with a neighboring school district; or granting approval for the Pupil to be counted in membership in another school district.


• Senate Bill 1021 indicates that if a district is unable to implement all of the new requirements for students scheduled to graduate in 2010, it may apply to the Department for permission to phase in the requirements.

Personalized Alternative Curricula

• Under the House Bill 5606, a student who has completed at least grade 8 may request a modification of his or her individual high school graduation requirements and a personalized alternative curriculum. Senate Bill 1021 requires pupils to complete three years of the Michigan Merit Curriculum before requesting a personalized alternative curriculum.


• If all of the requirements in the personalized alternative curriculum are met, the school may award a high school diploma to a student, even if he or she has not meet the graduation requirements previously specified.

Special Education Services

• Both bills specify that if a student receives special education services, the student's individualized education plan would supersede the requirements noted above.

Alternative Instructional Delivery Methods

• Under both bills schools are required to ensure that content expectations for the courses noted above are met either by providing the course work specified above or by using alternative instructional delivery methods, such as alternative course work, career and technical education, or humanities course sequences if approved by the Department.

Successful Completion

• Under the proposals, a student would be considered to have completed one credit if he or she met the course content expectations. House Bill 5606 specifies that a course would be successfully completed only if the student earned at least a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Michigan Merit Examination

• Senate Bill 1021 requires pupils to complete all subject area assessments of the Michigan Merit Examination or participate in an alternative assessment for pupils needing special education services.

bk:opeiu42aflcio: February 21, 2006