Signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with Senate amendments and pass a bill that requires school districts to administer at least one reading and math exam to students and report those results to the House & Senate Appropriations Subcommittees.

Highlights:

• Requires a school district, in order to receive state aid under this bill for 202-2021, to provide instruction under an extended COVID-19 learning plan that has been approved by an intermediate district or authorizing body (Sec. 98a).

• Specifies that it is the intent of the legislature that extended COVID-19 learning plans provide districts with maximum flexibility to adapt their educational programs for some or all pupils at some or all of the schools operated by the district to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic (Sec. 98a).

• Requires an extended COVID-19 learning plan to include all of the following elements (Sec. 98a):

• A statement indicating why an extended COVID-19 learning plan is necessary to increase pupil engagement and achievement for the 2020-2021 school year;

• The educational goals expected to be achieved for the 2020-2021 school year; 

• A description of how instruction will be delivered during the 2020-2021 school year;

• A description of how instruction for core academic areas provided under the COVID-19 learning plan will expose such pupil to the academic standards that apply for each pupil’s grade level or course in the same scope and sequence as the district had planned for that exposure to occur for in-person instruction and a description of how pupil progress toward mastery of the standards will be graded; 

• If the district is delivering pupil instruction virtually, an assurance and description of how pupils will be provided with equitable access to technology and the internet necessary to participate in instruction;

• A description of how the district will ensure that students with disabilities will be provided with equitable access to instruction accommodation;

• A requirement that district develop districtwide guidelines concerning appropriate methods for delivering pupil instruction for the school year that is based on local data that are based on key metrics;

• A provision that, if the district determines that it is in safe to provide in-person instruction, the district will prioritize providing in-person instruction to pupils in grades kindergarten through 5; and

• A requirement that the district will ensure that two 2-way interactions occur between a pupil enrolled in the district and the pupil’s teacher during each week of the school year for at least 75 percent of pupils enrolled in the districts.

• Defines “instruction” as something that can be delivered at school or at a different location, in person, online, digitally, by other remote means, in a synchronous or asynchronous format, or any combination thereof (Sec. 98a).

• Specifies that 30 days after the approval of the plan, and every 30 days thereafter, the district must re-confirm how instruction is going to be delivered during the 2020-2021 school year, and public comment must be solicited from parents and legal guardians of the pupils enrolled in the district (Sec. 98a).

• Defines “key metrics” as, at a minimum, all of the following (Sec. 98a):

• The trend of COVID-19 cases or positive COVID-19 tests, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 over a 14-day period; 

• COVID-19 cases for each day for every one million individuals; 

• The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests over a 4-week period; 

• Health care capacity strength; and

• Testing, tracing, and containment infrastructure with regard to COVID-19.

• Requires a public school academy to count in its membership students whose parents or legal guardians requested remote instruction or the district determines that remote instruction is necessary for health, safety, and welfare concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic (Sec. 6).

• Requires a school district to administer at least one benchmark assessment for all students in kindergarten through grade 9 within the first 30 days of the 2020-21 school year to measure proficiency in reading and mathematics if full-time, in-person instruction does not resume for some or all students for the first semester, in order to receive state aid (Sec. 18).

• Authorizes the department to approve at least 4 but not more than 5 benchmark assessments and inform the districts of changes (Sec. 18).

• Requires that a benchmark assessment in reading in grades kindergarten to 9 to contain progress monitoring tools and enhanced diagnostic assessments, and mathematic assessments contain progress monitoring tools (Sec. 18).

• Requires the district to come into an agreement with the department to provide access to student-level data from benchmark assessments administered under this act (Sec. 18).

• Specifies that none of the aforementioned provisions shall apply to nonpublic schools (Sec. 18).

• Requires the district to provide one of the approved benchmark assessments to school districts at no additional cost (Sec. 18).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that requires school districts to administer at least one reading and math exam to students and report those results to the House & Senate Appropriations Subcommittees.

Highlights:

• Requires a school district, in order to receive state aid under this bill for 202-2021, to provide instruction under an extended COVID-19 learning plan that has been approved by an intermediate district or authorizing body (Sec. 98a).

• Specifies that it is the intent of the legislature that extended COVID-19 learning plans provide districts with maximum flexibility to adapt their educational programs for some or all pupils at some or all of the schools operated by the district to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic (Sec. 98a).

• Requires an extended COVID-19 learning plan to include all of the following elements (Sec. 98a):

• A statement indicating why an extended COVID-19 learning plan is necessary to increase pupil engagement and achievement for the 2020-2021 school year;

• The educational goals expected to be achieved for the 2020-2021 school year; 

• A description of how instruction will be delivered during the 2020-2021 school year;

• A description of how instruction for core academic areas provided under the COVID-19 learning plan will expose such pupil to the academic standards that apply for each pupil’s grade level or course in the same scope and sequence as the district had planned for that exposure to occur for in-person instruction and a description of how pupil progress toward mastery of the standards will be graded; 

• If the district is delivering pupil instruction virtually, an assurance and description of how pupils will be provided with equitable access to technology and the internet necessary to participate in instruction;

• A description of how the district will ensure that students with disabilities will be provided with equitable access to instruction accommodation;

• A requirement that district develop districtwide guidelines concerning appropriate methods for delivering pupil instruction for the school year that is based on local data that are based on key metrics;

• A provision that, if the district determines that it is in safe to provide in-person instruction, the district will prioritize providing in-person instruction to pupils in grades kindergarten through 5; and

• A requirement that the district will ensure that two 2-way interactions occur between a pupil enrolled in the district and the pupil’s teacher during each week of the school year for at least 75 percent of pupils enrolled in the districts.

• Defines “instruction” as something that can be delivered at school or at a different location, in person, online, digitally, by other remote means, in a synchronous or asynchronous format, or any combination thereof (Sec. 98a).

• Specifies that 30 days after the approval of the plan, and every 30 days thereafter, the district must re-confirm how instruction is going to be delivered during the 2020-2021 school year, and public comment must be solicited from parents and legal guardians of the pupils enrolled in the district (Sec. 98a).

• Defines “key metrics” as, at a minimum, all of the following (Sec. 98a):

• The trend of COVID-19 cases or positive COVID-19 tests, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 over a 14-day period; 

• COVID-19 cases for each day for every one million individuals; 

• The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests over a 4-week period; 

• Health care capacity strength; and

• Testing, tracing, and containment infrastructure with regard to COVID-19.

• Requires a public school academy to count in its membership students whose parents or legal guardians requested remote instruction or the district determines that remote instruction is necessary for health, safety, and welfare concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic (Sec. 6).

• Requires a school district to administer at least one benchmark assessment for all students in kindergarten through grade 9 within the first 30 days of the 2020-21 school year to measure proficiency in reading and mathematics if full-time, in-person instruction does not resume for some or all students for the first semester, in order to receive state aid (Sec. 18).

• Authorizes the department to approve at least 4 but not more than 5 benchmark assessments and inform the districts of changes (Sec. 18).

• Requires that a benchmark assessment in reading in grades kindergarten to 9 to contain progress monitoring tools and enhanced diagnostic assessments, and mathematic assessments contain progress monitoring tools (Sec. 18).

• Requires the district to come into an agreement with the department to provide access to student-level data from benchmark assessments administered under this act (Sec. 18).

• Specifies that none of the aforementioned provisions shall apply to nonpublic schools (Sec. 18).

• Requires the district to provide one of the approved benchmark assessments to school districts at no additional cost (Sec. 18).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires school districts to administer at least one reading and math exam to students and report those results to the House & Senate Appropriations Subcommittees.

Highlights:

• Specifies that this instruction may occur remotely from a school facility (Sec 3).

• Defines “instruction” to be described as an action intended to lead to the pupil’s mastery of academic standards that are provided at school or a different location, or in person, online, digitally, or other remote means in a synchronous or asynchronous format (Sec. 3).

• Requires a public school academy to count in its membership students whose parents or legal guardians requested remote instruction or the district determines that remote instruction is necessary for health, safety, and welfare concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic (Sec. 6).

• Requires a school district to administer at least one benchmark assessment for all students in kindergarten through grade 9 within the first 30 days of the 2020-21 school year to measure proficiency in reading and mathematics if full-time, in-person instruction does not resume for some or all students for the first semester, in order to receive state aid (Sec. 18).

• Authorizes the department to approve at least 4 but not more than 5 benchmark assessments and inform the districts of changes (Sec. 18).

• Requires that a benchmark assessment in reading in grades kindergarten to 9 to contain progress monitoring tools and enhanced diagnostic assessments, and mathematic assessments contain progress monitoring tools (Sec. 18).

• Requires the district to come into an agreement with the department to provide access to student-level data from benchmark assessments administered under this act (Sec. 18).

• Specifies that none of the aforementioned provisions shall apply to nonpublic schools (Sec. 18).

• Requires the district to provide one of the approved benchmark assessments to school districts at no additional cost (Sec. 18).

Full Bill Text