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HOUSE BILL NO. 6108
A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled
"The revised school code,"
by amending section 1278a (MCL 380.1278a), as amended by 2022 PA
105.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 1278a. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section 1
or section 1278b, the board of a school district or board of 2
directors of a public school academy shall not award a high school 3
diploma to a pupil unless the pupil meets all of the following: 4
June 18, 2026, Introduced by Reps. Fairbairn, Robinson, Cavitt, Beson, Prestin, Markkanen, Roth,
Schmaltz, Kelly and Borton and referred to Committee on Education and Workforce.
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(a) Has successfully completed all of the following credit 1
requirements of the Michigan merit standard before graduating from 2
high school: 3
(i) At least 4 credits in mathematics that are aligned with 4
subject area content expectations developed by the department and 5
approved by the state board under section 1278b, including 6
completion of at least algebra I, geometry, and algebra II, or an 7
integrated sequence of this course content that consists of 3 8
credits, and an additional mathematics credit, such as 9
trigonometry, statistics, precalculus, calculus, applied math, 10
accounting, business math, a retake of algebra II, or, for only 11
pupils entering grade 8 before 2023, a course in financial literacy 12
as described in section 1165. A pupil may complete algebra II over 13
2 years with 2 credits awarded or over 1.5 years with 1.5 credits 14
awarded for the purposes of this section and section 1278b. A pupil 15
also may partially or fully fulfill the algebra II requirement by 16
completing a department-approved formal career and technical 17
education program or curriculum, such as a program or curriculum in 18
electronics, machining, construction, welding, engineering, 19
computer science, or renewable energy, and in that program or 20
curriculum successfully completing the same content as the algebra 21
II benchmarks assessed on the department-prescribed state high 22
school assessment, as determined by the department. The department 23
shall post on its website guidelines for implementation of the 24
immediately preceding sentence. Each pupil must successfully 25
complete at least 1 mathematics course during his or her the 26
pupil's final year of high school enrollment. This subparagraph 27
does not require completion of mathematics courses in any 28
particular sequence. 29
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(ii) At least 3 credits in social science that are aligned with 1
subject area content expectations developed by the department and 2
approved by the state board under section 1278b, including 3
completion of at least 1 credit in United States history and 4
geography, 1 credit in world history and geography, 1/2 credit in 5
economics, and the civics course described in section 1166(2). For 6
only pupils entering grade 8 before 2023, the 1/2-credit economics 7
requirement may be satisfied by completion of at least a 1/2-credit 8
course in personal economics that includes a financial literacy 9
component as described in section 1165, if that course covers the 10
subject area content expectations for economics developed by the 11
department and approved by the state board under section 1278b. The 12
1/2 credit in economics required under this subparagraph cannot be 13
fulfilled by completion of the 1/2 credit course in personal 14
finance described in subsection (3). 15
(iii) At least 1 credit in subject matter that includes both 16
health and physical education aligned with guidelines developed by 17
the department and approved by the state board under section 1278b, 18
or at least 1/2 credit in health aligned with guidelines developed 19
by the department and approved by the state board under section 20
1278b and at least 1/2 credit awarded by the school district or 21
public school academy for approved participation in extracurricular 22
athletics or other extracurricular activities involving physical 23
activity. 24
(iv) At least 1 credit in visual arts, performing arts, or 25
applied arts, as defined by the department, that is aligned with 26
guidelines developed by the department and approved by the state 27
board under section 1278b. A school district or public school 28
academy is strongly encouraged to offer visual arts and performing 29
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arts courses. 1
(v) The credit requirements specified in section 1278b(1). 2
(b) Meets the online course or learning experience requirement 3
of this subsection. A school district or public school academy 4
shall provide the basic level of technology and internet access 5
required by the state board to complete the online course or 6
learning experience. For a pupil to meet this requirement, the 7
pupil must meet either of the following, as determined by the 8
school district or public school academy: 9
(i) Has successfully completed at least 1 course or learning 10
experience that is presented online, as defined by the department. 11
(ii) The pupil's school district or public school academy has 12
integrated an online experience throughout the high school 13
curriculum by ensuring that each teacher of each course that 14
provides the required credits of the Michigan merit curriculum has 15
integrated an online experience into the course. 16
(2) Except as otherwise provided in this section, and in 17
addition to the requirements under subsection (1), the board of a 18
school district or board of directors of a public school academy 19
shall not award a high school diploma to a pupil unless the pupil 20
has successfully completed during grades K to 12 at least 2 credits 21
that are grade-appropriate in a language other than English or 22
course work coursework or other learning experiences that are 23
substantially equivalent to 2 credits in a language other than 24
English, based on guidelines developed by the department. A pupil 25
may partially or fully fulfill 1 credit both credits of this 26
requirement by completing a department-approved formal career and 27
technical education program or curriculum or by completing visual 28
or performing arts instruction that is in addition to the 29
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requirements under subsection (1)(a)(iv). The board of a school 1
district or board of directors of a public school academy is 2
strongly encouraged to ensure that all pupils complete at least 1 3
credit in a language other than English in grades K to 6. For the 4
purposes of this subsection, both of the following apply: 5
(a) American Sign Language is considered to be a language 6
other than English. 7
(b) The pupil may meet all or part of this requirement with 8
online course work.coursework. 9
(3) Beginning with pupils entering grade 8 in 2023, the board 10
of a school district or board of directors of a public school 11
academy shall not award a high school diploma to a pupil unless the 12
pupil completes a 1/2 credit course in personal finance that aligns 13
with subject area content expectations developed by the department 14
and approved by the state board under section 1278b. The 1/2 credit 15
course in personal finance must fulfill 1/2 credit of mathematics 16
required under subsection (1)(a)(i), 1/2 credit of visual arts, 17
performing arts, or applied arts required under subsection 18
(1)(a)(iv), or 1/2 credit of a language other than English required 19
under subsection (2), as determined by the board of the school 20
district or board of directors of the public school academy in 21
which the pupil is enrolled. The 1/2 credit course in personal 22
finance required under this subsection may be fulfilled through a 23
department-approved formal career and technical education program 24
or curriculum that aligns with the subject area content 25
expectations developed by the department and approved by the state 26
board for the credit under section 1278b. 27
(4) The requirements under this section and section 1278b for 28
a high school diploma are in addition to any local requirements 29
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imposed by the board of a school district or board of directors of 1
a public school academy. The board of a school district or board of 2
directors of a public school academy, as a local requirement for a 3
high school diploma, may require a pupil to complete the Michigan 4
merit examination under section 1279g or may require a pupil to 5
participate in the MIAccess assessments if appropriate for the 6
pupil. 7
(5) For the purposes of this section and section 1278b, all of 8
the following apply: 9
(a) A pupil is considered to have completed a credit if the 10
pupil successfully completes the subject area content expectations 11
or guidelines developed by the department that apply to the credit. 12
For a career and technical education credit, a school district or 13
public school academy may supplement those content expectations and 14
guidelines with additional guidelines developed by the school 15
district or public school academy. 16
(b) A school district or public school academy shall base its 17
determination of whether a pupil has successfully completed the 18
subject area content expectations or guidelines developed by the 19
department that apply to a credit at least in part on the pupil's 20
performance on assessments developed or selected by the department 21
or on 1 or more assessments developed or selected by the school 22
district or public school academy that measure a pupil's 23
understanding of the subject area content expectations or 24
guidelines that apply to the credit. 25
(c) A school district or public school academy shall also 26
grant a pupil a credit if the pupil earns a qualifying score, as 27
determined by the department, on assessments developed or selected 28
for the subject area by the department or the pupil earns a 29
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qualifying score, as determined by the school district or public 1
school academy, on 1 or more assessments developed or selected by 2
the school district or public school academy that measure a pupil's 3
understanding of the subject area content expectations or 4
guidelines that apply to the credit. 5
(6) If a high school is designated by the superintendent of 6
public instruction as a specialty school and the high school meets 7
the requirements of subsection (7), the pupils of the high school 8
are not required to successfully complete the 4 credits in English 9
language arts required under section 1278b(1)(a) or the 3 credits 10
in social science required under subsection (1)(a)(ii) and the 11
school district or public school academy is not required to ensure 12
that each pupil is offered the curriculum necessary for meeting 13
those English language arts or social science credit requirements. 14
The superintendent of public instruction may designate up to 15 15
high schools that meet the requirements of this subsection as 16
specialty schools. Subject to this maximum number, the 17
superintendent of public instruction shall designate a high school 18
as a specialty school if the superintendent of public instruction 19
finds that the high school meets all of the following criteria: 20
(a) The high school incorporates a significant reading and 21
writing component throughout its curriculum. 22
(b) The high school uses a specialized, innovative, and 23
rigorous curriculum in such areas as performing arts, foreign 24
language, extensive use of internships, or other learning 25
innovations that conform to pioneering innovations among other 26
leading national or international high schools. 27
(7) A high school that is designated by the superintendent of 28
public instruction as a specialty school under subsection (6) is 29
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only exempt from requirements as described under subsection (6) as 1
long as the superintendent of public instruction finds that the 2
high school continues to meet all of the following requirements: 3
(a) The high school clearly states to prospective pupils and 4
their parents prospective pupils' parents or legal guardians that 5
it does not meet the requirements of the Michigan merit standard 6
under this section and section 1278b but is a designated specialty 7
school that is exempt from some of those requirements and that a 8
pupil who enrolls in the high school and subsequently transfers to 9
a high school that is not a specialty school meeting the 10
requirements of this subsection will be required to comply with the 11
requirements of the Michigan merit standard under this section and 12
section 1278b. 13
(b) For the most recent year for which the data are available, 14
the mean scores on both the mathematics and science portions of the 15
applicable state assessment for the pupils of the high school 16
exceed by at least 10% the mean scores on the mathematics and 17
science portions of the applicable state assessment for the pupils 18
of the school district in which the greatest number of the pupils 19
of the high school reside. 20
(c) For the most recent year for which the data are available, 21
the high school had a graduation rate of at least 85%, as 22
determined by the department. 23
(d) For the most recent year for which the data are available, 24
at least 75% of the pupils who graduated from the high school the 25
preceding year are enrolled in a postsecondary institution. 26
(e) All pupils of the high school are required to meet the 27
mathematics credit requirements of subsection (1)(a)(i), with no 28
modification of these requirements under section 1278b(5), and each 29
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pupil is offered the curriculum necessary to meet this requirement. 1
(f) All pupils of the high school are required to meet the 2
science credit requirements of section 1278b(1)(b) and are also 3
required to successfully complete at least 1 additional science 4
credit, for a total of at least 4 science credits, with no 5
modification of these requirements under section 1278b(5), and each 6
pupil is offered the curriculum necessary to meet this requirement. 7