Education (Testing & Assessment)

House Bill 4155 requires the Department to publish a list of recommended curriculum companies and assessment companies for use by K-12 public schools. By April 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the Department must make these lists available to school districts, intermediate school districts, and public school academies. Recommended curriculum companies must offer programs aligning with state academic standards, provide evidence of effectiveness, and include provisions for accessibility and professional development. Similarly, recommended assessment companies must provide various assessments meeting state and federal requirements. It is important to note that schools are not mandated to use any of the companies or curricula on these recommended lists.

SB 377 amends Michigan's high school graduation requirements under the Revised School Code. It requires students to complete specific credit bundles, including 4 math credits (with new flexibility to fulfill some through career-technical education programs like computer science or engineering), 3 social science credits (covering U.S. history, world history, economics, and civics), and visual arts/performing arts credits. The bill directly affects all Michigan public high school students seeking diplomas by changing their course requirements. Key mechanisms include allowing career-technical education programs to count toward math credits and specifying exact social science course requirements.

SB 471 creates a dedicated $13 million behavioral threat assessment and management program fund within Michigan's Department of Treasury for the 2025 fiscal year. The fund, administered by the Treasury Department, will finance developing, implementing, and maintaining school safety programs to assess student behavioral threats. It requires all funds to remain in the program (not lapse to the general fund) and be used exclusively for these school safety purposes. The bill directly affects Michigan public schools by providing targeted funding for this specific safety initiative, with the program expected to be fully operational by September 2026.

HB 4868 creates supplemental funding for Michigan school districts to support English language learners (ELLs) starting in the 2026 fiscal year. To qualify, districts must administer the WIDA ACCESS or WIDA Alternate ACCESS proficiency test to ELLs. Funding is distributed based on test scores: 75% of the target foundation allowance for scores 1.0-1.9, 50% for 2.0-2.9, and 35% for 3.0-3.9. This directly affects school districts serving ELLs who meet the assessment requirements under Michigan’s School Code.

SB 470 requires Michigan's Department of Education to create and implement a statewide Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Program within 180 days. The program mandates schools to identify, assess, and manage potential threats through standardized risk-level models, secure data storage, and a centralized digital portal that integrates school, mental health, and law enforcement data. It directly affects all Michigan public school districts, intermediate districts, public school academies, and nonpublic schools by requiring them to use this system for student safety planning. Key provisions include secure access controls, annual training for staff, quarterly audits, and ensuring all data remains protected as education records under federal and state laws.

HB 4157 creates a pilot program for a state-administered assessment system in Michigan public schools, replacing the current M-STEP testing. It requires item analysis for all tests (showing which questions students answered correctly and common mistakes) and mandates that districts use only student enrollment data from the time of testing when calculating school performance scores. The bill allocates $500,000 for an online tool to provide secure, immediate access to student-level assessment data for educators and parents. This bill directly affects public school districts receiving state aid and their students in grades 11-12, as it modifies assessment requirements under the State School Aid Act.