Education (Curriculum)

in committee · Michigan · Senate Jun 10, 2025

SB 377: Education: curriculum; alternative merit curriculum; provide for. Amends secs. 1278a, 1278b & 1531e of 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1278a et seq.) & adds secs. 1278e & 1526c.

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.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates comprehensive graduation requirements including social sciences, arts, and flexible math pathways, promoting well-rounded education and curriculum standards.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Career & Technical Education Curriculum Testing & Assessment

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in committee · Michigan · House Jun 26, 2025

HB 4687: Education: curriculum; curriculum requirements; modify. Amends sec. 1278 of 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1278) & adds secs. 1164, 1164a, 1164c, 1164d, 1164e, 1164f & 1164g.

HB 4687 requires all Michigan public school districts and public school academies to incorporate one unit of age-appropriate Black history and one unit of Indigenous People history into their history curriculum starting in the 2027-2028 school year. The bill mandates coverage of historical contributions, discriminatory policies, and civil rights advancements by these communities, while requiring instructional materials to align with state standards and include input from cultural centers and experts. Schools must ensure this instruction is inclusive for all students, including those with disabilities and English language learners, and avoid any bias or discrimination. The law allows flexibility for schools to integrate these units into existing lesson plans rather than creating new courses.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates inclusion of Black and Indigenous history in K-12 curriculum, expanding educational content to cover diverse contributions and civil rights advancements per state standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Michigan · Senate Jun 26, 2025

SB 453: Education: curriculum; curriculum requirements; modify. Amends sec. 1278 of 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1278) & adds secs. 1164, 1164a, 1164c, 1164d, 1164e, 1164f & 1164g.

SB 453 requires Michigan public school districts, intermediate districts, and public school academies to include one unit of age- and grade-appropriate Black history instruction in their history curriculum starting in the 2027-2028 school year. This instruction must cover Black contributions to U.S. society, the history of Black communities in Michigan and the Midwest (including discriminatory policies), and civil rights advancements. The bill also mandates a similar unit of Indigenous People history instruction with identical content requirements. The superintendent of public instruction must develop guidelines with input from cultural centers and scholars, and all instruction must be inclusive and non-discriminatory for all students.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates inclusion of Black history curriculum in K-12 schools, enhancing educational content on diversity and historical contributions per bill's explicit requirements.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Michigan · Senate Jun 26, 2025

SB 454: Education: curriculum; the cultural history advisory board; create. Amends 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1 - 380.1852) by adding sec. 1164f.

SB 454 creates a Cultural History Advisory Board within Michigan's Department of Education. The board, appointed by the superintendent of public instruction, must include 16 members representing specific cultural communities (Asian-American/Pacific Islander, Latino/Hispanic, Black, Middle Eastern/North African/Chaldean, Indigenous, Caribbean-American, Jewish-American, European-American) plus educators, school administrators, labor representatives, and higher education experts. The board must develop curriculum recommendations and professional development resources for K-12 schools on teaching the history of these cultural groups, with a deadline of two years after all members are appointed. This bill directly affects Michigan public schools by establishing a new body to guide inclusive history education resources.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates Cultural History Advisory Board to diversify curriculum representation, enhancing educational access and cultural inclusion in K-12 curriculum per bill's purpose.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Michigan · House Jan 23, 2025

HB 4020: Education: curriculum; requirement for schools to provide instruction on African-American history; provide for, and create the commission to update African-American history in K to 12 instruction. Amends 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1 - 380.1852) by adding sec. 1164.

HB 4020 creates a temporary commission to update African-American history curriculum for Michigan K-12 schools. The commission, appointed by the governor and including university representatives, NAACP, and museum staff, must review current standards within 365 days and recommend age-appropriate instruction covering Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Era, and African-American contributions to U.S. development. Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, Michigan school districts must provide this instruction, and state assessments will include related questions. The bill mandates curriculum updates to the state board within two years of the commission's recommendations. This directly affects all public K-12 schools in Michigan and their required social studies curriculum.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates updated African-American history curriculum in K-12 schools, requiring age-appropriate instruction on Reconstruction, Civil Rights Era, and contributions, advancing educational content and historical representation.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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passed both · Michigan · House Apr 22, 2025

HB 4159: Education: curriculum; core academic curriculum requirements; modify. Amends sec. 1278 of 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1278).

HB 4159 requires Michigan public school districts to provide a core academic curriculum aligned with state-developed standards for all students. It specifically mandates that history standards for grades 8-12 include learning objectives on genocide (including the Holocaust and Armenian Genocide), and that reading/writing standards for K-6 must use evidence-based "science of reading" methods focusing on phonics, decoding, and structured literacy. The bill also prohibits curriculum content that includes non-essential values or beliefs, and requires assessments to measure academic skills - not student attitudes. School districts must fully adopt these K-6 standards by the 2026-2027 school year.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates evidence-based reading methods and genocide education in history, strengthening curriculum standards to improve student learning outcomes per state requirements.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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signed · Michigan · House Dec 31, 2025

HB 4285: Education: curriculum; firearm safety instruction; provide for. Amends 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1 - 380.1852) by adding sec. 1163a.

HB 4285 requires Michigan schools to offer firearm safety instruction for students in grades 6-12 by September 2025. The state must create a model program (based on existing hunter safety standards) covering safe handling, cleaning, firearm types, and hunting practices, taught by certified instructors - **without bringing firearms into school buildings**. Schools may offer this as an optional extracurricular class or integrate it into existing courses, and students or parents may opt out without penalty. Completing the program counts toward the hunter safety certification needed for a hunting license. The bill directly affects all Michigan public schools and students in grades 6-12.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates firearm safety curriculum addition to K-12 education, enhancing student program offerings without restricting existing curriculum.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum School Safety

in committee · Michigan · House Aug 28, 2025

HB 4829: Education: curriculum; instruction in constitutional literacy; provide for. Amends secs. 1278a & 1531 of 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1278a & 380.1531) & adds secs. 1166d, 1174 & 1531k.

HB 4829 requires Michigan public high schools to implement a mandatory 2-semester constitutional literacy course for students entering high school in the 2026-2027 school year. The course must cover U.S. founding documents, government structures (including the Bill of Rights and state constitution), historical development of republicanism, and comparisons to other governance systems, while banning instruction on the 1619 Project and requiring specific historical examples of communist regimes. Schools must ensure teachers do not present materials contrary to the Constitution, with violations resulting in $5,000 fines, immediate termination, and teaching certificate suspension. This bill directly affects all public high school students and educators in Michigan starting with the 2026-2027 academic year.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates required constitutional literacy curriculum, expanding mandated educational content for high school students.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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passed both · Michigan · House Apr 22, 2025

HB 4156: Education: curriculum; merit curriculum; modify. Amends secs. 1278a & 1278b of 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1278a & 380.1278b) & adds sec. 1278e.

HB 4156 amends Michigan's high school graduation requirements for diplomas. It modifies mathematics credit rules by allowing students to fulfill algebra II requirements through approved career and technical education programs (e.g., engineering, computer science) that cover equivalent content, rather than solely through traditional math courses. The bill also clarifies social science requirements, specifying that students entering grade 8 before 2023 may satisfy the economics credit with a personal economics course containing financial literacy, while maintaining core history and civics requirements for all students. These changes directly affect Michigan high school students and school districts by altering diploma eligibility criteria.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAmends graduation requirements to allow CTE programs to fulfill math credits, expanding curriculum options and career pathways for students without reducing academic standards.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill enables computer science programs to fulfill algebra II requirements, promoting tech education pathways within graduation standards.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Career & Technical Education Curriculum

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passed both · Michigan · House Sep 29, 2025

HB 4107: Education: other; recommended model core academic curriculum content standards for health education and certain guidelines for health education; modify. Amends sec. 1170a of 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1170a).

HB 4107 requires Michigan schools to include specific health education content for students in grades 7-12. It mandates instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED) use, and first aid response kits (including tourniquets and bleeding control supplies) as part of the health curriculum. Schools may use trained personnel like Red Cross instructors, EMTs, or properly trained teachers to deliver this instruction, with hands-on practice encouraged but not required for all students. The bill exempts 100% online schools from requiring hands-on CPR practice.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates specific health education curriculum content for grades 7-12, enhancing student safety skills and program standards through required CPR/AED training.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates CPR/AED training and first aid in schools, enhancing public health preparedness and emergency response education as part of health curriculum.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum School Safety

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