HOUSE BILL No. 5968 April 25, 2002, Introduced by Rep. Hart and referred to the Committee on Education. A bill to amend 1999 PA 94, entitled "Michigan merit award scholarship act," by amending section 7 (MCL 390.1457). THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT: 1 Sec. 7. (1) The Michigan merit award scholarship program is 2 established. The board shall administer the Michigan merit award 3 scholarship program. 4 (2) Subject to subsection (6), each student enrolled in 5 grade 11 in or after the 1998-1999 school year who meets the 6 requirements of subsection (4), and subject to adjustment under 7 subsection (5), is eligible for the award of a $2,500.00 Michigan 8 merit award scholarship if the student is enrolled in an approved 9 postsecondary educational institution in this state or the award 10 of a $1,000.00 Michigan merit award scholarship if the student is 11 enrolled in an approved postsecondary educational institution 07021'02 DAM 2 1 outside this state if the board finds that the student while in 2 high school has taken the assessment test in the subject areas of 3 reading, writing, mathematics, and science, OR BEGINNING WITH 4 ASSESSMENT TESTS TAKEN BY STUDENTS AFTER THE 2001-2002 SCHOOL 5 YEAR, READING, WRITING, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL STUDIES, 6 and meets 1 of the following: 7 (a) Has received qualifying results in each of the subject 8 areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science, OR BEGINNING 9 WITH ASSESSMENT TESTS TAKEN BY STUDENTS AFTER THE 2001-2002 10 SCHOOL YEAR, READING, WRITING, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL 11 STUDIES. 12 (b) Did not receive qualifying results in 1 or 2 of the 13 subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science, OR 14 BEGINNING WITH ASSESSMENT TESTS TAKEN BY STUDENTS AFTER THE 15 2001-2002 SCHOOL YEAR, READING, WRITING, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, 16 AND SOCIAL STUDIES, but received an overall score in the top 25% 17 of a nationally recognized college admission examination. 18 (c) Did not receive qualifying results in 1 or 2 of the 19 subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science, OR 20 BEGINNING WITH ASSESSMENT TESTS TAKEN BY STUDENTS AFTER THE 21 2001-2002 SCHOOL YEAR, READING, WRITING, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, 22 AND SOCIAL STUDIES, but received a qualifying score or scores as 23 determined by the board on a nationally recognized job skills 24 assessment test designated by the board. 25 (3) Subject to subsection (6) and to adjustment under sub- 26 section (5), a student who was enrolled in grade 7 in or after 27 the 1999-2000 school year and who the board finds has taken the 07021'02 3 1 assessment test in each of the subject areas while in grades 7 2 and 8 is eligible for 1 of the following additional Michigan 3 merit award scholarships: 4 (A) IN SCHOOL YEARS BEFORE THE 2002-2003 SCHOOL YEAR, 1 OF 5 THE FOLLOWING: 6 (i)(a)If the board finds that the student while in 7 grades 7 and 8 received qualifying results in 2 of the subject 8 areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science, an addi- 9 tional Michigan merit award scholarship of $250.00. 10 (ii)(b)If the board finds that the student while in 11 grades 7 and 8 received qualifying results in 3 of the subject 12 areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science, an addi- 13 tional Michigan merit award scholarship of $375.00. 14 (iii)(c)If the board finds that the student while in 15 grades 7 and 8 received qualifying results in all of the subject 16 areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science, an addi- 17 tional Michigan merit award scholarship of $500.00. 18 (B) BEGINNING WITH ASSESSMENT TESTS TAKEN BY STUDENTS AFTER 19 THE 2001-2002 SCHOOL YEAR, 1 OF THE FOLLOWING: 20 (i) IF THE BOARD FINDS THAT THE STUDENT WHILE IN GRADES 7 21 AND 8 RECEIVED QUALIFYING RESULTS IN 2 OF THE SUBJECT AREAS OF 22 READING, WRITING, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL STUDIES, AN 23 ADDITIONAL MICHIGAN MERIT AWARD SCHOLARSHIP OF $200.00. 24 (ii) IF THE BOARD FINDS THAT THE STUDENT WHILE IN GRADES 7 25 AND 8 RECEIVED QUALIFYING RESULTS IN 3 OF THE SUBJECT AREAS OF 26 READING, WRITING, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL STUDIES, AN 27 ADDITIONAL MICHIGAN MERIT AWARD SCHOLARSHIP OF $300.00. 07021'02 4 1 (iii) IF THE BOARD FINDS THAT THE STUDENT WHILE IN GRADES 7 2 AND 8 RECEIVED QUALIFYING RESULTS IN 4 OF THE SUBJECT AREAS OF 3 READING, WRITING, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL STUDIES, AN 4 ADDITIONAL MICHIGAN MERIT AWARD SCHOLARSHIP OF $400.00. 5 (iv) IF THE BOARD FINDS THAT THE STUDENT WHILE IN GRADES 7 6 AND 8 RECEIVED QUALIFYING RESULTS IN ALL OF THE SUBJECT AREAS OF 7 READING, WRITING, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL STUDIES, AN 8 ADDITIONAL MICHIGAN MERIT AWARD SCHOLARSHIP OF $500.00. 9 (4) In addition to the requirements set forth in 10 subsections (2) and (3), to be eligible for the award of 1 or 11 both Michigan merit award scholarships under this section, the 12 board must find that a student satisfies all of the following: 13 (a) The student has graduated from high school or passed the 14 general educational development (GED) test or other graduate 15 equivalency examination approved by the state board. 16 (b) The student graduated from high school or passed the 17 general educational development (GED) test or other graduate 18 equivalency examination approved by the state board within the 19 7-year period preceding the student's application to receive his 20 or her Michigan merit award scholarship money. 21 (c) The student is enrolled in an approved postsecondary 22 educational institution. For students who qualify under subsec- 23 tion (2)(c), the student is enrolled in a vocational or technical 24 education program at an approved postsecondary educational 25 institution. 26 (d) The student has not been convicted of a felony involving 27 an assault, physical injury, or death. 07021'02 5 1 (e) The student satisfies any additional eligibility 2 requirements established by the board. 3 (5) In any fiscal year, the board may adjust the amount of a 4 Michigan merit award scholarship available to students eligible 5 under 1 or more of subsections (2), (3), and (9), based upon its 6 determination of available resources and amounts appropriated, 7 but the board shall not increase an amount by more than 5% in any 8 fiscal year. The board shall notify the governor, the speaker of 9 the house of representatives, and the majority leader of the 10 senate in writing at least 30 days before an adjustment under 11 this subsection. 12 (6) For assessment tests administered after January 1, 2000, 13 the board shall not use the assessment test to determine eligi- 14 bility for a Michigan merit award scholarship under this section 15 for a particular year unless the board has reviewed and approved 16 the assessment test before it was administered for that year. 17 (7) The board shall provide each student written notice of 18 whether or not the student is eligible for the award of 1 or more 19 Michigan merit award scholarships described in this section. If 20 the student is eligible, the written notice shall also contain 21 the Michigan merit award scholarship amount for which the student 22 is eligible, how the student applies for payment of Michigan 23 merit award scholarship, and any other information the board con- 24 siders necessary regarding qualification requirements or condi- 25 tions relating to the use of the Michigan merit award 26 scholarship. 07021'02 6 1 (8) It is the intent of the legislature that the level of 2 student performance required to achieve qualifying results in a 3 subject area of an assessment test remains approximately the 4 same, and that the board not reduce the required level of student 5 performance as a means of increasing the number of Michigan merit 6 award scholarships awarded. 7 (9) If a student who has previously received a $1,000.00 8 Michigan merit award scholarship as a student enrolled in an 9 approved postsecondary educational institution outside of this 10 state enrolls in an approved postsecondary educational institu- 11 tion in this state and meets the requirements of subsection (4), 12 and subject to adjustment under subsection (5), the student is 13 eligible for the award of an additional $1,500.00 Michigan merit 14 award scholarship. 15 (10) A pupil who does not initially receive qualifying 16 results shall be extended an opportunity to achieve the requisite 17 qualifying results by taking a subsequent assessment test. 18 (11) A nonpublic school student or home school student may 19 take, and the board shall administer if requested, an assessment 20 test at a site designated by the board. 21 (12) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, "SOCIAL STUDIES" MEANS THAT 22 TERM AS DEFINED IN SECTION 1279 OF THE REVISED SCHOOL CODE, 1976 23 PA 451, MCL 380.1279. 07021'02 Final page. 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