HOUSE BILL NO. 6129
A bill to amend 2020 PA 84, entitled
"Michigan reconnect grant act,"
by amending the title and sections 1, 3, and 5 (MCL 390.1701, 390.1703, and 390.1705), and by adding section 5a; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.
the people of the state of michigan enact:
An act to establish certain financial aid programs for certain residents of this state seeking associate degrees or industry-recognized certificates or credentials from certain educational and jobs training programs; to provide for the administration of the financial aid programs; and to prescribe certain powers and duties of certain state officers, agencies, and departments; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.
Sec. 1. (1) This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Michigan reconnect grant act".
(2) The reconnect program and reconnect initiative created respectively in this act and the Michigan reconnect grant recipient act, 2020 PA 68, MCL 390.1711 to 390.1723, are intended to provide last-dollar financial assistance primarily to individuals age 25 and older than traditional-aged undergraduates seeking associate degrees or industry-recognized certificates or credentials; to provide those individuals with greater access to the education and skills needed to succeed in, and meet the demands of, an evolving economy in which there is continuing demand for a talented local workforce; to drive innovations specific to adult learners in this state's community colleges; to mitigate educational equity gaps in the furtherance of individual prosperity; and to achieve the goal of increasing the number of residents ages 25 to 64 with a college degree or skill certificate or credential to 60% by 2030.
(3) This act is repealed effective 4 years after the date of the amendatory act that added this subsection.
(a) "Center" means the center for educational performance and information created in section 94a of the school aid act of 1979, 1979 PA 94, MCL 388.1694a.
(b) "Department" means the department of labor and economic opportunity.
(c) "Eligible institution" means a postsecondary educational institution that meets all of the following:
(i) Is an accredited public community college in this state.
(ii) Complies with applicable restraints on fee and tuition rate increases, if any, provided for in article II of the school aid act of 1979, 1979 PA 94, MCL 388.1801 to 388.1830.
(iii) Participates in quality assurance protocols established by the department for purposes of accurately tracking student outcomes described in section 5(g) and (h).
(iv) Submits a written report of all of the following information to the department by not later than October 1, 2020 and each year thereafter by not later than June 30:
(A) The institution's goals, expressed numerically, for student persistence and credential completion.
(B) An inventory of the institution's currently implemented strategies to improve student success outcomes, including guided pathways, proactive advising, and remediation. Regarding remediation, the report must detail the institution's current policy for determining whether a student is to be placed in developmental or credit-bearing courses.
(C) Policies for converting prior learning into community college credit wherever possible, including, but not limited to, prior learning demonstrated by coursework completed at the institution or any other postsecondary educational institution, including coursework completed in the distant past, or by college level equivalent courses, college level equivalent credit examinations, military training, education, or certification, or other relevant work or life experience. As used in this sub-subparagraph, "college level equivalent courses" and "college level equivalent credit examinations" mean those terms as described in section 1472 of the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1472.
(B) A demonstration of ways in which the institution follows best practices in providing programs of study and student support based on national evidence, including partnering with institutions that grant bachelor's degrees, providing coursework for general studies students and requirements of associate degrees and certificates, providing stackable industry-recognized micro credentials within certificate and associate degree programs, providing credit for prior learning, providing work-based learning opportunities, and providing holistic student support services.
(C) The institution's current policy for determining a student's eligibility to enroll directly into freshman-level courses without remediation.
(D) A description of and evidence base for all models of remediation currently offered by the institution.
(v) By not later than January 1, 2022, August 1, 2023, for all Michigan reconnect grant students who need academic remediation, provides accelerated courses aimed at enabling those students to raise their skills to college level and complete credit-bearing courses. To meet this criterion, an eligible institution must provide a remediation program that follows 1 appropriate academic support, including all of the following:
(A) A corequisite model under which a student concurrently enrolls in a developmental education course and a freshman-level course in the same subject area for each subject area needing remediation, to be completed concurrently. An institution providing a remediation program that follows the model described in this sub-subparagraph or sub-subparagraph (B) or (C) remains eligible whether or not it charges tuition or fees for the program.
(B) A compression model under which a student enrolls in 2 or more courses, either a combination of developmental and college-level courses or 2 or more levels of developmental courses, within a single semester, to be completed sequentially.
(C) A modularization model under which the content of 1 or more developmental courses is divided into discrete sections with a student assigned to complete only the modules that he or she needs to qualify for the associated college-level gateway course required in his or her program of study.
(D) An independent model of the institution's own choosing. To be eligible under this sub-subparagraph, the institution must provide the remediation program at no charge to students or the Michigan reconnect grant program.
(A) A corequisite model of academic support for gateway English and mathematics pathway courses under which a student concurrently enrolls in a developmental education course and a freshman-level course in the same or a related subject area for each subject area needing remediation, to be completed during the same semester as the freshman-level course. An institution providing corequisite support as described in this sub-subparagraph remains eligible whether or not it charges tuition or fees for the developmental education portions of the program.
(B) Any additional remediation programs as the institution considers appropriate, subject to all of the following:
(I) An additional remediation program must serve as supplement to, not as an alternative to, the corequisite model described in sub-subparagraph (A).
(II) For each additional remediation program, the institution must include in its annual report, pursuant to subparagraph (iv)(D), an evidence-based rationale for the program.
(III) An additional remediation program must be offered at no charge to Michigan reconnect grant students or offered outside of the institutional tuition and fee structure. For a program offered outside of its tuition and fee structure, an institution may use foundation or other local funding sources or charge a small fee for the program that is not reimbursable by any federal or state financial aid.
(vi) Provides reasonable accommodations to Michigan reconnect grant students with disabilities as required by section 504 of title V of the rehabilitation act of 1973, 29 USC 794, and subtitle A of title II of the Americans with disabilities act of 1990, 42 USC 12131 to 12134.
(vii) Designates an individual employed by the institution as the institution's primary contact with the department for purposes of coordinating the administration of the Michigan reconnect grant program in accordance with this act.
(viii) If the institution's status is limited program standing under section 5(k)(iv), has at least 1 Michigan reconnect grant student enrolled in the circumstances described in section 5(k)(iv)(B).
(ix) Demonstrates, in a form and manner prescribed by the department, that the institution does all of the following:
(A) Follows best practices for partnering with bachelor's degree granting institutions, providing coursework for general studies and requirements of associate degrees and certificates, providing stackable industry-recognized micro credentials within certificate and associate degree programs, providing credit for prior learning, providing work-based learning opportunities, and providing holistic student support services.
(B) Informs Michigan reconnect grant students upon admission of its policies for converting prior learning into community college credit and any means available to maximize acceleration, as described in subparagraph (iv)(B).
(C) Supports adult learners by offering competency-based courses and programs.
(D) Awards academic credit to learners scoring the minimum American Council on Education standard score on college-level credit exams from organizations such as CLEP and DSST.
(E) Encourages Michigan reconnect grant students to establish an account on the institution's employment database.
(F) Identifies best practices in student success, reviews evidence to support best practices, and discusses with relevant experts emerging opportunities to increase the success of Michigan reconnect grant students. Subject to section 5a, an institution must perform the requirements of this sub-subparagraph in consultation with the Michigan Center for Adult College Success.
(d) "Gift aid" means federal Pell grants under 20 USC 1070a and tuition incentive program benefits under section 256 of the school aid act of 1979, 1979 PA 94, MCL 388.1856. The term does not include any of the following:
(i) Student loans.
(ii) Work-study awards.
(iii) Qualified withdrawals made from education savings accounts to pay higher education expenses pursuant to the Michigan education savings program act, 2000 PA 161, MCL 390.1471 to 390.1486.
(iv) Higher education expenses paid under the Michigan educational trust program, pursuant to the Michigan education trust act, 1986 PA 316, MCL 390.1421 to 390.1442.
(v) Higher education expenses paid under the Michigan promise zone authority act, 2008 PA 549, MCL 390.1661 to 390.1679.
(d) (e) "Industry-recognized certificate or credential" means a certificate or credential that is portable and is sought or accepted by multiple employers within an industry for purposes of recruitment, hiring, or promotion.
(e) (f) "Michigan reconnect grant student" means a student admitted to and enrolled in an eligible institution, and regardless of whether the student is receiving a Michigan reconnect grant under this act.
Sec. 5. The Michigan reconnect grant program is created in the department for the purpose of providing Michigan reconnect grants to individuals eligible for those grants under the Michigan reconnect grant recipient act, 2020 PA 68, MCL 390.1711 to 390.1723. The department shall do all of the following:
(a) Develop and administer the program.
(b) Create and maintain a program website.
(c) Create and maintain a marketing campaign for the program.
(d) Operate a help desk for the program.
(e) Create and maintain a network of navigators to help Michigan reconnect grant students navigate the path to college, supporting but not supplanting the programming and assistance offered by community colleges. In connection with maintaining this network of navigators, the department shall ensure that navigators are instructed to inform Michigan reconnect grant applicants of any relevant policies for earning credit for prior learning, as described in section 3(c)(iv)(B), and connect Michigan reconnect grant applicants to their local workforce development agency for additional support services and registration with their local career services office.
(f) Provide Michigan reconnect grant students with information about skills in demand and related compensation in the local labor market.
(g) Partner with the center to report, in a user-friendly format, credential completion outcomes of Michigan reconnect grant students.
(h) To facilitate the reporting of valid and reliable longitudinal data under subdivision (g), ensure that all eligible institutions and other individuals and entities that participate in the implementation of the Michigan reconnect grant program use the unique statewide student identification codes issued by the center to track Michigan reconnect grant students in accordance with section 94a of the school aid act of 1979, 1979 PA 94, MCL 388.1694a, and require eligible institutions to identify and report at the student level any attempts and completion for gateway English and mathematics courses in a form and manner as prescribed by the center.
(i) Select and convene a workgroup to study developmental education placement policies appropriate for eligible institutions, subject to all of the following:
(i) The workgroup must include representatives from the governor's office, the legislature, eligible institutions, the department of education, secondary schools, nonprofit organizations, the United States Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship and the business community.
(ii) Not later than 9 months after the effective date of this act, the workgroup shall provide the department with written recommendations that will assist the department in doing all of the following:
(A) Identify placement practices and policies that ensure students know when remediation is required, what types of academic and nonacademic supports will be available during remediation, and when they can expect to complete credit-bearing English and mathematics courses. Policies must emphasize placement in college-level courses for as many students as possible, with students requiring remediation being placed in appropriate programs. For purposes of this sub-subparagraph, on and after January 1, 2022, a remediation program is appropriate only if it complies with section 3(c)(v).
(B) Encourage eligible institutions across this state to adopt consistent placement polices.
(C) Clearly communicate sound policies for course placement and options for remedial courses.
(iii) Following the department's acceptance of the workgroup's recommendations under subparagraph (ii), the workgroup shall disband.
(j) Not later than 6 months after the effective date of this act, organize regional meetings of labor market stakeholders, including business organizations, trade unions, community colleges, Michigan works agencies, private training providers, and regional workforce and economic development representatives, to plan effective ways to ensure that occupational certificates provided by eligible institutions provide skills in demand in the regional labor market.
(i) Establish a process to allow eligible institutions to be reimbursed for awarding credit for prior learning at a rate of $20.00 per credit hour for credit awarded to Michigan reconnect grant students for Advanced Placement, CLEP, DSST, military training, industry credentials, work-based learning, portfolio assessment, and other types of credit for prior learning as determined by the department.
(j) (k) As part of the department's responsibility to better connect education and training demands in the labor market with qualified degree, training, and apprenticeship programs, facilitate efforts by businesses, unions, and community colleges to effectively match skills provided with those in demand.
(k) To facilitate maximum 4-year completion rates for Michigan reconnect grant students, do all of the following:
(i) Require that each eligible institution that enrolls Michigan reconnect grant students report to the department in writing the institution's baseline 4-year completion rate promptly after that rate is calculable.
(ii) Require that each eligible institution that enrolls Michigan reconnect grant students annually report to the department in writing all information necessary to determine whether the institution maintains full program standing. To maintain full program standing, an institution must achieve 1 of the following, as applicable:
(A) For an institution with a baseline 4-year completion rate of less than 30%, the institution must subsequently achieve each year a 4-year completion rate that is no less than 3 percentage points greater than its immediately preceding 4-year completion rate until a 30% 4-year completion rate is attained; then must subsequently achieve each year a 4-year completion rate that is no less than 2 percentage points greater than its immediately preceding 4-year completion rate until a 50% 4-year completion rate is attained; and then must subsequently achieve each year a 4-year completion rate that is greater, by no specific measure, than its immediately preceding 4-year completion rate until a 75% 4-year completion rate is attained.
(B) For an institution with a baseline 4-year completion rate equal to or greater than 30% and less than 50%, the institution must subsequently achieve each year a 4-year completion rate that is no less than 2 percentage points greater than its immediately preceding 4-year completion rate until a 50% 4-year completion rate is attained; and then must subsequently achieve each year a 4-year completion rate that is greater, by no specific measure, than its immediately preceding 4-year completion rate until a 75% 4-year completion rate is attained.
(C) For an institution with a baseline 4-year completion rate equal to or greater than 50% and less than 75%, the institution must subsequently achieve each year a 4-year completion rate that is greater, by no specific measure, than its immediately preceding 4-year completion rate until a 75% 4-year completion rate is attained.
(iii) Place on probationary status any institution that does not achieve the rate increase required under subparagraph (ii), and, as to that institution, do all of the following:
(A) Inform the institution that it has 1 year from the date of its placement on probationary status to achieve a 4-year completion rate that is 1 of the following:
(I) For an institution that failed to achieve a required 2- or 3-point rate increase under subparagraph (ii)(A) or (B), not less than the sum of its rate-increase shortfall for the previous year plus a rate increase of no specific measure. An institution that returns to full program standing upon meeting this probationary rate-increase requirement is subsequently subject to the rate-increase requirements described in subparagraph (ii)(A) or (B), as applicable.
(II) For an institution that failed to achieve a required rate increase of no specific measure under subparagraph (ii)(A), (B), or (C), not less than the sum of a rate increase that offsets any rate decrease from the previous year, if there was a rate decrease, plus a rate increase of no specific measure. An institution that returns to full program standing upon meeting this probationary rate-increase requirement is subsequently subject to the rate-increase requirements described in subparagraph (ii)(A), (B), or (C), as applicable.
(B) Require that, in a time and manner prescribed by the department, the institution develop a corrective action plan that is approved by the department. The corrective action plan must be developed in consultation with the department, the Office of Sixty by 30 or its successor, the Michigan Community College Association, and, subject to section 5a, the Michigan Center for Adult College Success.
(iv) If, upon completion of its probationary period, an institution does not achieve the rate increase required under subparagraph (iii)(A), change the institution's program status to limited program standing and inform the institution that all of the following apply to an institution with limited program standing:
(A) The institution's limited program standing continues for so long as the institution does not achieve a 4-year completion rate of at least the minimum rate it would have achieved if it had never been necessary to place it on probationary status.
(B) As provided in section 16(b) of the Michigan reconnect grant recipient act, 2020 PA 68, MCL 390.1716, a Michigan reconnect grant student enrolled at an institution with limited program standing before the date the institution was placed on limited program standing is eligible to continue receiving a Michigan reconnect grant. The department shall take appropriate steps to best ensure that students in this situation are informed of options they may have to transfer to eligible institutions with full program standing while continuing to receive a Michigan reconnect grant.
(C) As provided in section 15(d) of the Michigan reconnect grant recipient act, 2020 PA 68, MCL 390.1715, a new enrollee at an institution with limited program standing is not eligible to receive a Michigan reconnect grant.
(v) As used in this subdivision:
(A) "4-year completion rate" means the percentage of Michigan reconnect grant students in an entering cohort of Michigan reconnect grant students at an eligible institution who have earned an associate degree or occupational certificate at the end of 4 years as determined by the center, with transfers to 4-year colleges and universities counted as completions, and transfers to other eligible institutions subtracted from both the numerator and denominator of the calculation.
(B) "Baseline 4-year completion rate" means the 4-year completion rate for an eligible institution's first entering cohort of Michigan reconnect grant students.
(l) By not later than February June 1 each year, beginning in 2021, provide a written report detailing the progress of the Michigan reconnect grant program to the chairpersons of the standing committees and the appropriations subcommittees of the house of representatives and senate having jurisdiction over legislation or oversight of appropriations pertaining to workforce development. The report must be made available to the public on the department's website and, at minimum, must include all of the following information for the immediately preceding academic year:
(i) The total amount of Michigan reconnect grants awarded to Michigan reconnect grant students.
(ii) The total amount of funding used for oversight and implementation of the Michigan reconnect grant program, including, but not limited to, total funding used for each of the following:
(A) Full-time equated positions.
(B) System improvements.
(C) Training costs.
(iii) The total amount of funding used for program support services, including, but not limited to, total funding used for each of the following:
(A) Full-time equated positions.
(B) Case management.
(C) Technical assistance.
(iv) The total amount of funding used for marketing.
(v) The total number of navigators employed by the department; the total number of navigators assigned to each eligible institution; and the number of Michigan reconnect grant students assigned to each navigator, organized by eligible institution.
(vi) The total number of eligible institutions to which Michigan reconnect grants were paid for credit to student accounts under section 17 of the Michigan reconnect grant recipient act, 2020 PA 68, MCL 390.1717; a list of the names of those eligible institutions; and the total number and amount of Michigan reconnect grants that were awarded, organized by eligible institution.
(vii) The amount of credit awarded for prior learning by eligible institutions to be reimbursed at a rate of $20.00 per credit hour for credit awarded to Michigan reconnect grant students for Advanced Placement, CLEP, DSST, military training, industry credentials, work-based learning, portfolio assessment, and other types of credit for prior learning as determined by the department.
(viii) (vii) The total number of individuals who applied for Michigan reconnect grants; the total number of individuals awarded those grants; the mean and median grant amounts; and the total number of grant recipients who earned either an associate degree or industry-recognized certificate or credential.
(ix) (viii) Any other relevant information, as determined by the department.
Sec. 5a. Subject to appropriation, there is created the Michigan Center for Adult College Success in the department or, as may be provided in connection with an appropriation implementing this section, another state department or agency or an appropriate nonprofit organization. The Michigan Center for Adult College Success shall serve as this state's primary resource for research, support models, and best practices on ensuring adult enrollment and completion of college degrees and certificates at eligible institutions.
Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect unless Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 6130 (request no. 05085'21 *) of the 101st Legislature is enacted into law.