Mich. Comp. Laws § 380.1279g — MI Code / Chapter 380 / Act Act-451-of-1976 / Section 380.1279g
Michigan merit examination; definitions.
Status: in_force

Sec. 1279g.

(1) The board of a school district or board of directors of a public school academy shall comply with this section and shall administer the Michigan merit examination to pupils in grade 11, and to pupils in grade 12 who did not take the complete Michigan merit examination in grade 11, as provided in this section. The Michigan merit examination consists of a college entrance test, an optional work skills test, and the summative assessment known as the Michigan student test of educational progress (M-STEP).

(2) For the purposes of this section, the department of technology, management, and budget shall contract with 1 or more providers to develop, supply, and score the Michigan merit examination. The Michigan merit examination shall consist of all of the following:

(a) Assessment instruments that measure English language arts, mathematics, reading, and science and are used by colleges and universities in this state for entrance or placement purposes. In selecting assessment instruments to fulfill the requirements of this subdivision, the department may consider the degree to which those assessment instruments are aligned with this state's content standards.

(b) One or more tests from 1 or more test developers that assess a pupil's ability to apply at least reading and mathematics skills in a manner that is intended to allow employers to use the results in making employment decisions. The department of technology, management, and budget and the superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that any test or tests selected under this subdivision have all the components necessary to allow a pupil to be eligible to receive the results of a nationally recognized evaluation of workforce readiness if the pupil's test performance is adequate. Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, a pupil may elect not to take a test described in this subdivision through a waiver that is developed by the department, made available on the department's website, and both signed and submitted to the pupil's school district, intermediate school district, or public school academy by the pupil's parent or legal guardian by not later than February 28 of the school year in which the test will be administered. The department shall consult with an individual who represents business in this state, an individual who represents manufacturing in this state, and an individual who represents skilled trades organizations in this state to develop an informational letter about the purpose and benefits of the workforce readiness assessment. A school district, intermediate school district, or public school academy shall ensure that the informational letter is provided to all pupils described in subsection (1) and the parents or legal guardians of those pupils by not later than December 31 of the school year in which the test will be administered.

(c) A social studies component.

(d) Any other component that is necessary to obtain the approval of the United States Department of Education to use the Michigan merit examination for the purposes of the no child left behind act of 2001, Public Law 107-110, or the every student succeeds act, Public Law 114-95.

(3) In addition to all other requirements of this section, all of the following apply to the Michigan merit examination:

(a) The department of technology, management, and budget and the superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that any contractor used for scoring the Michigan merit examination supplies an individual report for each pupil that will identify for the pupil's parents or legal guardians and teachers whether the pupil met expectations or failed to meet expectations for each standard, to allow the pupil's parents or legal guardians and teachers to assess and remedy problems before the pupil moves to the next grade.

(b) The department of technology, management, and budget and the superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that any contractor used for scoring, developing, or processing the Michigan merit examination meets quality management standards commonly used in the assessment industry, including at least meeting level 2 of the capability maturity model developed by the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University for the first year the Michigan merit examination is offered to all grade 11 pupils and at least meeting level 3 of the capability maturity model for subsequent years.

(c) The department of technology, management, and budget and the superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that any contract for scoring, administering, or developing the Michigan merit examination includes specific deadlines for all steps of the assessment process, including, but not limited to, deadlines for the correct testing materials to be supplied to schools and for the correct results to be returned to schools, and includes penalties for noncompliance with these deadlines.

(d) The superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that the Michigan merit examination meets all of the following:

( i ) Is designed to test pupils on grade level content expectations or course content expectations and this state's content standards, as appropriate, in all subjects tested.

( ii ) Complies with requirements of the no child left behind act of 2001, Public Law 107-110, or the every student succeeds act, Public Law 114-95, as applicable.

( iii ) Is consistent with the code of fair testing practices in education prepared by the Joint Committee on Testing Practices of the American Psychological Association.

( iv ) Is factually accurate. If the superintendent of public instruction determines that a question is not factually accurate and should be excluded from scoring, the state board and the superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that the question is excluded from scoring.

(4) A school district or public school academy that operates a high school shall include the number of school days a pupil was in attendance at school each school year during high school and the total number of school days in session for each of those school years on the pupil's high school transcript.

(5) The superintendent of public instruction shall work with the provider or providers of the Michigan merit examination to produce Michigan merit examination subject area scores for each pupil participating in the Michigan merit examination. To the extent that the department determines that additional test items beyond those included in the college entrance component of the Michigan merit examination are required in a particular subject area, the department shall ensure that all test items in that subject area are scaled and merged for the purposes of producing a Michigan merit examination subject area score. The superintendent of public instruction shall design and distribute to school districts, public school academies, intermediate school districts, and nonpublic schools a simple and concise document that describes the scoring for each subject area and indicates the scaled score ranges for each subject area.

(6) The Michigan merit examination must be administered in each school district and public school academy during the last 12 weeks of the school district's or public school academy's school year. The superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that the Michigan merit examination is scored and the scores are returned to pupils, the pupils' parents or legal guardians, and schools not later than the beginning of the pupil's first semester of grade 12. The returned scores must indicate at least the pupil's scaled score for each subject area component and the range of scaled scores for each subject area. In reporting the scores to pupils, parents, legal guardians, and schools, the superintendent of public instruction shall provide standards-specific, meaningful, and timely feedback on the pupil's performance on the Michigan merit examination.

(7) A school district or public school academy shall administer the complete Michigan merit examination to a pupil only once and shall not administer the complete Michigan merit examination to the same pupil more than once. If a pupil does not take the complete Michigan merit examination in grade 11, the school district or public school academy shall administer the complete Michigan merit examination to the pupil in grade 12. If a pupil chooses to retake the college entrance examination component of the Michigan merit examination, as described in subsection (2)(a), the pupil may do so through the provider of the college entrance examination component and the cost of the retake is the responsibility of the pupil unless all of the following are met:

(a) The pupil has taken the complete Michigan merit examination.

(b) The pupil meets the income eligibility criteria for free breakfast, lunch, or milk, as determined under the Richard B. Russell national school lunch act, 42 USC 1751 to 1769j.

(c) The pupil has applied to the provider of the college entrance examination component for a scholarship or fee waiver to cover the cost of the retake and that application has been denied.

(d) After taking the complete Michigan merit examination, the pupil has not already received a free retake of the college entrance examination component paid for either by this state or through a scholarship or fee waiver by the provider.

(8) The superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that the length of the Michigan merit examination and the combined total time necessary to administer all of the components of the Michigan merit examination are the shortest possible that will still maintain the degree of reliability and validity of the Michigan merit examination results determined necessary by the superintendent of public instruction. The superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that the maximum total combined length of time that schools are required to set aside for pupils to answer all test questions on the Michigan merit examination does not exceed 8 hours if the superintendent of public instruction determines that sufficient alignment to applicable Michigan merit curriculum content standards can be achieved within that time limit.

(9) A school district or public school academy shall provide accommodations to a pupil with disabilities for the Michigan merit examination, as provided under section 504 of title V of the rehabilitation act of 1973, 29 USC 794; part A of subchapter II of the Americans with disabilities act of 1990, 42 USC 12131 to 12134; the individuals with disabilities education act amendments of 1997, Public Law 105-17; and the implementing regulations for those statutes. The provider or providers of the Michigan merit examination and the superintendent of public instruction shall mutually agree on the accommodations to be provided under this subsection.

(10) To the greatest extent possible, the Michigan merit examination must be based on grade level content expectations or course content expectations and this state's content standards, as appropriate.

(11) A child who is a student in a nonpublic school or home school may take the Michigan merit examination under this section. To take the Michigan merit examination, a child who is a student in a home school shall contact the school district in which the child resides, and that school district shall administer the Michigan merit examination, or the child may take the Michigan merit examination at a nonpublic school if allowed by the nonpublic school. Upon request from a nonpublic school, the superintendent of public instruction shall direct the provider or providers to supply the Michigan merit examination to the nonpublic school and the nonpublic school may administer the Michigan merit examination. If a school district administers the Michigan merit examination under this subsection to a child who is not enrolled in the school district, the scores for that child are not considered for any purpose to be scores of a pupil of the school district.

(12) The purpose of the Michigan merit examination is to assess pupil performance in mathematics, science, social studies, and English language arts for the purpose of improving academic achievement and establishing a statewide standard of competency. The assessment under this section provides a common measure of data that will contribute to the improvement of Michigan schools' curriculum and instruction by encouraging alignment with Michigan's curriculum framework standards and promotes pupil participation in higher level mathematics, science, social studies, and English language arts courses. These standards are based on the expectations of what pupils should learn through high school and are aligned with national standards.

(13) In addition to the other requirements of this section and the requirements of 1970 PA 38, MCL 388.1081 to 388.1086, the superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that the Michigan merit examination social studies component and the M-STEP and any successor state assessment for social studies, as appropriate, include questions related to the learning objectives in the state board recommended model core academic curriculum standards concerning genocide, including, but not limited to, the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide.

(14) For a pupil enrolled in an early middle college program, other than an early middle college operated as a shared educational entity or a specialized shared educational entity, if the pupil receives at least 50% of the pupil's instruction at the high school while in grade 11, the Michigan merit examination must be administered to the pupil at the high school at which the pupil receives high school instruction, and the department shall include the pupil's scores on the Michigan merit examination in the scores for that high school for all purposes for which a school's or district's results are reported. The department shall allow the early middle college program to use a 5-year graduation rate for determining adequate yearly progress. As used in this subsection, "early middle college" means a department-approved 5-year program of study that works closely with postsecondary partners to provide pupils with an opportunity earn a high school diploma and 1 or more of the following:

(a) 60 transferable college credits.

(b) An associate degree.

(c) A professional certification. As used in this subdivision, "professional certification" means any certificate or industry-recognized credential that a pupil prepared for by taking coursework provided by an eligible postsecondary institution.

(d) The Michigan Early Middle College Association technical certificate.

(e) Participation in a registered apprenticeship.

(15) As used in this section:

(a) "Armenian Genocide", "genocide", and "Holocaust" mean those terms as defined in section 1168.

(b) "English language arts" means reading and writing.

(c) "Social studies" means United States history, world history, world geography, economics, and American government.

History: Add. 2004, Act 596, Imd. Eff. Jan. 5, 2005; Am. 2008, Act 349, Imd. Eff. Dec. 23, 2008; Am. 2016, Act 170, Imd. Eff. June 14, 2016; Am. 2025, Act 57, Eff. Mar. 24, 2026; Am. 2026, Act 10, Eff. June 30, 2026