Mich. Comp. Laws § 388.1661b — MI Code / Chapter 388 / Act Act-94-of-1979 / Section 388.1661b
CTE early middle college and career and technical education dual enrollment programs; report by local education agency; career and educational advisory council; regional strategic plan; distribution of funds; definitions.
Status: in_force

Sec. 61b.

(1) From the state school aid fund money appropriated under section 11, there is allocated for 2025-2026 an amount not to exceed $8,368,000.00 for CTE early middle college and CTE dual enrollment programs authorized under this section and for planning grants for the development or expansion of CTE early middle college programs. The purpose of these programs is to increase the number of Michigan residents with high-quality degrees or credentials, and to increase the number of students who are college and career ready upon high school graduation.

(2) From the funds allocated under subsection (1), the department shall allocate an amount as determined under this subsection to each intermediate district serving as a fiscal agent for state-approved CTE early middle college and CTE dual enrollment programs in each of the career education planning districts identified by the department. An intermediate district shall not use more than 5% of the funds allocated under this subsection for administrative costs for serving as the fiscal agent.

(3) To be an eligible fiscal agent, an intermediate district must agree to do all of the following in a form and manner determined by the department:

(a) Distribute funds to eligible CTE early middle college and CTE dual enrollment programs in a career education planning district as described in this section.

(b) Collaborate with the career and educational advisory council in the workforce development board service delivery area to develop 1 regional strategic plan under subsection (4) that aligns CTE programs and services into an efficient and effective delivery system for high school students. The department will align career education planning districts, workforce development board service delivery areas, and intermediate districts for the purpose of creating 1 regional strategic plan for each workforce development board service delivery area.

(c) Implement a regional process to rank career clusters in the workforce development board service delivery area as described under subsection (4). Regional processes must be approved by the department before the ranking of career clusters.

(d) Report CTE early middle college and CTE dual enrollment program and student data and information as prescribed by the department and the center.

(e) The local education agency responsible for student reporting in the Michigan student data system (MSDS) will report the total number of college credits the student earned, at the time of high school graduation, as determined by the department and the center.

(f) The local education agency will report each award outcome in the Michigan student data system (MSDS) that the CTE early middle college student attained. For purposes of this subsection, an on-track CTE early middle college graduate is a graduate who obtained their high school diploma and at least 1 of the following:

( i ) An associate degree.

( ii ) 60 transferable college credits.

( iii ) Professional certification.

( iv ) A Michigan Early Middle College Association certificate.

( v ) Participation in a registered apprenticeship.

(4) A regional strategic plan must be approved by the career and educational advisory council before submission to the department. A regional strategic plan must include, but is not limited to, the following:

(a) An identification of regional employer need based on a ranking of all career clusters in the workforce development board service delivery area ranked by 10-year projections of annual job openings and median wage for each standard occupational code in each career cluster as obtained from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Standard occupational codes within high-ranking clusters also may be further ranked by median wage and annual job openings. The career and educational advisory council located in the workforce development board service delivery area shall review the rankings and modify them if necessary to accurately reflect employer demand for talent in the workforce development board service delivery area. A career and educational advisory council shall document that it has conducted this review and certify that it is accurate. These career cluster rankings must be determined and updated once every 4 years.

(b) An identification of educational entities in the workforce development board service delivery area that will provide eligible CTE early middle college and CTE dual enrollment programs including districts, intermediate districts, postsecondary institutions, and noncredit occupational training programs leading to an industry-recognized credential.

(c) A strategy to inform parents and students of CTE early middle college and CTE dual enrollment programs in the workforce development board service delivery area.

(d) Any other requirements as defined by the department.

(5) An eligible CTE program is a program that meets all of the following:

(a) Has been identified in the highest 5 career cluster rankings in any of the 16 workforce development board service delivery area strategic plans jointly approved by the department of labor and economic opportunity and the department.

(b) Has a coherent sequence of courses in a specific career cluster that will allow a student to earn a high school diploma and achieve at least 1 of the following:

( i ) For CTE early middle college, outcomes as defined in subsection (3)(f).

( ii ) For CTE dual enrollment, 1 of the following:

(A) An associate degree.

(B) An industry-recognized technical certification approved by the department of labor and economic opportunity.

(C) Up to 60 transferable college credits.

(D) Participation in a registered apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, or apprentice readiness program.

(c) Is aligned with the Michigan merit curriculum.

(d) Has an articulation or a college credit agreement with at least 1 postsecondary institution that provides students with opportunities to receive postsecondary credits during the student's participation in the CTE early middle college or CTE dual enrollment program and transfers those credits to the postsecondary institution upon completion of the CTE early middle college or CTE dual enrollment program.

(e) Provides instruction that is supervised, directed, or coordinated by an appropriately certificated CTE teacher or, for concurrent enrollment courses, a postsecondary faculty member.

(f) Provides for highly integrated student support services that include at least the following:

( i ) Teachers as academic advisors.

( ii ) Supervised course selection.

( iii ) Monitoring of student progress and completion.

( iv ) Career planning services provided by a local one-stop service center as described in the Michigan works one-stop service center system act, 2006 PA 491, MCL 408.111 to 408.135, or by a high school counselor or advisor.

(g) Has courses that are taught on a college campus, are college courses offered at the high school and taught by college faculty, or are courses taught in combination with online instruction.

(6) The department shall distribute funds to eligible CTE early middle college and CTE dual enrollment programs as follows:

(a) The department shall determine statewide average CTE costs per pupil for each CIP code program by calculating statewide average costs for each CIP code program for the 3 most recent fiscal years.

(b) The distribution to each eligible CTE early middle college or CTE dual enrollment program is the product of 50% of CTE costs per pupil times the pupil enrollment of each eligible CTE early middle college or CTE dual enrollment program in the immediately preceding school year.

(7) To receive funds under this section, a CTE early middle college or CTE dual enrollment program shall furnish to the intermediate district that is the fiscal agent identified in subsection (2), in a form and manner determined by the department, all information needed to administer this program and meet federal reporting requirements; shall allow the department or the department's designee to review all records related to the program for which it receives funds; and shall reimburse the state for all disallowances found in the review, as determined by the department.

(8) There is allocated for 2025-2026 from the funds under subsection (1) an amount not to exceed $500,000.00 from the state school aid fund allocation for grants to intermediate districts or consortia of intermediate districts for the purpose of planning for new or expanded early middle college programs. Applications for grants must be submitted in a form and manner determined by the department. The amount of a grant under this subsection must not exceed $50,000.00. To be eligible for a grant under this subsection, an intermediate district or consortia of intermediate districts must provide matching funds equal to the grant received under this subsection. Notwithstanding section 17b, the department shall make payments under this subsection in the manner determined by the department.

(9) Funds distributed under this section may be used to fund program expenditures that would otherwise be paid from foundation allowances. A program receiving funding under section 61a may receive funding under this section for allowable costs that exceed the reimbursement the program received under section 61a. The combined payments received by a program under section 61a and this section must not exceed the total allowable costs of the program. A program provider shall not use more than 5% of the funds allocated under this section to the program for administrative costs.

(10) If the allocation under subsection (1) is insufficient to fully fund payments as otherwise calculated under this section, the department shall prorate payments under this section on an equal percentage basis, using for that proration calculation payments made for CTE dual enrollment programs only.

(11) If pupils enrolled in a career cluster in an eligible CTE early middle college or CTE dual enrollment program qualify to be reimbursed under this section, those pupils continue to qualify for reimbursement until graduation, even if the career cluster is no longer identified as being in the highest 5 career cluster rankings.

(12) As used in this section:

(a) "Allowable costs" means those costs directly attributable to the program as jointly determined by the department of labor and economic opportunity and the department.

(b) "Career and educational advisory council" means an advisory council to the local workforce development boards located in a workforce development board service delivery area consisting of educational, employer, labor, and parent representatives.

(c) "CIP" means classification of instructional programs.

(d) "CTE" means career and technical education programs.

(e) "CTE dual enrollment program" means a 4-year high school program of postsecondary courses offered by eligible postsecondary educational institutions that leads to an industry-recognized certification or degree.

(f) "Early middle college program" means a 5-year high school program.

(g) "Eligible postsecondary educational institution" means that term as defined in section 3 of the career and technical preparation act, 2000 PA 258, MCL 388.1903.

History: Add. 2015, Act 85, Eff. Oct. 1, 2015; Am. 2016, Act 249, Imd. Eff. June 27, 2016; Am. 2017, Act 108, Imd. Eff. July 14, 2017; Am. 2018, Act 265, Imd. Eff. June 28, 2018; Am. 2019, Act 58, Eff. Oct. 1, 2019; Am. 2020, Act 165, Eff. Oct. 1, 2020; Am. 2021, Act 48, Eff. Oct. 1, 2021; Am. 2022, Act 144, Eff. Oct. 1, 2022; Am. 2023, Act 103, Eff. Oct. 1, 2023; Am. 2024, Act 120, Eff. Oct. 1, 2024; Am. 2025, Act 15, Imd. Eff. Oct. 7, 2025