LANSING – If the strict high school curriculum proposal passed by the Senate on Thursday becomes law, Michigan would have one of the most stringent high school graduation requirements in the nation.
A Senate Fiscal Agency study of high school curriculum requirements across the nation shows that the Senate legislation (which includes a foreign language requirement the House did not include) would put the state among the top of all other states in terms of requirements for graduation. The study was published shortly after the Senate passed SB 1124.
Putting that into even sharper focus is that Michigan would jump to the head of states when it is now just one four states that has no effective curriculum standards for high school, leaving those to local districts.
The proposal passed by the Senate calls for four credits in English, four credits in mathematics, three credits in science, three credits in social studies, one credit in art, two credits in a foreign language, an online course and requirements in physical education. The requirements are close to those approved by the State Board of Education in December.
According to the SFA report Michigan would not be among the toughest in science requirements. Alabama and North Dakota both require four credits in science, the SFA report said. But Michigan would be one of just three states requiring four years of mathematics. Alabama and South Carolina are the other two.
Virtually all states require four credits or four years in English, the SFA report said. A majority of states, 32, require physical education, and a smaller majority, 27, require arts credits for graduation. But only New Jersey requires a foreign language credit. Some states require either a foreign language or an alternative course.
The report also said for some states the evidence isn’t yet clear that stricter credits have resulted in better student outcomes. Alabama’s new requirements did not take effect until the 2000-01 school year, so the requirements’ long-term effects are uncertain. The state still has one of the lowest high school graduation rates, the report said.
Since Michigan dropped its core curriculum requirements in the 1990s, the SFA report said research by the Department of Education showed 61 percent of all districts in Michigan require four credits of English, 38 percent require three or more credits of science, but only 5 percent require four credits of mathematics. Another 78 percent require three or more credits of social studies, 38 percent require at least one credit of art, only 4 percent required two or more credits of world languages. The department survey did not indicate how many districts require physical education.
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