Sec. 1278.

(1) In addition to the requirements for accreditation under section 1280 specified in that section, if the board of a school district wants all of the schools of the school district to be accredited under section 1280, the board shall provide to all pupils attending public school in the district a core academic curriculum in compliance with subsection (3) in each of the curricular areas specified in the state board recommended model core academic curriculum content standards developed under subsection (2). The state board model core academic curriculum content standards shall encompass academic and cognitive instruction only. For purposes of this section, the state board model core academic curriculum content standards shall not include attitudes, beliefs, or value systems that are not essential in the legal, economic, and social structure of our society and to the personal and social responsibility of citizens of our society.

(2) Recommended model core academic curriculum content standards shall be developed and periodically updated by the state board, shall be in the form of knowledge and skill content standards that are recommended as state standards for adoption by public schools in local curriculum formulation and adoption, and shall be distributed to each school district in the state. The recommended model core academic curriculum content standards shall set forth desired learning objectives in math, science, reading, history, geography, economics, American government, and writing for all children at each stage of schooling and be based upon the "Michigan K-12 Program Standards of Quality" to ensure that high academic standards, academic skills, and academic subject matters are built into the instructional goals of all school districts for all children. The state board shall ensure that the recommended model core academic curriculum content standards for history for grades 8 to 12 include learning objectives concerning genocide, including, but not limited to, the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide. The state board also shall ensure that the state assessment program and the Michigan merit examination are based on the state recommended model core curriculum content standards, are testing only for proficiency in basic and advanced academic skills and academic subject matter, and are not used to measure pupils' values or attitudes.

(3) The board of each school district, considering academic curricular objectives defined and recommended pursuant to subsection (2), shall do both of the following:

(a) Establish a core academic curriculum for its pupils at the elementary, middle, and secondary school levels. The core academic curriculum shall define academic objectives to be achieved by all pupils and shall be based upon the school district's educational mission, long-range pupil goals, and pupil performance objectives. The core academic curriculum may vary from the model core academic curriculum content standards recommended by the state board pursuant to subsection (2).

(b) After consulting with teachers and school building administrators, determine the aligned instructional program for delivering the core academic curriculum and identify the courses and programs in which the core academic curriculum will be taught.

(4) The board may supplement the core academic curriculum by providing instruction through additional classes and programs.

(5) For all pupils, the subjects or courses, and the delivery of those including special assistance, that constitute the curriculum the pupils engage in shall assure the pupils have a realistic opportunity to learn all subjects and courses required by the district's core academic curriculum. A subject or course required by the core academic curriculum pursuant to subsection (3) shall be provided to all pupils in the school district by a school district, a consortium of school districts, or a consortium of 1 or more school districts and 1 or more intermediate school districts.

(6) To the extent practicable, the state board may adopt or develop academic objective-oriented high standards for knowledge and life skills, and a recommended core academic curriculum, for special education pupils for whom it may not be realistic or desirable to expect achievement of initial mastery of the state board recommended model core academic content standards objectives or of a high school diploma.

(7) The state board shall make available to all nonpublic schools in this state, as a resource for their consideration, the model core academic curriculum content standards developed for public schools pursuant to subsection (2) for the purpose of assisting the governing body of a nonpublic school in developing its core academic curriculum.

(8) Excluding special education pupils, pupils having a learning disability, and pupils with extenuating circumstances as determined by school officials, a pupil who does not score satisfactorily on the fourth or seventh grade state assessment program reading test shall be provided special assistance reasonably expected to enable the pupil to bring his or her reading skills to grade level within 12 months.

(9) Any course that would have been considered a nonessential elective course under Snyder v Charlotte School Dist, 421 Mich 517 (1984), on April 13, 1990 shall continue to be offered to resident pupils of nonpublic schools on a shared time basis.

(10) As used in this section, "Armenian Genocide", "genocide", and "Holocaust" mean those terms as defined in section 1168.

History: Add. 1990, Act 25, Eff. Apr. 13, 1990 ;-- Am. 1993, Act 335, Imd. Eff. Dec. 31, 1993 ;-- Am. 1995, Act 289, Eff. July 1, 1996 ;-- Am. 2004, Act 596, Imd. Eff. Jan. 5, 2005 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 170, Imd. Eff. June 14, 2016 Popular Name: Act 451