As Michigan falls further behind, some ask: Time to overhaul high school?

Michigan’s high-school graduation rate reached a new high last year, but test scores indicate only 27% of students left prepared for college.

Pointing to that seemingly contradictory data and other concerning metrics, education groups — and a former Michigan governor — are proposing to reimagine high school and recalibrate expectations for graduation.

They say students should be required to show they’ve mastered skills, not just sat through classes, and need more exposure to career options in a state where just more than half of graduates attend college. With nearly 28% of Michigan students chronically absent, they say the time for change is now.

Reformers are eyeing Michigan Merit Curriculum graduation requirements established more than two decades ago. The law is not “responsive to the needs and futures of all students,” and there’s no evidence it improved graduation rates, according to Launch Michigan, one of the groups pushing change.

“The Michigan Merit Curriculum still really hems kids in,” Harrison Community Schools Superintendent Judy Walton told Bridge Michigan. “Most kids will still take the same courses as their peers regardless if they have different futures and visions for themselves.”

Walton is backing the “ Michigan Education Guarantee ” reform blueprint proposed by Launch Michigan, a bipartisan group of labor, business and education interests.

Instead of simply completing courses to advance, students should complete portfolios, capstones and “artifacts” like resumes they can use outside of school.

Launch also wants schools to provide “career-focused education” for every student and personalized education plans.

Venessa Keesler, the group’s CEO and president, suspects Michigan’s high rate of chronic absenteeism is the result of student disengagement, which the Michigan Education Guarantee seeks to address.

Through online coursework and COVID-19, students learned their “physical presence” in school is not required, Keesler told Bridge Michigan. “And so they’re less inclined to go just to sit there and do something that’s not very engaging, or that feels disconnected from their real life.”

Two other groups are working on similar proposals to make Michigan schools less rigid and more flexible for the benefit of students. That includes rethinking state requirements for districts to provide 1,098 hours and 180 days of school per year and face penalties if attendance is too low on a given day.

Growing momentum for changing up high school

Across the country, several states are changingrequirements and aiming to better connect students to the skills needed after high school.

Separate from Launch Michigan, former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder is pitching a potential law change that would let districts create a “public innovative program” in which students could earn credits toward graduation in more and different ways.

That could include apprenticeships, job shadows, work-based learning programs, “extended learning opportunities” outside of school and other options to “better prepare students for postsecondary and career options,” according to draft legislation that Snyder is sharing with various officials in Lansing.

Districts would operate the innovation programs but could partner with a private education management firm. They’d need sign-off by both the local teachers union and state.

For districts that opt in to the innovation model, students would be assigned both an “innovation coach” and a “teacher content specialist” to oversee and evaluate their work, which may come outside of the traditional classroom.

“Let’s look at kids and say, ‘If they can go faster, how can they have a plan to go faster? If they need more help, how do we get them more help?,’” Snyder told Bridge, arguing his idea would be more engaging for teachers too.

Meanwhile, a group of more than 80 superintendents are also advocating for more personalized instruction in schools through the Future of Learning Council.

If a student can demonstrate mastery for a course, “we shouldn’t hold you back in regards to time,” or give busy work, said council executive director David Richards.

Instead, “the goal is to say, ‘Are you ready for a deeper exposure into the content?’ Or maybe there is an off campus learning experience that you’re ready for.”

Michigan already provides dual enrollment and career technical education opportunities. But access to these programs are uneven.

‘Obviously necessary’

It’s unclear if the proposals will lead to changes anytime soon. Michigan’s divided Legislature is finalizing a historically low number of bills, and bipartisan compromise can be difficult in election years.

“It’s wonderful that there’s this much attention being paid to reform,” said State Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw. “It’s obviously necessary.”

But reform efforts may need to wait until there is a new governor to ensure buy-in by the state’s next executive, Kelly said.

State Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, said it “makes sense” to look at options for students, but she has reservations about changing hours and day requirements, an idea referenced in the Launch Michigan plan.

“If we’re trying to fight chronic absenteeism, while at the same time considering days and hours requirements for high school kids, those two things don’t seem compatible.”

Education is a top concern for many Bridge readers, according to our informal election-year survey, and fixing the state K-12 system is also a priority for several gubernatorial candidates.

Republican Tom Leonard recently told Bridge the state’s 27% college readiness rate is “a national embarrassment.” Democrat Jocelyn Benson said she wants a “clear, rigorous, comprehensive college and career readiness expectation that every K-12 school can utilize” for graduation requirements.

Independent Mike Duggan said he wants to rebuild career and technical education programs, give students more opportunities to earn college credits or industry credentials before graduation and create a new office to align high school programs to employer demand. See more candidate ideas here.

Among the states, Michigan ranked 30th for college readiness in 2024, according to analysis from US News & World Report.

Employment, trade connections

In Allen Park, Melvindale High teacher Kelly Young-Raymore said she wants to see some changes to high school including a “civics seal” that demonstrates “we’re actually graduating fully formed citizens.” But she told Bridge she does not want change that “cheapens” the rigor.

One idea she has is for seniors to attend class part of the week and work jobs for the other days where teachers check in on them as career coaches.

“I tell all my kids, all my students, to try to leave high school with employable skills and it’s difficult because a lot of kids don’t have access to that,” she said.

That may be particularly important in areas of the state where fewer students enroll in college. Currently, students must complete at least 18 course credits to graduate with a diploma. New high schoolers are also required to complete a personal finance credit.

Lee Graham, executive director of the Operating Engineers 324 union and Launch Michigan board member, said he hopes any potential changes will lead to more middle school and high schoolers being exposed to trade careers.

For example, students could come directly to where operating engineers use heavy machinery, instead of the engineers visiting students for a career day.

“Our kids are so done with traditional school. They’re bored out of their minds to just sit there and get talked to,” Walton said.

The state allows students to enroll in a personal curriculum, which includes planning between a student, their family and their high school. Statewide, about 13,300 or 2.9% of high school students have a personal curriculum, according to the state Department of Education. That’s up from five years ago.

State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko has met with Launch, Snyder and the education groups proposing changes to graduation requirements, said spokesperson Bob Wheaton. Maleyko is currently on a statewide listening tour to inform his efforts to revisit the state’s strategic education plan.

While lawmakers are debating other education policy changes as well, it’s “a really big imperative for Michigan to get serious about updating our grad standards because we’re going to be left further behind,” Keesler said.

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This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.