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HB 6023

Education: examinations; classic learning test; include in accepted college entrance examinations. Amends sec. 1279g of 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1279g). TIE BAR WITH: HB 6024'26

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jaime Greene and 5 co-sponsors

The bill creates a centralized Michigan Merit Examination for grade 11 (with grade 12 option) that includes ELA, math, science, social studies, a writing/CLT option, and a workforc

bill electronically reproduced 06/02/2026
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Bill Summary · HB 6023

Overview

House Bill 6023 (2025-2026, Michigan) amends the Michigan Revised School Code to restructure the Michigan Merit Examination (MME) as part of a broader college admission and workforce-readiness framework. The bill designates the MME as the assessment administered to eleventh graders (grade 11) and, for students who did not complete the full MME in grade 11, to those in grade 12. It preserves a writing component and allows the Classic Learning Test (CLT) as an optional alternative for meeting the writing requirement. It also adds a workforce-readiness assessment component and introduces waivers and procedural requirements related to workforce testing and reporting.

This bill is a tie-bar to HB 6024'26, meaning its enactment is contingent on the companion bill becoming law.

main purpose and intent

  • Create a centralized, state-administered Michigan Merit Examination for grade 11 (with grade 12 administration if not taken in grade 11).
  • Expand the MME to include multiple components aimed at postsecondary admission and workforce readiness.
  • Provide alternatives and waivers to accommodate students who opt out of certain components.
  • Ensure rigorous scoring, reporting, and alignment with state standards, national assessments, and federal education requirements.

Key provisions and changes

  1. Administration and eligibility

    • School districts and public school academies must administer the MME to all grade 11 students.
    • If a student does not take the complete MME in grade 11, they must be offered the complete MME in grade 12.

  2. Examination components (subsection 2)

    • The MME must include:
      • (a) English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, reading, and science with an extended writing component. A pupil may elect to take the Classic Learning Test (CLT) to satisfy the writing component.
      • (b) One or more workforce-readiness tests designed to assess reading and mathematics applications with potential for a nationally recognized workforce readiness evaluation, with options for waivers beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. (A waiver process will be developed, including an informational letter about workforce benefits; districts must provide this to students and parents by specified dates.)
      • (c) A social studies component.
      • (d) Any other components required to obtain federal approval (No Child Left Behind Act or Every Student Succeeds Act, as applicable).

  3. Workforce-readiness waiver (subsection 2(b))

    • Starting in 2026-2027, students may opt out of the workforce-readiness test via a waiver submitted by a parent/guardian.
    • The department must produce an informational letter about the purpose and benefits of the workforce readiness assessment, developed with input from business, manufacturing, and skilled trades representatives.
    • Districts must provide the informational letter to students and parents by December 31 of the relevant school year; the waiver must be submitted by February 28 of the administration year.

  4. Scoring and reporting (subsection 3)

    • Contractors must provide individual reports detailing whether students met expectations for each standard, enabling remediation opportunities.
    • Contractors must meet recognized quality-management standards (initial level 2, rising to level 3 in subsequent years, per the Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity Model).
    • Contracts must include strict deadlines for test materials and results, with penalties for noncompliance.
    • The state must ensure the MME meets grade-level expectations, federal requirements, testing-practice guidelines, and accuracy standards; any factually inaccurate questions excluded from scoring.

  5. Transcript requirements (subsection 4)

    • High schools must include, on each graduate’s transcript:
      • The scaled score for each subject area component of the MME.
      • The number of school days attended in each school year and the total days in session.

  6. Scoring details and administration (subsection 5–6)

    • The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) will coordinate with the MME provider(s) to produce scaled scores, including item scaling/merging across components.
    • A public-facing document will be produced detailing scoring, scaled-score ranges, and interpretation.
    • The MME must be administered between March 1 and June 1 each year; scores must be returned by the start of the student’s first semester of grade 12, with timely, standards-based feedback provided to students, parents, and districts.

  7. Single administration and retakes (subsection 7)

    • Each student may take the complete MME only once; if not taken in grade 11, it must be administered in grade 12.
    • Retakes of the college-entrance component may be paid for by the student unless:
      • The student previously took the complete MME,
      • Qualifies for free breakfast/lunch/Milk under federal standards,
      • The student’s scholarship/fee-waiver request for the retake was denied,
      • The student has not previously received a free retake.

  8. Length, accommodations, and accessibility (subsections 8–9)

    • The SPI must ensure the total testing time is as short as possible while maintaining reliability/validity, with a maximum of 8 hours if alignment with Michigan standards allows.
    • Accommodations for students with disabilities must be provided in line with federal laws (Section 504, ADA, IDEA), with mutual agreement on accommodations between the testing provider and districts.

  9. Content alignment and standards (subsection 10–11)

    • The MME should be based on grade-level/content expectations.
    • Nonpublic and home-schooled students may participate, with districts administering the test or the nonpublic school administering it if allowed. Scores of students not enrolled in the district administering the test are not counted for district purposes.

  10. Contracting and scoring in multiple languages (subsection 12)

    • Preference for contracts that support electronically scored essays, multiple-language scoring feedback, and ongoing instruction.

  11. Purpose (subsection 13)

    • The MME aims to assess performance in math, science, social studies, and ELA to improve academic achievement, align with Michigan standards, and encourage enrollment in higher-level courses.

  12. Genocide-focused content (subsection 14)

    • The social studies component and related state assessments must include questions addressing genocide, including the Holocaust and Armenian Genocide, aligning with the state model core standards.

  13. Definitions (subsection 15)

    • Clarifies terms: genocide, Holocaust, ELA, and social studies.

Who is affected

  • Students in Michigan public high schools (grade 11, and grade 12 if needed) will take the MME.
  • School districts and public school academies (and intermediate school districts) responsible for administering the MME, reporting scores, and providing accommodations.
  • Parents/guardians and teachers receiving individual student reports.
  • Employers and workforce sectors via the workforce-readiness assessment component.
  • Nonpublic schools and home-schooled students participating in the MME.
  • Contractors/providers executing the testing, scoring, and reporting, with performance and reporting requirements.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Administration window: March 1 to June 1 each year; scores/feedback due by the start of the student’s first semester of grade 12.
  • Waiver process for workforce-readiness testing starts in the 2026-2027 school year; informational materials due to students/parents by December 31, with waiver submissions due by February 28.
  • Quality and timing standards for scoring contracts, including penalties for missed deadlines.
  • Transcript updates required for graduates who completed the MME, detailing scaled scores and attendance.
  • The act is contingent on the enactment of HB 6024 (the tie-bar provision).

Potential impacts

  • Greater standardization of evaluating high school students for college admissions and workforce readiness.
  • Increased emphasis on ELA, mathematics, reading, science, social studies, and writing, with a potential CLT option.
  • Added transparency through detailed reporting to parents/teachers and explicit transcript data.
  • introduction of a mandatory but waiver-eligible workforce-readiness assessment, subject to state approval and stakeholder input.
  • Increased administrative and contractual requirements for districts and testing providers, with emphasis on timely scoring and compliance.

Note: This summary reflects the bill text as introduced and its stated provisions; actual effects may depend on enacted version, implementation rules, and associated companion bill HB 6024.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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