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Superintendent urges cautious rollout of Michigan "personal curriculum" option; board discusses pilot and safeguards
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Veedy briefed the committee on the states personal curriculum option, urging targeted promotion (ninth/tenth graders, students with IEPs) while board members pushed for pilot sites, counseling supports and clear safeguards to avoid overuse.
The Academic Committee heard the superintendents explanation of Michigans personal curriculum option, which allows students and parents to request an alternate pathway to meet high-school graduation requirements if the district agrees.
"In state statute, it does allow parents and students to request for personal curriculum, to have a different option from the core high school requirements," Superintendent Dr. Veedy said, explaining that students on a personal curriculum must still meet state standards but can access those standards through alternative courses or career-technical classes.
Veedy said the district currently has one student on a personal curriculum and intends to promote the option for ninth and tenth graders, with a collaborative review process involving counselors, principals and central-office designees. He emphasized safeguards: requests will require review of achievement, attendance and interest and cannot be granted unilaterally by a parent or student.
Board members recommended piloting the approach at a single struggling school, aligning pathways with career-technical programs and ensuring the district retains the ability to approve or deny proposed diploma pathways. One board member urged that the district plan for counseling and parent-advocate follow-up so families know how to apply and how the district will monitor outcomes.
In public comment, education advocate Sharon Kelso said she is "the one person whose child has a personal curriculum," and described difficulties securing it, urging the district to make the option accessible to general-education students as well as those with IEPs and to address chronic absenteeism and student supports.
The committee asked the superintendent to analyze pilot options and return with recommendations to the academic committee, including how an individualized pathway could be documented in the student information system and how counselors will flag candidates for review.
Next steps: superintendent to provide the academic committee an analysis of pilot sites, the counselor-notification process, and measurable safeguards to ensure the personal curriculum is used appropriately.
