Personal Curriculum

A parent or legal guardian of a qualifying and eligible high school student may request a personal curriculum for the student that modifies the Michigan Merit Standard Requirements under limited conditions. The appropriateness of a personal curriculum for an applying student will be determined following the school district’s evaluation of all relevant factors. If all the requirements for a personal curriculum are met, then the Board may award a high school diploma to a student who successfully completes his/her personal curriculum even if it does not meet the requirements of the Michigan Merit Standard. All of the following apply to a personal curriculum:

A. If a personal curriculum is found to be appropriate for the applying student, the personal curriculum shall be developed by a group that includes the student, at least one (1) of the student’s parents or the student’s legal guardian, and the student’s high school counselor or another designee (selected by the high school) qualified to act in a counseling role.

B. The personal curriculum shall incorporate as much of the subject area content expectations of the Michigan Merit Standard as is practicable for the student; shall establish measurable goals that the student must achieve while enrolled in high school; shall provide a method to evaluate whether the student has achieved these goals; and shall be aligned with the student’s educational development plan.

C. Before it takes effect, the personal curriculum must be agreed to by the student’s parent or legal guardian and by the superintendent of the district or his/her designee.

D. The student’s parent or legal guardian shall be in communication with each of the student’s teachers at least once each calendar quarter to monitor the student’s progress toward the goals contained in the student’s personal curriculum.

E. Revisions may be made in the personal curriculum if the revisions are developed and agreed to in the same manner as the original personal curriculum.