High-impact tutoring programs; eligible tutoring partners; applications; requirements; definitions.

Sec. 35p. (1) From the state school aid fund money appropriated in section 11, there is allocated for 2026-2027 only an amount not to exceed $50,000,000.00 to implement high-impact tutoring programs through eligible tutoring partners in eligible districts. (2) Eligible tutoring partners shall apply for funding in a form and manner determined by the department. An application for funding described in this subsection must include at least all of the following: (a) An identification of a district or intermediate district that will serve as a fiscal agent for awarded funds. (b) A list of district partners that will be recipients of high-impact tutoring from the eligible tutoring partner, including a letter of support from each district that affirms their commitment to ensure alignment with tier 1 instruction, implementation fidelity, including, but not limited to, student usage and frequency, and participation in data sharing and training necessary to maximize outcomes. (c) Projections for the number of students who will be served, broken down by partner district. (d) A description of the efficacious nature of the eligible tutoring partner's program, including the ability of the eligible tutoring partner to hit certain benchmarks and goals, based on evidence. (e) A plan for how the eligible tutoring partner will target high-impact tutoring for the highest need student populations based on some or all of the following criteria: (i) Statewide assessment data. (ii) Screeners or formative assessment scores. (iii) Economically disadvantaged status. (iv) Special education status. (v) English language learner status. (f) A planned budget for the high-impact tutoring program provided, including the total dollars necessary to serve the identified student population and an estimate of the percentage of awarded dollars that would be directly deployed for high-impact tutoring. (g) A commitment to provide periodic reporting to each district served and to the department, in a form and manner determined by the department, to ensure funds are being spent in accordance with this section. (h) A commitment to return any or all funds awarded if the department determines dollars are used in a way that violates this section. (i) Any additional information required by the department to make informed decisions on awarding competitive grants under this section and to ensure financial stewardship of awarded dollars. (3) The department shall award grants to applicants on a competitive basis, using at least all of the following in making award determinations: (a) The cost effectiveness of the application based on the number of students projected to be served, the total requested budget, and the demonstrated outcome capacity of the high-impact tutoring program. (b) The reasonability that the eligible tutoring partner will be able to meet the stated outcome benchmarks. (c) Other criteria, as determined by the department, to ensure grants are awarded to the most impactful applicants. (4) If the amount allocated in subsection (1) is not sufficient to fully fund all eligible tutoring partners that apply for funding, the department must prioritize grant awards to districts with the lowest levels of literacy proficiency, as determined by student scores on the Michigan student test of educational progress (M-STEP). (5) The department may approve applications from eligible tutoring partners that offer innovative ways to reach students at a lower cost by waiving elements of high-impact tutoring described in subsection (11). This must include, but is not limited to, offering virtual programs. In such cases, the eligible tutoring partner submitting the application must provide evidence of program impact and implement an outcomes-based contract model. (6) It is the intent of the legislature that the work associated with the grant application, oversight, and administration of awards under this section be performed primarily by the eligible tutoring partner and not by districts that have agreed to receive high-impact tutoring. (7) If a district or intermediate district agrees to receive high-impact tutoring from an eligible tutoring partner, the district or intermediate district must do all of the following: (a) Work with the eligible tutoring partner to identify students that would benefit from the program. The district or intermediate district must communicate with parents or legal guardians of identified students to describe the available program, outline possible student outcomes, and encourage student participation. (b) To the extent possible, integrate the high-impact tutoring program with the district's Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Process (MICIP) plan. (c) If the district or intermediate district is the fiscal agent for the eligible tutoring partner, except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, forward the amount awarded to the tutoring partner. The designated fiscal agent may retain up to 0.5% of the funding awarded to the tutoring partner for administrative purposes. (8) All of the following apply to the funds allocated under this section: (a) The department shall make award determinations and notifications by not later than January 15, 2027. (b) The department shall make initial payments to identified fiscal agents by no later than March 1, 2027. Identified fiscal agents shall forward funding to eligible tutoring partners by not later than March 15, 2027. (c) Eligible tutoring partners shall begin deploying services in recipient districts and intermediate districts before the end of the 2026-2027 school year. (9) From the allocation in subsection (1), there is allocated $600,000.00 to the Clinton County Regional Educational Service Agency to work with the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA), to do all of the following: (a) Provide a report on high-impact tutoring programs implemented with the funding allocated under subsection (1). (b) Develop and provide technical assistance to districts in selecting high-impact tutoring strategies and integrating these strategies into district Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Process (MICIP) plans. Developing and providing technical assistance may include the design, review, and integration of eligible tutoring programs within the MiStrategyBank. (c) Collect, aggregate, and report data in collaboration with the MAISA Michigan Collaborative Hub. An amount not to exceed $300,000.00 of the funds allocated under this subsection may be used for this purpose. (d) Provide an annual report of the impact of high-impact tutoring programs to the office of the governor, the senate and house education committees, the senate and house appropriations subcommittees on school aid, and the state budget director. (10) From the allocation in subsection (1), there is allocated not more than $5,000,000.00 for a parent-driven tutoring pilot. All of the following apply to the parent-driven tutoring pilot described in this subsection: (a) The department shall award grants to districts to participate in a parent-driven tutoring pilot. The department shall do both of the following when making award determinations under this subdivision: (i) Prioritize applicants in an opportunity index band, as determined under section 6(21), of 4 or higher. (ii) Ensure recipients represent both urban and rural districts and include all geographic regions of this state. (b) A district that receives an award under this subsection shall open an application process to parents and legal guardians of students. The application must include the name of the chosen tutoring provider. Districts shall prioritize applications from parents and legal guardians of students that are economically disadvantaged and most academically at risk. (c) Funds awarded through the application process described in subdivision (b) may be used for tutoring services through an evidence-based tutoring provider with whom the district is not currently partnered. (d) A district receiving funds under this subsection shall make payments directly to the tutoring provider chosen on the application by a parent or legal guardian under subdivision (b). (e) A district receiving funds under this section may retain 2.5% of funds for administration. (f) A district shall provide a final report to the department including how many students participated in tutoring by grade level, which tutoring providers were used, and funds awarded by tutoring provider. (11) As used in this section: (a) "Eligible tutoring partner" means a tutoring provider, including, but not limited to, a tutoring provider created by for-profit vendors, nonprofit vendors, intermediate districts, districts, and the Michigan Schools for the Deaf and Blind, that provides high-impact tutoring and meets at least 1 of the following: (i) Is included on the ProvenTutoring list maintained by the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University. (ii) Has a Tutoring Program Design Badge as awarded by the National Student Support Accelerator, a program of the SCALE Initiative at Stanford University. (iii) Is a vetted high-impact tutoring program included in the MiStrategyBank. If necessary, the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators may convene a committee to review tutoring programs for inclusion in the MiStrategyBank. (b) "High-impact tutoring" means, except as otherwise provided in this section, in-person tutoring that meets all of the following: (i) Occurs before, during, or after the school day. (ii) Is individualized, with tutor ratios not higher than 1:4. (iii) Provides intensive support with a minimum of 2 sessions per week. (iv) Uses a structured, evidence-based curriculum designed for tutoring, with formative assessments to track progress. (v) Uses trained tutors. (vi) Includes ongoing assessment and feedback.