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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Longer Graduation Time Sought
In its negotiation with the U.S. Department of Education, The State Board of Education is seeking approval to allow more than four years to be used as the "standard number of years" for graduation, on a case-by-case basis for dropout recovery programs.

Michigan already has approved exceptions from the federal four-year high school graduation requirement for students with disabilities and who have missed school because of an illness, but the State Board of Education will ask that students in alternative high schools and dropout recovery programs also have additional time to earn a diploma.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act counts students as dropouts if they do not graduate during the traditional four-year high school period unless the state has a waiver to allow certain groups of students longer to graduate.

Career/Technical Education
The Board received a review of the application for federal Perkins Program grants for the next five years.  The program now has a stronger aim of preparing students for higher education.  Implications for schools include more strict requirements and coordinated course offerings.  The Michigan Department of Education will develop a plan for the application of the Perkins Program grants and bring it to the Board for approval at its February meeting.
 
Currently 70 percent of Michigan CTE students go on to higher education and of those, 48 percent go to a four-year university.

Charter School Report Accepted
The Board approved the annual report to the legislature on Charter Schools in Michigan.
The full report can be seen at: Report to the Legislature on Public School Academies

Charter School Authority Clarification Sought
State Superintendent Mike Flanagan said that he has asked the Legislature to help clarify the State Board of Education's role in overseeing charter schools. Currently, the state superintendent of public instruction has the authority to suspend a charter school authorizer if that authorizer is not exercising adequate oversight over schools it has approved, but has no rulemaking authority to establish standards or criteria by which to act.

The discussion came on the heels of the December 2007 meeting, where some Board members suggested asking the Legislature for rule-making authority related to charter school administration or for more appropriations for Department of Education staff to monitor charter schools.

Elementary Teacher Certification Standards Approved
The Board approved new standards for elementary teacher preparation and the revision of the Michigan Test for Certification for those teachers.  The proposal represents the first time the state had set standards for education programs for teachers, as opposed to leaving those programs to universities. In the past, the state has not had elementary certification program standards. The standards can be viewed at: Approval of Certification Standards for Elementary Teachers

No Legislative Action
The legislature is back in session after the holiday break but has not yet voted on any new legislation.
 
Petitions for November 2008 Election Abound
Michigan voters will soon have a chance to sign a draft of petitions to:

• Amend the Constitution to enact a part-time Legislature
• Allow automatic referendums on tax increases
• Require the state to provide universal health insurance.

The Board of State Canvassers unanimously approved petitions as to their form for circulation. To get on the ballot, circulators for these petitions will have to get the signatures of at least 380,126 registered voters by July 7, 2008.

If the number of required signatures is collected, these proposals will appear on the November 2008 ballot.  Also slated for the November ballot is a proposal to allow for the use of marijuana for medical purposes.  The signatures for this proposal have already been collected and signatures are being checked for accuracy.
 
In addition, Senate Majority Leader, Mike Bishop would like to see a petition for Right to Work on the ballot.  Under the hotly contested Right to Work rules, workers in union shops can opt-out of a union. 

Note!
Teacher Of The Year A National Finalist
June TEISAN, the 2007-2008 Michigan Teacher of the Year, is one of four finalists for the nation's top teaching honor - National Teacher of the Year.

Teisan is a seventh grade science teacher at Harper Woods Secondary School with more than 20 years of classroom experience.

Children’s Insurance Bill Passes
President Bush signed legislation that extends the State Children’s Health Insurance Program at its current level through March 2009.  Congress twice tried to increase the funding, but the President vetoed it both times.  The joint federal-state program currently provides benefits to roughly 6 million people, mostly children.

Federal NCLB Lawsuit Revived
A federal appeals court, in a 2-1 ruling, revived a legal challenge to the federal No Child Left Behind law, saying that school districts have been justified in complaining that the law required them to pay for testing and other programs without providing sufficient federal money.
 
School districts in Michigan, Texas and Vermont joined with the National Education Association in their 2005 lawsuit.  In it they argued that federal education secretary Margaret Spellings violated the United States Constitution in enacting policies requiring states and school districts to spend local money to administer standardized tests and to meet other federal requirements under No Child Left Behind.  Previously, a federal judge in Michigan had dismissed the lawsuit.  The suit was built around a paragraph in the law that says no state or district can be forced to spend its money on expenses the federal government has not covered. 

The appeals court sent the suit back to the lower court, arguing that a passage of the Constitution requires Congress to give states clear notice of their financial liabilities when they accept federal financing that may fall short of the full costs of complying with requirements from Washington.

The Bush administration could appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.  In the meantime,
if Congress does not rewrite the law this year, Mr. Bush said he had instructed Spellings “to move forward on some reforms that she can do through the administrative process.” 

“I know No Child Left Behind works," the President said at a ceremony that marked the law’s sixth anniversary.

17th Annual MIEM Technology Conference and Expo being held January 30-February 1, 2008 in Dearborn at the Dearborn Inn. 

Building Bridges with Technology is the theme this year, with many sessions for Technology Directors and Curriculum Directors. 

The opening speaker, Ladd Skelly, will leave you wanting more…

Informational breakout sessions include:

• Technology Polices
• IP Security Cameras
• Find Funds for Technology
• Better utilize Work Flow with IT Asset and Ticket Management
• Integrating Online Learning
• Get Your Money through E-Rate
• IP Telephony
• GIS – how can you use it in the classroom
• Robotics
• Top Ten Tools on Web 2.0
• Keep Up-to-Date with MDE
• My Space and Cyberbullying
• Differentiating Instruction Using Technology
• Managing Tech Lab
• And many more….

The closing speaker, Tim Cusack will have you leaving the conference ready to take on the WORLD.  In today's schools, technology and all of its various applications are too important to be the sole responsibility of any single individual. You cannot take all this on alone, so plan to attend and bring your colleagues.

Want to discuss this conference with your colleagues, or to make arrangements to meet or talk about the sessions?  Did you know we have authors in our midst?
Go to the Tech Conference blog to find out more.

Overnight accommodations can be made online using the MIEMIEA code for the special rate of $119 or call 1.800.228.9290.  A Wireless connection will be available in the public areas of the hotel and in your room at no extra cost.

Register Here

 If you require additional information, please contact Debbie Kopkau or Courtney Byam.

Michigan ASCD
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