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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Dorothy Beardmore Service to Education Award Request
The Board is seeking nominations for the 2007 Dorothy Beardmore Service to Education Award which is given annually to a person for:

• providing volunteer leadership in developing educational policy, or positively Impacting the education system
• contributing to the improvement of education through involvement on local, state or national commissions, task forces, or significant leadership or community organizations
• volunteering at the local, state, or national level

Guidelines for the nomination process can be accessed at: www.michigan.gov/trp.

The deadline for submission of the nominations is Friday, May 11, 2007.

Draft Michigan Merit Core Guidelines for Languages Other than English

At their April 10th meeting, the State Board of Education discussed the draft guidelines for the state's schools to comply with the new two-year world language requirement that was adopted in 2006 as part of the state's new high school graduation requirements. The Board is expected to vote on the documents, which update 1996 standards, in July.

The guidelines were developed by a team of educators led by Dr. Emily Spinelli, executive director of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, and Jackie Moase-Burke, an Oakland Schools consultant.

The guidelines are designed to help schools develop a "rigorous" two-credit experience for students, who will be required by law to take a foreign language to graduate. The board has reviewed the draft guidelines before making them available for public comment.

The two-year foreign language requirement begins with the graduating class of 2016. To meet the requirement, the standards would require students to:

• Demonstrate holistic proficiency at the Novice High Level of the ACTFL
   Proficiency Scale (Novice High level indicates that students will be able to
   function in “highly predicable situations using words, phrases and complete 
   sentences”).
• Demonstrate basic knowledge of cultural practices, products and perspectives
  of the culture(s) in which the language is used
• Gain cultural knowledge as well as knowledge in other curricular areas using
   the world language
• Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language and culture by
   comparing the language and culture to their own
• Use the language both within and beyond the school setting

In addition, students would be able to communicate with people who are accustomed to interacting with "non-native" speakers in a variety of contexts relating primarily to the student, family, friends, home, school and community.

"We don't just want our students to be able to conjugate verbs, but to be able to do something with it," explained Spinelli.  She also stressed that students should begin their language training as early as possible.

Some suggested models were presented.  One calls for thirty minutes of instruction four days a week every year from kindergarten through fifth grade in order for students to receive a single credit of foreign language.  Another credit could be earned in middle or high school.  The model of offering world languages in traditional two years in high school classrooms was also offered with both credits being for the same language.

The draft documents are posted atwww.michigan.gov/highschool.

Social Studies
A draft of the K-8 Grade Level Content Expectations for Social Studies and the High School Content Expectations for World History and Geography, U.S. History and Geography, Civics and Economics was not presented to the board as planned.
The board will receive them at their May 8th board meeting.   They will then be available for field review from May 10 through June 10, followed by a national review.  The board will be asked for its approval at the August, 2007 State Board of Education meeting.

12th Grade LEA Course/Credit Requirements and Model Units
The Department has published the English Language Arts 12th Grade Course/Credit Requirements intended to refine, apply, and extend the solid foundation of knowledge, skills and strategies developed in English Language Arts in grades 9 through 11.  To access the ELA Grade 12 Course/Requirements, click here. High School English Language Arts Content Expectations 

Grade 12 Model Units were also developed and have the following titles:

• The Power of Story: Inspiring Passion, Purpose and Leadership Potential
• Balance of Power: Leadership for the American Dream
• Maintaining Balance and Integrity: The Responsibility of the Individual
• Social Responsibility: Redefining the American Dream in a World Context

The units were designed by a group of Michigan Teachers, Intermediate School District consultants and Michigan Department of Education Staff.  The units can be accessed at
www.michigan.gov/highschool.

Supplemental Service Providers
The Office of Field Services concluded its workshops for 2007-08 Supplemental Educational Service (SES) Providers.  Four hundred prospective providers attended.
A web cast of the presentation as well as a PowerPoint and other presenter materials are available at the SES website: www.michigan.gov/mde-ses.

In a related effort, the U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives hosted a March workshop in Dearborn to provide technical assistance to faith-based and other community organizations on how to become an approved provider of Supplemental Educational Services.  Emphasis was placed in services to low-income families who attend Title I schools that are in a phase of school improvement as outlined by NCLB.

The Michigan Merit Exam (MME) and Graduation from High School
Because several news agencies who have reported that students must pass the MME in order to graduate, the Department issued the following:

            "A number of districts have made it a requirement to take the test in order to
            graduate, but there are no requirements to pass the test in order to graduate."

Teacher Certification Fee Increases Requested
The Department is asking the state to increase teacher certification fees to help pay for an updated computer certification system.  The increase would result in roughly $3.5 million in new revenue over the next couple of years.  Provisional application fees would increase by $35 (from $125 to $160 for in-state applicants and from $175 to $210 for out-of-state applicants).  Substitute teaching permits, school psychologist certificates and school counselor licenses would also increase. 

Flanagan Urges More Middle Colleges
In a newspaper editorial, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Michael Flanagan urged support for the creation of 100 new middle colleges, which are high schools that allow students to simultaneously earn both a high school diploma and two years of college credit.  Flanagan noted that middle colleges save parents, students and the government thousands of dollars in college tuition and financial aid.  He cited that the existing 170-plus middle college schools nation-wide are also raising student graduation rates and have cut down training time for health care and other jobs.  The editorial noted that business leaders have questioned whether middle colleges are really needed and that some educators worry about splitting their already tight funding with higher education institutions.

Coaches Bill
HB 4220 passed in the House on March 8, 2007.  The bill would allow school board members to serve as athletic couches without compensation if no qualified applicant were available.  If hired as a coach, the board member would be required to abstain from voting on issues before the board concerning that particular program.  The bill is intended to assist school districts, especially in rural areas, that face difficulty finding couches for certain sports.  The bill now goes to the Senate for their deliberation.

Bullying and Harassment
HB 4091 passed in the House.  It amends the Revised School Code to require the Department of Education to develop and disseminate a model policy that prohibits harassment of bullying at school within thirty days after it is signed into law.
 
HB 4162 was also passed.  It amends the Revised School Code to require local school boards and charter schools to adopt and implement a policy prohibiting bullying or harassment at school, not later than six months after the effective date of the legislation.
Boards would be required to hold at least one public hearing on the proposed policy.  Within thirty days after adopting the policy, the board would be required to submit a copy of their policies to the Michigan Department of Education.  Then, within one year, the Department would be required to submit a report to the House and Senate standing committees on education that summarizes the implementation status of policies, statewide.

State Education Budget
The budget for both this school year and for the 2007-08 school year is still up in the air.
As soon as some concrete action is taken, Michigan ASCD will issue a special issue of The Source.

A proration for this year’s school budget is being discussed.  Taking back monies from this year’s school budget could be devastating, as the budget year is almost over and
school districts have committed this year’s budget to actual expenditures.  Cuts in the face of all of the new high school requirements and the increased demands of schools to be more relevant to the changing needs of society and the world of work don’t seem to make much sense according to many educators.

The Senate is proposing cuts with no new revenue.  This is seen as a piece-meal fix that will take care of most, but not all, of this year’s budget problem.  This will also make the battle for funding for next year a difficult one, according to budget analysts.  What education needs, according to many educators, is a more permanent and long-term fix.

Improving Literacy Through School Libraries
The Department has announced its Improving Literacy Through School Libraries grant, available for local educational agencies (LEAs) in which at least 20 percent of the students served by the LEA are from families with incomes below the poverty line, based on the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.  The program’s purpose is to improve student reading skills and academic achievement by providing students with increased access to up-to-date school library materials; well-equipped and technologically-advanced school library media centers; and well-trained professionally-certified school library media specialists.  Click here for more information.

Education Among the Top Voter Concerns
After “jobs” and “the economy” were taken out of the equation, Michigan voters say health care and education are the states two top pressing issues facing state lawmakers, according to a pole released on March 12, 2007 by MIRS, the Rossman Group and Denno-Noor Research.  The poll asked 600 voters statewide to choose among health care, education (k-12 and higher education), transportation and roads, the environment, taxes, homeland security, and tourism.

The younger the voter, the more likely they were to cite education as the most important issue facing Michigan and the least likely to be concerned about health care, said Denno-Noor, President Dennis Denno.

Taxes showed up third overall in the pole, but gained the most attention from voters in Oakland County, Macomb County and self-identified Republicans.  On the other side of the political spectrum, 43% of the Democrats rated health care as the No. 1 issue. 

 Opportunity
A Grantsmanship Training Program, hosted by Fitzgerald Public Schools, will be held in Warren, MI on April 30-May 4, 2007  Participants will learn the Center’s proposal writing format, the most widely used in the world.  Upon completion of the program, participants will receive free follow-up services from the Center.

For more information, visit The Grantsmanship Center website.  Or call The Grantsmanship Center’s Registrar at 800-421-9512.

Michigan ASCD Workshop

Every Child Counts: Closing the Achievement Gap in Sub-Groups
May 9, 2007, Genesee ISD

Keynote Speaker: Sue Nelle DeHart, Aha!Process Inc.

A Framework for Understanding Poverty

The Program:
Hear from a nationally recognized expert and Michigan educators on successful strategies for closing the achievement gap with all students, but with particular emphasis with those defined in the various sub-groups of the No Child Left and Education Yes!. Research-based solutions along with schools that have been successful in narrowing the achievement gap will be presented. Included will be a discussion of updated assessment tools and strategies.

Breakout topics include:

• Evidence-based strategies for accelerating student achievement
• Use of data to inform and lead instruction
• Strategies for English language learners
• Best practices for special education students
• Language development and balanced literacy
• Update on Education Yes!
• Parent and community involvement
• Job embedded professional development
• Parent and community involvement
• Cultural and linguistic diversity
• Success stories from schools
• Updates form the Office of School Improvement

Sponsored By:

Hours:

This workshop is expected to run from 8am until 3:30pm.

This workshop includes lunch.

Cost:

Individual Registration:

$100 Michigan ASCD Member

$175 Michigan ASCD Non-Member (Includes an annual Michigan ASCD Membership)

District Team Registration:

If one member of a district team is a Michigan ASCD member, the entire team can register at Michigan ASCD member cost, $100 each.

If no member of a district team is a Michigan ASCD member, one member of the team must register as a Michigan ASCD non-member, at $175 (Including an annual Michigan ASCD Membership), and the remaining team members can register at Michigan ASCD member cost, $100 each.

District Team Registrations cannot be submitted online.  The entire team registrations must be faxed together to fax # 517.327.0771.  One registration form, per team member, please.

Printable Registration Form                            Register Online

Genesee ISD:

2413 West Maple Avenue
Flint, MI
48507

Directions