HeadlinesA News Report for Michigan Education Leaders

The conference committee on the School Aid Budget

completed deliberations and adopted its final recommendation for the 2013-14 school year late last week. The bill was approved by the House earlier today, and is expected to be taken up by the Senate as early as tomorrow.

After the news from the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference —which projected a surplus for the upcoming year’s state budget—the Legislature added $140 million to this year’s School Aid Budget. The rest of the projected surplus is expected to go to roads ($350 million) and the state’s rainy day fund ($75 million). While we would have liked to have seen more of this money go to replace the funds cut out of the School Aid fund over the last couple years, at least with this

additional money schools will not see a cut this year.

The budget includes an increase to the foundation allowance for all districts. The minimum foundation will be increased by $60 per-pupil increase and the basic foundation will be increased by $30 per-pupil. There will also be a $50 per-pupil equity payment for the lowest funded districts so that all districts will be at a minimum of $7,076. Finally, there is a $6 million line item to supplement the foundation allowance of those districts that see less than a $5 per-pupil increase under this budget. This will ensure that every district in the state will see at least a $5 per-pupil foundation allowance increase.

Without that additional $6 million supplement, there were districts

across the state which would have seen a cut in their per-pupil because of the changes made to the MPSERS offset payments. The supplement was added during debate in conference committee to make sure no district gets cut under this budget. The Conference committee reduced the money paid to districts to offset MPSERS costs from $155 million

May 28, 2013

inside this issue:

Download a Smartphone app to scan the QR code and learn more about MASB.

School Aid Budget moving through Legislature

See the complete list of winners beginning on Page 5

MDE budget could undercut CCSS funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

PA 152 problems lead to potential solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Study shows a decade of retirement impact on K-12 funding . . . . . . . . . . 4

Southfield showcased in ASBJ’s ‘Agents of Change’ series . . . . . . . . . 4

Worth Repeating: Rhee’s message is kids come first, but is Michigan’s? . 14

MASB, with the generous support of SET SEG School

Insurance Specialists, is proud to honor 26 innovative programs with the 2013 Education Excellence Award. These districts have found unique solutions to complex educational challenges, and haven’t let financial challenges and limited resources stand in the way of attaining excellence.

The Education Excellence Awards honor the top three local school districts in each of eight categories and the top three intermediate school district programs. Winning programs receive a trophy and metal street sign to display in their community proclaiming their district an

“Education Excellence Winner.” Each winner also receives an unrestricted cash donation from the SET SEG Educational Foundation and are entered into round two judging to determine “Michigan’s Best,” where they receive more cash, recognition and bragging rights.

This year’s award winners represent 15 counties across Michigan. The programs were honored at an awards luncheon on May 16.

Learn more about the Education Excellence program and winners at MASB’s website.

Education Excellence marks another year of award winning, innovative programs

SAF, continued on Page 3

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 28, 20132

415 W. Kalamazoo Street Lansing, MI 48933 | 1-800-292-5421 | www.setseg.org

Community EngagEmEntDollar Bay-tamarack City Schoolsnewaygo Public SchoolsWayne-Westland Community Schools

CrEativity anD thE artSallendale Public Schoolsmona Shores Public SchoolsFowlerville Community Schools

Extra-CurriCular aCtivitiESmarion Public Schoolsromulus Community SchoolsClintondale Community Schools

CelebratingExcELLEncE In EducatIon

hEalth, WEllnESS anD SaFEtySaline area SchoolsClinton Community SchoolsBeecher Community Schools

innovation in languagE artS oxford Community SchoolsSwan valley School Districthartland Consolidated Schools

innovation in SCiEnCE, tEChnology, EnginEEring anD mathEmatiCS mason Consolidated Schoolsyale Public Schools Crestwood School District

innovation in SoCial SCiEnCE anD humanitiES algonac Community SchoolsCroswell-lexington Schoolsarmada area Schools

StuDEnt-CrEatED initiativESoxford Community Schoolsarmada area Schools

intErmEDiatE SChool DiStriCtS Wayne rESa–Project PrimE (Promoting reform in mathematics)genesee iSD–virtual Summer SchoolEaton rESa–Creative Pulp

congratuLatIonS

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 28, 2013 3

down to $100 million. The actual fiscal impact will vary from district to district based on payroll. The House Fiscal Agency document that details the district by district impact of the budget is available on our website.

The Conference Committee maintained grants for best practices, technology, consolidation and small class size. The Best Practices Incentives are retained at current year funding of $80 million and provides for $52 per pupil for districts that meet 7 out of 8 revised best practices. The best practices criteria were revised to:• allowaVoluntaryEmployeesBeneficiaryAssociation(VEBA)to qualify as policy holder;

• requireacomparisonofcompetitive bids to exclude the cost of unfunded accrued liabilities;

• requireadistricttopublishonline course syllabi for each online course offered;

• offerhealthorphysicaleducation and;

• includeinthedashboardprojections of revenues and expenditures, debt service and total outstanding debt.

As well as those continued from last year:

• ParticipateinSchoolsofChoice;• Testtwiceannuallyinorderto

measure student growth and;• Providedualenrollment

opportunities for post secondary coursework.

Technology Infrastructure Grants are funded at $50 million. The committee restricts the use of funds

for these competitive grants based on need and limits their uses to technology infrastructure, the shared service consolidation of technology

and data, and hardware. The Consolidation Innovation

Grants will be funded at $5 million

Legislative UpdateSAF, continued from Page 1

Recent interpretations from the Michigan Department of

Treasury on the implementation of PA 152 (Health Insurance Reform) have forced many districts to recalculate insurance costs that must be paid by employees causing difficulties for the districts and the employees.

Beginning in December 2012, months after many districts implemented the provisions of the act, the Department of Treasury published frequently asked questions (FAQ) to provide implementation guidance. That guidance included a requirement that all districts must include cash-in-lieu of health payments as part of the public employer’s overall annual medical benefit plan costs.

This was not the intent of the bill sponsor or of the legislation but rather legal guidance requested by the Department of Treasury. In an attempt to remedy this issue, the Department of Treasury has met with members of the Michigan Senate this week. Legislation is currently being drafted to address this and other issues.

A request has been made to fast track the legislation in order to resolve current budget and contract issues. It is a bit of an uphill battle to get this legislation done by the end of June when the legislature is expected to adjourn, however it is possible and it is what we are pushing for. MASB will update you as soon as this legislation starts to see action in the Senate.

PA 152 problems lead to potential solutions

This week, the House and Senate will be voting

on a Michigan Department of Education budget bill that will effectively prohibit Michigan from participating in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Initiative. This language was inserted into the budget with no testimony or public input, and without any consideration for the cost to students and schools.

There is a proposed compromise which would allow participation to continue while the Legislature commences a study of the CCSS.

For students to compete in a knowledge-based, global economy, Michigan needs consistent standards that will provide appropriate benchmarks for all students. Our schools have now invested four years and millions of dollars into adopting the CCSS. Changing course now will put our students and schools at a severe disadvantage that could last for years.

Please take a moment to voice your concerns. VisitMASB’se-Vocatesystem to get in touch with your Legislators today.

MDE budget could undercut CCSS funds

SAF, continued on Page 13

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A new report from the Citizens Research Council (CRC)

details the impact of retirement contributions on schools across the state, and takes a deep look at why costs have continued to climb despite increased revenue from the state.

Although the total amount a district is expected to contribute to the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS) has recently been capped by the Legislature, steady increases over the past ten years have been dramatic. From 2002 to 2012, the total contributions required from districts has more than doubled.

The report also notes that while

overall funding from the state has increased in recent years, most of the increase has been used to meet growing retirement costs and restore funds that had been offset by federal stimulus funding.

The CRC study delves deep into where those increases have come from, the majority of which is attributed to “unfunded actuarially accrued liabilities (UAAL).”

According to the report, the amount collected to cover the normal costs of an employee’s pension benefit is usually sufficient to cover that individual, but those numbers only work if a series of other assumptions work out as expected.

“When those assumptions are not met,” write the authors, “UAAL result for the system. Since employee contributions are fixed in statute, these unfunded liabilities must be covered through additional employer contributions.”

These unfunded liabilities can come from a number of sources, but are most often associated with lower-than-expected returns on investments and greater-than-expected pension expenses (such as retirees living longer, or having higher salaries through the end of their working careers).

For the complete picture, check out the full report from the Citizen’s Research Council.

CRC study shows a decade of retirement impact on K-12 funding

Southfield showcased in ASBJ’s ‘Agents of Change’ seriesThe American School Board

Journal (ASBJ)—the monthly magazine published by the National School Boards Association—recently showcased the board and superintendent of Southfield Public Schools in their ongoing “Agents of Change” series.

“Despite a growing population of economically disadvantaged and at-risk students, academic performance is rising, and the achievement gap is narrowing,” says the article. “The

district also has gained recognition for its increased emphasis on academically rigorous programs.”

Southfield has boosted academic rigor for more advanced students, launching an International Baccalaureate program, expanding Advanced Placement (AP) courses, opening an academically elite high school, and introducing STEM curriculum to a number of schools.

For lower-achieving students, the district opened the Southfield

Regional Alternative Campus (SRAC), providing intensive intervention, counseling, and smaller class sizes to help students get back on track.

But what might be most encouraging is the district’s outstanding graduation rate. Southfield has met its many challenges head-on, and fostered a four-year graduation rate above 90 percent.

Congratulations to Southfield Public Schools, and take a look at the complete feature from ASBJ.

MASB Labor Relations Services: Let us help you navigate complex negotiations

For more information about MASB labor relations services, please contact:

Brad Banasik, Legal Counsel & Director of Labor Relations: (517) 327-5929

Eric Griggs, Assistant Director of Labor Relations & Legal Services: (517) 327-5914

MASB offers a variety of services to assist school boards prepare for and successfully negotiate contracts with their employees’ unions. These services are offered at competitive prices and include:• Servingasthechiefnegotiatorfortheboard• Reviewingcurrentcontractlanguageandproposingrevisions• Draftingmodelproposals• Presentingin-districtworkshopsonlaborrelationsissues• Assistingthedistrict’sbargainingteaminaconsultantcapacity• PreparingFactFindingexhibits• Representingthedistrictduringgrievances

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 28, 2013 5

The 2013 Education Excellence Awards honored 26

outstanding programs from across the state of Michigan. Listed here by category, the winners are:

Community Engagement Student Organization of Aquatic Robotics Dollar Bay High School Dollar Bay Tamarack City Schools

The Isle Royale National Park has been trying to determine the magnitude of the progression of the invasive zebra mussel species has advanced at the park. The Dollar Bay High School Student Organization of Aquatic Robotics designed, built and programed two remotely operated vehicles to be used by the park rangers to gather data on the zebra mussels. Students also provided park rangers with training on how to use the equipment. This project provided students with real world application of math, science and engineering. Students gained invaluable insight into the value of giving back to their community by volunteering their knowledge, expertise and time to the park. The Dollar Bay High School Student Organization of Aquatic Robotics’ contribution to the zebra mussel project at Isle Royal National Park may have a major impact on how the park —and other areas experiencing zebra mussel invasions—deal with their population in the near future.

Project Citizen Community Service Velma Matson Upper Elementary Newaygo Public Schools

The problem that Project Citizen addresses is the fact that students lacked the awareness that they are all members of one community; furthermore, students did not hold the

belief that as participating members of the community they could work together to identify needs, develop plans to address those needs and follow through with those plans to make a positive difference in the community. Project Citizen increased student understanding of becoming responsible citizens of the United States. Fifth graders learned the importance of working with other citizens to make communities better. Project Citizen built awareness of community responsibility in our students, moving them from awareness into action; therefore, students are mastering the Social Studies Common Core Standards relating to community issues, policy and putting a plan into action. This project has bridged the gap between school and community.

Community Nights Wayne Memorial High School Wayne Westland Community Schools

Facing decreased parental and community involvement and declining student achievement, Wayne

Memorial High School established three annual Community Nights designed to remove the stigma often associated with high schools for many parents and community members. Community Nights are designed to build relationships and establish partnerships among parents, students, staff, district personnel, community members and business partners in a warm and inviting environment that allows people to get to know one another on a personal level, thus increasing comfort. This innovative program aims to build relationships and establish trust and comfort with parents and community members through games and other fun activities in order to allow both to play an active role in Wayne Memorial High School students’ educations.

Creativity & the Arts Collage Concert Allendale High School Allendale Public Schools

Showcasing student work and achievement in Allendale Public Schools has reached an all time high

Education Excellence honors another year of winnersTwenty-six schools take home statewide awards

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 28, 20136

with the redeveloped Spring Fine, Industrial, and Culinary Arts Show that we call Collage Concert. In the excited words of special guest award winning composer Brian Siewert, “it’s not a talent show, its not a concert —it’s a mind-blowing sensory-overloading three hour spectacular! I have never seen anything like it.” Walking into the community-built auditorium lobby, you are greeted with high level art from a wide variety of genres and smells of freshly cut wood and stain from the finely crafted student-made furniture and crafts. As you make your way through the crowded lobby and long lines you can enjoy one of the creative and tasteful culinary delights the students have prepared. Teachers from other departments in the school greet visitors with professionally printed programs and a smile as you enter the Auditorium. All of the Arts programs come together to celebrate each others’ accomplishments and show off to the community the high caliber work Allendale High School students can do.

Singing Christmas Tree Mona Shores High School Mona Shores Public Schools

America’s Tallest Singing Christmas Tree is a project presented annually by the Mona Shores High School Choir and involves more than 350 music students and hundreds of parent volunteers. The concerts are enjoyed each holiday season by over 5,000 enthusiastic audience members coming from near and far hoping to kick off their holiday season. This ongoing project—just celebrating its 28th year—is one of a kind in high schools across the country. Choir and orchestral musicians in the 9th through 12th grades come together to learn a challenging, varied repertoire that both inspires and challenges all students. Concerts are presented in Muskegon’s historic, majestic Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts.

Stop Motion Animation Club Kreeger Elementary School Fowlerville Community Schools

The Kreeger After School Animation Club addresses the need

for technology literacy: the ability to communicate, solve problems, and create information to improve learning in all subject areas. Students in animation club use technology in a new artistic manner, rather than simply teaching keyboarding, Microsoft Word or Excel. Along with the need for more technology in our students’ education, our 2011-12 MEAP scores showed that just 45 percent of the school’s 4th and 5th grade students were proficient in math. By creating a stop motion animation movie about fractions in an after school club, students are covering the Michigan technology standards and the Common Core standards in math and writing.

Extra-Curricular Activities Marion ROAR Program Marion Elementary School Marion Public Schools

After evaluating the math scores at Marion Elementary School, the staff noticed a group of students that were just below proficiency. ROAR (Raising Our Academic Results) is a before and after school program that has been six years in the making, intended to bring those students up to the expectation set for success. The first year of this program focused on math skills only. After positive results and positive response from parents, the program was expanded to include other subject areas. Since then, the program has evolved into a personalized tutor system, providing support for students when and how they need it to give them the chance to master specific skills.

Camp Learn-A-Lot Elementary Summer School Romulus Community Schools

Camp Learn-A-Lot is a learning opportunity for students in 2nd through 5th grades who are at risk of not successfully attaining Michigan’s 2010-11 Teacher of the Year Matinga Ragatz spoke to EdEx winners at a

luncheon on May 16 at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Center.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 28, 2013 7

highacademicstandards.Variousassessments show that students have experienced challenges in being successful in attaining high order thinking skills in science, math, and in understanding informational text. Brain research says that active learning and automaticity of core information is key in promoting deep understanding. In an effort to cover the vast amount of material assessed on state tests, educators sometimes fail to implement strategies that best support the way students learn. Hands-on immersion into the standards give the brain the opportunity to make the connections to the content students need to retain, process, and apply critical information. Camp Learn-A-Lot gives students this vital learning opportunity.

Lunchtime Gardening Club Clintondale Middle School Clintondale Community Schools

Originally started to address poor behavior of attention-deficit students during unstructured times (lunch) the garden class maintains school grounds, provides school-wide instruction in botany, and has become a magnet for all different kinds of students who love growing things. Although there is no measured proof, behavior does seem to have improved, and several students have remarked that they come to school on days they would normally skip school because they’re afraid no one would water their plants. Staff and parents join the students in raising fruits and vegetables. Some produce goes home (we are a 70 percent free lunch school) but we have also donated food to a local food pantry. The Lunchtime Gardening Club was recently featured

onTV, and expanded into a summer gardening program as well.

Health, Wellness & Safety Saline Alive Saline Area Schools

A staggering 21 percent of Washtenaw County children ages 9-17 years are estimated to have mental health disorders, and 12 percent of 6th to 8th graders have actually attempted suicide. Studies have shown that mental health issues can directly affect school attendance and suicidality, and is correlated with GPA. Moreover, without mental health support a child or adolescent may decide to take his or her own life. Saline Alive is a community group that focuses on increasing awareness of suicide and mental illness. The group consists of community members, parents, school personnel, mental health professionals, and

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students. Saline Alive uses a public health approach for awareness and prevention of suicide. Saline Alive has facilitated seminars and film screenings, provided skills training, and actively gathered information and made recommendations about school climate and culture. PRIDE Clinton Middle School Clinton Community Schools

Clinton Middle School had a changing dynamic: the environment had become increasingly unproductive from the observations of students and staff. The staff set out to develop an initiative that encouraged students to emulate behaviors that would develop their characters at school and in life. In the Spring of 2010, the PRIDE program was unveiled as a Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support system. The PRIDE program focused on five character traits: Preparation, Respect, Integrity, Discipline and Excellence. This program has created a school environment that is safe, nurturing and supportive of students and their learning. The program has dramatically decreased discipline issues, tardiness, absences and referrals, creating a supportive learning environment as demonstrated by increasing MEAP scores.

9th Grade Academy Beecher Middle High School Beecher Community Schools

At nearly 20 percent, Beecher’s high school dropout rate is highest among all public schools in Genesee County. Beecher High School has been given “Priority” status by the State of Michigan as a bottom five percent performing school. Ninth grade is a threshold grade—a time when success or failure is critical for students and their likelihood of securing a high school diploma four years later. A

good start will significantly enhance the prospects for high school graduation, whereas a poor start will have the opposite effect. Beecher High School finds itself in the second year of a 3-year Transformation Plan. Its self-contained 9th Grade Academy has shown significant gains in student attendance, achievement, and retention with an array of social, technological, and programmatic reforms.

Innovation in Language Arts Fifth Core World Language & Culture Program Oxford Community Schools

Cognizant of the ever-growing global achievement gap in our country, Oxford Community Schools set out in 2007 to close that gap. Oakland County is home to over 800 international businesses, so it’s imperative that students are prepared for the diverse global market in which they will compete. Considering the U.S.’s largest trading partners are Mexico and China, it becomes clear the teaching of Mandarin Chinese and Spanish is both relevant and necessary. Oxford’s Fifth Core World Language & Culture program, aptly titled to denote the importance it plays in the curriculum, is required of all students. The program addresses the need for all students to be fluent in another world language to be able to compete in a global market that is constantly changing.

Freshmen Transition Swan Valley High School Swan Valley School District

Research has shown that one of the most effective programs that a high school can implement focuses on support for students as freshmen. The 9th grade year is a critical time. Students’ initial months in high school will often determine whether they will succeed and proceed to 10th grade prepared to meet the demands

of high school and work toward academic and career goals. Nationally, approximately one out of every four 9th grade classes is failed. If we want to change this statistic, schools need to provide support for our incoming high school students, addressing both students’ academic and affective needs. We need to help students to develop good study habits, to organize their time, and to see themselves as learners. The Freshmen Transition program epitomizes the role of the educator as a leader, instructional partner, information specialist, teacher and program administrator. The Transition program utilizes teachers, the school librarian, and high school student aides as a team that works in collaboration to integrate literacy and technology into the curriculum in order to facilitate successful student learning and achievement. These educators serve as instructional partners throughout the delivery of the class, providing follow-up for students at the conclusion of the 12-week program, and throughout the remainder of students’ high school career.

Literacy Block Intervention Program Round Elementary School Hartland Consolidated Schools

The Round School community has always had concerns about having the resources and means to get all students the appropriate interventions/remediation for their academic deficiencies. There have always been programs and interventions for our lowest achieving students, but not for the middle or high excelling students. Three years ago, Round Elementary created the “Literacy Block” program to provide an intervention system for all students in the building. It’s unique because it provides data-driven, collaborative, and specific interventions for all students in reading and writing, rather

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 28, 2013 9

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than focusing on the lowest achieving students. The Literacy Block program is a key component in the school’s educational philosophy that identifies and improves academic weaknesses of all students within a professional learning community culture.

Innovation in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math Mason Intervention Program Mason Middle School Mason Consolidated Schools

Five years ago, MMS identified three trends that were negatively impacting student achievement results. The staff recognized they had to find ways to close the equity gap between high achieving and low achieving students, identify and remediate the appropriate skill sets, and implement the proper intervention programs to deal with an increasing number of apathetic students. The challenge delivered to

the staff was simple: How do we hold students more accountable for their learning? As a collaborative PLC, MMS utilized numerous amounts of data to devise a plan. As a result, they developed an efficient intervention process—the Mason Intervention Program (MIP)—within the school day. The program has increased student accountability for learning and raised math MEAP scores to soaring heights.

Arduino: A Great Approach to STEM Learning Yale High School Yale Public Schools

Yale High School’s science department wanted to challenge and motivate high school physics students. As a way to foster self-directed learning in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics environment, we created a program centered on the Arduino

microcontroller. Arduino is a low-cost, open-source microcontroller—a miniature computer-on-a-chip—that students can use to sense the physical world and to respond to changing conditions. This program offers high school students a great platform for project-based learning in STEM in a fun, flexible, easy and affordable manner.

College Prep Algebra & Geometry Crestwood High School Crestwood School District

Crestwood High School has developed an innovative math class that looks at student results from the PLAN test and through structural differentiation according to PLAN results. Each class is taught a different curriculum according to their needs. For example, in first hour, slope intercept may be a high need, but multiple variable equations may not

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be. Second hour may be different; it just depends on the actual students in the classroom. The course uses a “smart curriculum” changing based on the needs of the kids in the class. More time is spent on high need areas and less time on areas that the students in the room showed as a strength.

Innovation in Social Science & HumanitiesPromoting Academic Social Success Algonac High School Algonac Community Schools

Research shows successful transitional years (elementary to middle school and middle to high school) are vital to educational success and stability. It’s been found that most dropouts occur as a result of poor performance during the freshman year of high school. The Promoting Academic and Social Success (PASS) Mentoring Program at Algonac High School, developed in 2006, was designed to address this problem. The goal of the program was to identify at-risk 8th grade students and to mentor them throughout their 9th grade year. Students are paired with specially selected senior mentors for the school year in order to show what it is like to be a successful high school student. The program is uniquely tied to student achievement because its goal was to act as a “safety net” for those at-risk freshmen students.

CLICS: Taking Back the Senior Year Croswell-Lexington High School Croswell-Lexington Schools

Croswell-Lexington High School’s goal is to get many more of its graduates into college and help them become successful. The Croswell-Lexington Increasing College Success (CLICS) program is changing this paradigm by taking back the senior year and making it more meaningful. By using incentives, focusing course

offerings and introducing an Early College, the program is helping increase students’ college entry and success (many for the first time in their family histories). Where just four years ago no students graduated the high school with college credit, it’s now become common. This year, it’s estimated that more than 35 percent of seniors will leave with at least one successful college class on their transcripts, and be well on their way to college success.

Armada Health Occupation Program Armada High School Armada Area Schools

The adoption of the Michigan Merit Curriculum and the national Common Core State Standards implemented rigorous math and science expectations in order to better prepare students for the growing shortage of qualified people in STEM related careers, especially in health fields. Subsequently, it is important to develop a program that integrates high level science concepts into a career-oriented health occupations program that teaches students both content and application in a real-world setting. The Health Occupations program at Armada High School addresses this problem by developing a comprehensive program that enables students to take high-level, rigorous courses while also having the opportunity to gain valuable experience in career internships and participate in competitions judged by current healthcare workers. Students have opportunities to intern at Crittenton Hospital, whose partnership allows students to work with actual patients and refine the concepts taught in class through their work as a practitioner. Similar partnerships exists with other local medical facilities including the Armada Fire Department and Emergency Medical Technicians,

KrauseVeterinaryHospitalandtheVillageandRehabCareCenter.

Intermediate School District programsProject PRIME (Promoting Reform in Mathematics Education) Wayne RESA

Promoting Reform in Mathematics Education (PRIME) is a statewide, two-year, secondary professional development program coordinated by Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency with the Michigan Mathematics and Science Center Network (MMSCN), Educational Service Agencies, and UM-Dearborn’s Center for Mathematics Education. PRIME is unique in that it: • usesavarietyoftechnologies

(video conferencing, integrated instruction) to train more than 600 secondary teachers statewide;

• includesall33MichiganMathematics and Science Centers, (3) provides site-based facilitators and coaches to encourage instructional reform;

• preparesteacherstoincorporateinto their practice the Common Core State Standards, the Standards for Mathematical Practice, and the SMARTER Balanced Assessment System (SBAC), and

• allowsteacherstomeetafterschool to discuss new strategies which focus directly on student achievement.

Virtual Summer School Genesee ISD

The Genesee Intermediate School District (GISD) Board of Education provided leadership and support to createitsVirtualSummerSchoolinresponse to a basic question: “How can we offer summer opportunities for students to earn credits without increasing costs?” High school

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principals from around Genesee County worked to answer this question for their Superintendents and crafted recommendations for a VirtualSummerSchoolthatrequiredless administration during the summer, decreased cost for students, and resulted in increased course offerings.VirtualSummerSchoolusedexisting highly qualified teachers from within the local constituent districts to provide on-line instruction with thesupportofFloridaVirtualonlinecourse content. This creative solution was able to be implemented because of the existing partnership among all 21 constituent district boards of education and administration to provide online program development anddelivery.Thus,VirtualSummerSchool(VSS)wasborn.

Creative Pulp Eaton RESA

In Central Michigan, there is no other center-based student program similar to Eaton Transition Center’s Creative Pulp! They create cards from recycled paper. Transition students—ages 18-26 with multiple spectrums of disabilities—learn to take direction and work to create a product, while learning valuable social and employability skills. The

program empowers students to embrace their disabilities and discover their own unique strengths. Students build on post-secondary skills to help transition them into adult life. This may mean a more functional life at home, life on their own, college or a job. As many as 300 students have been successful in finding employment after participating in this program over the years.

Student-created Initiatives Legacy Team Lakeville Elementary Oxford Community Schools

As a school, Lakeville Elementary works hard to help its students understand how they can “take action” to make the world a better place. This process started with global initiatives, from doing community service to raise money for water in Africa, grade levels hosting blood drives, and more. The staff identified that by focusing only on global issues, students were missing the opportunity to take action in the school community. Through thoughtful discussion with students and staff, the Lakeville Legacy Team was created—a group of 5th grade students the are charged with the task of leaving their legacy. The team researches a school problem, develops

a plan to influence change, and implements the plan to “leave their legacy” in the community.

Go Green Club Krause Later Elementary Armada Area Schools

Prior to the development of their third grade “Go Green” club after school club, Krause Elementary school did little in regard to environmental education. The school of over 850 students didn’t recycle paper, water bottles, batteries, or many other items. In addition, students knew little about how the natural habitats of animals in their area could be impacted by environmental issues such as water pollution, and the negative impact these pollutants can have on a food chain. A group of conscientious students and dedicated teachers have worked to increase awareness in the school community by bringing in speakers, creating a school garden, and encouraging a “waste-free” lunch. Students have led recycling efforts that are now widely used by the school and the community use on a regular basis.

The Education Excellence Awards honor the top local school districts in each of eight categories as well as the top intermediate school district programs. Winning programs receive a trophy and metal street sign to display in their community proclaiming their district an “Education Excellence Winner.” Each winner also receives an unrestricted cash donation from the SET SEG Educational Foundation and are entered into round two judging to determine “Michigan’s Best.”

Representatives from Eaton RESA’s Creative Pulp program accept their award.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 28, 201312

Vocabulary section adds meaning to Scripps National Spelling Bee

The nearly 300 spellers who will come together this week at the 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee will have to survive tougher challenges to make it to the championship rounds.

When the competition begins on Tuesday in National Harbor, Md., the spellers in Round One will face the traditional 24-word written spelling test with a twist: It will now include three separate sections of vocabulary words for competitors to define.

And when the first day of public spelling begins on Wednesday, spellers will no longer have a chance to spell two words before facing elimination at the end of Round Three. The dreaded elimination bell will go off the first time they misspell a word in Round Two.

Only 50 children will survive the three preliminary rounds to go on to the semifinals. Even if they spell both words correctly on stage, contestants can still be eliminated based on how well they performed on the written test, which they take on a computer.

Spellers who move on to the semifinals will take a second computerized test—another new requirement—that has more spelling and vocabulary questions. That will be followed by two more rounds of spelling on Thursday. Only about 12 spellers will earn enough points to move on to the championship finals.

“In regards to vocabulary being added to the tests, it’s a big change but a natural one that has largely been embraced by our spellers and their parents,” Kemper said. “A lot of the spellers were already studying definitions to help them learn their words.”

The champion will receive a $30,000

cash prize and the Scripps National Spelling Bee engraved trophy; a $2,500 U.S. savings bond and a complete reference library from Merriam-Webster; and $2,000 worth of reference works from Encyclopaedia Brittanica.

Source: USA Today, May 28, 2013.

At school papers, the ink is drying upThe Clinton News used to be the

source for everything that mattered to its readers in the northwest Bronx. It published 10,000 copies every other week in the 1930s and even circulated overseas among Bronx residents fighting in World War II.

It, like newspapers everywhere, has struggled to adapt as print costs soared, and Facebook and Twitter became the media of choice among younger generations.

The difference is that The Clinton News is a high school newspaper, written and read by the students of DeWitt Clinton High School. Now, as it marks its 100th year as one of New York City’s oldest student newspapers, The Clinton News stands as a testament to another ink-and-broadsheet legacy that is rapidly fading.

Fewer than one in eight of the city’s public high schools reported having a newspaper or print journalism class in an informal survey this month by city education officials, who do not officially track the information. Many of these newspapers have been reduced to publishing a few times a year because of shrinking staffs, budget cuts and a new focus on core academic subjects. Some no longer come out in print at all, existing only as online papers or as scaled-down news blogs.

If New York is the media capital

of the world, “you wouldn’t know it from student publications,” said Edmund J. Sullivan, executive director of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, which runs award competitions and workshops for high school journalists. He counts 7 of the city’s 560 public high schools as active members, down from about 85 in the 1970s. In comparison, 23 of the city’s private schools are participating.

Nationally, nearly two-thirds of public high schools have newspapers, according to a 2011 media study by the Center for Scholastic Journalism at Kent State University. But Mark Goodman, a journalism professor who oversaw the study, said a disproportionate number of those without newspapers were urban schools with higher percentages of minority children. “They tend to have fewer resources,” he said, adding that this divide contributed to a long-term problem of low minority representation in the ranks of the media industry.

The student newspaper has long been a cherished tradition at many of the nation’s top high schools, one that allowed students to take initiative and hone their writing skills while absorbing lessons in ethics and responsibility. It provided a public forum for debating civics with intellect and passion and, as a bonus, added a scholarly note on college applications.

But the decline of these newspapers in recent years is not a loss only for schools, but also for an industry that is fighting for survival. Students raised on a diet of Internet posts and instant messages may be unlikely to be future newspaper readers.

Source: The New York Times, May 27, 2013.

Education News Around the Nation

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 28, 2013 13

and will be available to reimburse districts and ISDs for costs associated with consolidation of operations or districts.

Small Class Size grants will be funded at 68.5 percent of the 2010-11 level.

There has been a lot of talk and concern about the new online learning section, 21f, proposed by the Governor in this budget. The Conference Committee included this section with a few changes. Districts will be required to allow students in grades 5 through 12 to enroll in up to two online courses per semester. The district will have to pay 1/12 of the foundation allowance per course per semester. Eighty percent would be paid up front and the other twenty percent would be paid upon completion of the course. Home districts will be allowed to determine whether or not to grant academic credit based on successful completion of the course. The budget also allows schools to deny enrollment in online courses if the student has a history of failure in online courses, or if the course is not deemed rigorous enough or of adequate quality.

We were glad to see some new oversight by the home district added but continue to have concerns with implementation and overall effect of

this section. A district will still have to open their online programs to any student, not just resident students and post their online course syllabi with the Department of Education. If a district denies enrollment for a student, that student and parent may appeal to the ISD which has five days to respond.

Finally, the Governor proposed increased funding for early childhood programs. The Conference Committee increases funding for the Great Start Readiness Program by $65 million and raises the half day slot allocation by $225 to $3,625. However, $25 million of the increase is set aside in an early childhood reserve fund to be used if there is sufficient need for the slots. Legislative approval will be required to release the $25 million.

ISD’s will be required to contract with eligible public and private programs for 30 percent of their slots. If MDE verifies that an ISD is unable to contract for 30 percent of slots, the ISD may keep the remaining slots. The slots must be filled by offering openings to the lowest income quintile and moving up until slots are filled. Further, 90 percent of slots must be filled by children from families below 250 percent of the federal poverty threshold.

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www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 28, 201314

Worth RepeatingViewpoint by Stephen Henderson, Editorial Page Editor of the Detroit Free Press, published May 26, 2013.

Depending on whom you ask, Michelle Rhee is either the

Joan of Arc of the education reform movement—a relentless warrior whose inspiration is divinely and exclusively about the kids—or the devil.

Students First, the national school reform “movement” she founded a few years ago, claims more than a million grassroots members (many of them parents) and is lobbying hard in state capitols for substantive changes to public education.

But she has also been hounded by a cheating scandal that unfolded near the end of her tenure as superintendent in Washington, D.C. Her prolific battles with union leaders have made her the enemy of many teachers. And there has been much thoughtful criticism of Students First for its intense focus on teacher performance, sometimes to the exclusion of other reform issues.

When Rhee speaks to business, political and civic leaders at the Mackinac Policy Conference this week, the temptation will be to use her words to draw definitive judgment on her.

But the better play will be to look at what her vision of education reform means to Michigan, how her philosophy is or isn’t reflected in the way we fund, organize and structure public education in this state.

Michelle Rhee cares more about kids than she does about schools.

More about outcomes than she does about methodology.

More about innovation than she does about tradition.

And she’s unrelenting about those axioms, almost to the point of being

close-minded, a zealot.If you train that lens on Michigan

right now, what do you see? I’d say not much to be inspired by, and too many instances of warped priorities.

It’s more than a little ironic that Rhee comes to Michigan just weeks after the state allowed an entire school district,BuenaVista,toshutdownbecause the adults in charge spent money they weren’t supposed to. Kids missed two weeks of school—kindergarteners wrapping up their first full year, seniors preparing for graduation and college.

Gov. Rick Snyder said over and over again that this was the state Department of Education’s responsibility. The state superintendent and school board insisted it was the fault of local officials. Schools were reopened only after district officials agreed to a deficit-elimination plan.

Was that putting kids first?Michigan is also locked in a

bitter ideological battle over school governance, with Snyder and his supporters pushing to greatly expand untested and unproven charter schools while defenders of the public schools—and too often the public school status quo—resist.

The truth is that a student-centered policy would worry less about the structure of governance, and more on results. Which would mean pursuing charters where possible, but holding them accountable for their performance, and subjecting them to the same consequences (get better, or get closing) that charter advocates want for public schools.

It would also mean admitting that choices need to be part of a modern public school system, and that everyone who embraces choice is not the enemy. Rhee, for all the knocks she takes, has spent her time working—as a teacher and administrator—in public schools, not charters. And her advocacy is focused on public school systems. The assured future of those public schools, with a much sharper focus on the kids who attend them, should be everyone’s goal.

In at least one way, Michigan is poised to reflect more of that student focus than ever before.

An important work-group led by University of Michigan professor Deborah Ball has been devising a new way to evaluate teachers, with an emphasis on student performance. It’s controversial, because teachers rightly point out that so many factors in kids’ learning are beyond their control.

But there’s no question we should value teachers according to their impact on student learning—something that has to be measured and accounted for. The issue is how to measure it, and even Rhee struggled with that in Washington. Michigan is headed the right direction, though, and should continue to pursue ways to value teachers based on their value to kids.

Rhee’s speech at Mackinac will inspire some, and infuriate others. But far more important is the opportunity her appearance provides to evaluate how and whether Michigan is accomplishing the goal of putting kids before every other interest in public education.

Rhee’s message is kids come first, but is Michigan’s?

Worth Repeating doesn’t necessarily reflect the views or positions of MASB. It’s intended to spark dialogue and inform readers about what’s being said about public education around the state and nation.