Professional Development News

Professional Development: Instruction in the Era of the Common Core State Standards Effective Instruction for Equitable Outcomes

Please join the Michigan Department of Education as Michigan begins to interpret the "instructional blueprint" to ensure that ALL students have access to effective instruction for meeting the Common Core State Standards.

Registration, SB-CE and agenda information.

Kids Against Bullying Web site

Teens Against Bullying Web site

State Board of Education Unanimously Adopts Common Core Standards

LANSING June 10, 2010 - The State Board of Education unanimously adopted today the Common Core Standards - a set of rigorous, college and career-ready K-12 curriculum standards that states across the nation are considering adopting to bring consistency in education across the states.
 
With this action, Michigan formally adopts the final Common Core Standards that are internationally benchmarked in English Language Arts and mathematics, formalizing Michigan's agreement to integrate the standards into the state's public education system.

Read more.  

AYP Primer: Key facts you need to know

• Adequate Yearly progress (AYP) is one of the cornerstones of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. In Michigan, it’s a measure of student achievement on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests.

• The law required states to develop goals for adequate yearly progress, gradually raising the bar so 100 percent of students are proficient in English language arts and math by 2013-14.

• In addition to MEAP scores, other indicators are factored in to determine whether a school has made sufficient progress. For elementary and middle schools, attendance rates are used. For high schools, graduation rates are used.

• AYP applies to each district and school in the state; however, NCLB sanctions for schools that do not make adequate progress for two or more years in a row only apply to districts and schools that receive Title 1 funds. Title 1 funds are federal dollars provided to schools with high numbers or high percentages of poor children.

• Schools must ensure that certain subgroups of students are making adequate progress. If they do not, then the school as a whole cannot make AYP. The subgroups include racial/ethnic minorities, students with disabilities, students with limited English proficiency, and those who are economically disadvantaged. In Michigan, a subgroup is counted if there are at least 30 students.

• Schools that don’t make AYP for two consecutive years are identified for improvement. A school must meet AYP requirements for two years in a row to no longer be identified for improvement. Read more.

New Reading Requirement for Teachers Effective July 1, 2009

MEA Professional Growth and Development Grant

The Michigan Education Association is committed to improving the quality of
education for Michigan students in the state’s public schools. As part of its continuing
commitment to deliver quality professional development and improved professional
practice for its members, MEA established a program to provide funding grants to
members, local associations and local professional development committees. MEA’s
Professional Growth & Development (PG&D) Grant projects allow members to plan and
implement conferences, workshops, research or other projects that address educational
needs and professional practice.

Response to Intervention (RTI) Action Network launches new web site -

The site has resources on Response to Intervention (RTI), including information from noted RTI experts and research papers on the topic. Resources also include future professional development webinairs on RTI, stories from schools and parents related to RTI implementation challenges and learnings, and discussion blogs with RTI experts.

Its purpose is to support effective implementation of RTI by encouraging networking and bringing free resources to 'front-line' educators, parents, and school leaders.

The RTI Action Network Founding Partners are: National Education Association, America Federation of Teachers, International Reading Association, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of State Directors of Special Education.

New RTI resources available from NASDSE

The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) has two new documents in its Response to Intervention (RtI) Blueprint series available for free download and/or purchase of print copies.

The two Blueprints, Response to Intervention Blueprints for Implementation: District Level and Response to Intervention Blueprints for Implementation: School Building Level, provide step-by-step implementation guidelines, resources and tips from RTI implementers with many years of experience. The Blueprints are intentionally designed to provide a framework around which RTI implementation can be built.

NASDSE’s early guides, including Response to Intervention: Policy Considerations and Implementation, have been used by NEA state affiliates and state departments of education and found to be well-researched and informative.

The Blueprints can be downloaded or print copies ordered for just $10 each plus a small shipping and handling fee. Please go to www.nasdse.org for more information. The final document in the series, the State Level Blueprint, will be available in the near future.

Updated: October 25, 2010 1:10 PM