Update on ORS Lawsuit, FAQ, Webinar Recording
Just before the holiday break, MASSP and MEMSPA hosted a joint webinar for principals on the implications of the ongoing lawsuit known as Batista v. ORS and its implications for the retirement of building leaders. In the intervening three weeks, we have compiled the questions from that webinar into an FAQ. We also, earlier, made the webinar recording available to people who registered for the webinar. Finally, this last week, MASSP together…
Reviewing MDE Permit & Placement Flexibilities & Options
In the last month, MDE has put out a whole series of memos regarding new permit and placement flexibilities. These are in addition to some flexibility that MDE has had in place for a while now. All of this comes in response to Michigan's educator shortage and can provide principals with some welcome options, but it can be tough to keep track of it all. So let's review six different flexibilities currently…
National Civics Bee Coming to Michigan for Middle Level Students
The National Civics Bee is coming to Michigan and is open to 6th, 7th and 8th grade students across the state. The event, which is being hosted by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with six local chambers of commerce around Michigan, is an excellent opportunity for middle school students to flex their civics knowledge for a chance to win recognition and cash prizes. The competition aligns with the Michigan Social…
Legislature Sends Educator Evaluation Reform to Gov’s Desk
The Michigan Legislature has passed SB 395-96, a pair of bills that make significant improvements to Michigan’s decade old educator evaluation law, including reducing the percentage of evaluations based on student growth, restructuring the rating categories, and potentially reducing evaluation frequency. The bills also add some additional process and protections for Principals like mid-year reviews, a process for appealing bad evaluations, and mentoring for new principals. The bills saw some important improvements from…
Michigan School Index System Reports and Accountability Student Datafiles Coming Soon
Later this fall, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) will be making Michigan School Index System reports and accountability student datafiles available for 2022-23 school year results. The Michigan School Index System is the accountability system in Michigan’s federally approved consolidated state plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In this system, schools will receive an overall school index value ranging from 0-100 that indicates performance across subgroups in multiple data…
Senate Passes Educator Evaluation Bills
The More You Know: Spring Session 2023 Wrap Up
It's time once again for an installment of "The More You Know," MASSP's occasional feature where we do a slightly deeper dive into the ongoing issues that matter to principals. The Michigan Legislature has wrapped up session and is now on summer recess, but they got plenty done earlier this spring and on their way out the door during the month of June. That makes this a perfect time to look back…
MASSP School Safety Policy Priorities Survey
As the front line responders in a crisis, Principal voice is essential in all matters surrounding school safety. In order to elevate the voice of building administrators, we are asking for your help to move MASSP to a more proactive position so we can better guide policy discussions and support you as building leaders. To do that, we have put together a short, seven minute survey for members. The short video above…