On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee reported out SB 103, an educator evaluation bill that falls far short of addressing the needs of schools. Despite testimony from a number of groups about the importance of using research-based evaluation frameworks and having training for Principals and other evaluators neither issue was addressed in the legislation that passed committee.
#MASSPchat 4/27 - Student Engagement
The Topic:
Educational experts agree that quality teaching is the single most important factor in improving educational outcomes for all students. Section 1249 (380.1249) of the Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL) was passed into law with the expressed purpose of improving educator effectiveness.
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
Members of the Senate Education Committee heard a lot of tepid support this week for SB 103, the stripped down educator evaluation legislation introduced by Sen. Phil Pavlov (R-St. Clair). Even supporters of the bill expressed concerns about its overreliance on student growth and spoke to the importance of using research-based tools and training evaluators.
Five Rules for Monkey Management
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
After letting the issue languish for nearly a year, the Senate Education Committee has finally started debating educator evaluation legislation.
Senate Debates Eval Bill, MASSP Testifies
On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee took testimony on SB 103, a largely stripped down version of educator evaluation legislation introduced by committee chair Sen. Phil Pavlov (R-St. Clair). MASSP opposes this legislation and testified against the bill, which fails to ensure that Principals have access to quality evaluation tools or the training they deserve.
House Takes Up MMC, Bake Sale Bills
The House Education Committee took testimony, but did not vote Tuesday on a pair of bills that would impact secondary Principals. The first was legislation that has already passed the Senate and would restore the ability of schools to allow some bake sales and other food-related fundraisers during the school day. The second is a new bill that would allow a course in personal economics and financial literacy to substitute for a student's .5 credit economics graduation requirement—so long as the replacement course covers the state's economics content standards.
#MASSPchat 4/20 – Learning Targets: A Foundation of Learning
The Topic:
If you have done any work with Formative Assessment, CASL, or standards-based grading, or many other powerful instructional initiatives, you will have worked with learning targets. Lets talk about how learning targets are a part of our learning culture for students and learn together at #MASSPchat on April 20 at 8:00!
Master Schedule 2015 – Make Sure to Check Endorsement Codes
Supreme Court Rules on 2012 MPSERS Reforms
On Wednesday, April 8, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the 2012 MPSERS reforms passed by the Michigan Legislature are indeed legal. This affirms the current law, requiring school employees to pay a higher percentage of salary or accept a lower pension multiplier. This does not resolve the question of the so-called "3%" that school employees were required to contribute between 2010 and 2012.