Now Available: Your 2018-19 Learning Opportunities

After another year of supporting teaching and learning, you have a clear understanding of your stakeholders’ needs. So, now what? Consider your next steps and systematic implementation.

MASSP is ready to support your next steps in-district and/or at regional sites for the 2018-19 school year. As you assess your individual and collective needs and priorities, consider the following to determine your professional development path:

Spring 2019 Testing Information Announced

Spring 2019 testing information was announced in this week's MDE Spotlight on Student Assessment and Accessibility. In case you missed it, the article in reprinted in its entirety below.
The PSAT 8/9 will be administered to 8th graders in place of the M-STEP English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics assessments in Spring 2019 and will be administered as a paper/pencil assessment. Grade 8 students will continue to take the M-STEP science and social studies as online assessments. The M-STEP ELA and mathematics tests will still be available as optional assessments in Spring 2019 for those schools wanting to administer them.

Free "Adviser 101" Training for New Advisers

Filling a new adviser position? Help keep your school culture alive! Replacing an adviser is a difficult task and one that can become a frequent issue for many schools. Adviser turnover is often caused from a lack of training and understanding of the unique role they play in a school's success. To help facilitate and assist schools in creating a lasting positive impact in their building, MASC/MAHS Michigan Student Leadership is providing a free "Advising 101" training to all new member advisers across the state.

The College Board Wants to Share Your Story

The College Board is developing a principal webinar series and newsletter launch. The Michigan College Board team is looking for building administrators interested in co-presenting in a webinar series or authoring a monthly newsletter. If you have had success in one of the areas below and would be willing to share your story, please reach out to Jason Feig at jfeig@collegeboard.org.

SEPTEMBER

Webinar Title: "Building a Culture of College and Career Success" Webinar Topics: Cross program primer on FY 18-19 CB topics

Member Spotlight: Jenny Fee

We want to share good news about education! MASSP is turning the spotlight on members who are making an impact in their school, district and community. Spotlighted members exemplify the mission of the MASSP: To advance learning through educational leadership.

Jenny Fee, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, East Grand Rapids Public Schools

How long have you worked in education?
24 years

How long have you been an administrator?
11 years

This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)

The Legislature had a short week of session, wrapping up by the middle of Wednesday afternoon as lawmakers headed to Mackinac Island for the annual Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Policy Conference. Over the past several years, there has been a concerted effort by Governor Snyder and legislative leadership to wrap up budgets prior to heading to the island, but not so this year as the much better than anticipated revenue projections reported two weeks ago left lawmakers with an unexpected windfall to spend and not enough time before the conference to negotiate how to spend it all.

Seeking Representative for MDE's Special Education Advisory Committee

MASSP is seeking a member volunteer to serve a three-year term on the MDE's statewide Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC). Andy Kowalczyk, Principal at Handy Middle School in Bay City, has been representing MASSP for the past two years, but is unfortunately unable to finish his term on the committee. We thank Andy for his time and commitment to this important work! MASSP must appoint a replacement for the remainder of Andy's term and the next three-year term on the committee. The position is for a "defined member," meaning that the representative we appoint must either be the parent of a child with an IEP or a person who self identifies as having a disability. Here's a little more information about the SEAC:

    This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)

    On Tuesday, the House Workforce and Talent Development Committee reported out a pair of education related bills: SB 344 would create an optional state-recognized STEM diploma endorsement that school districts could give students at their discretion and HB 5907 would require districts to inform students about college-credit-by-testing options like AP, IB, and CLEP, which most districts do already.

    What To Do With Aggressive Parents and Others?

    Sometimes it feels like everyone's a critic. Whether there's an aggressive parent or an internal personnel issue, an administrator's job carries a unique set of challenges. But when the problem becomes especially personal, you may ask, "Do I really have to put up with this?" That's a fair question. If a parent spreads a lie about you on social media, isn't that defamation? If the parent angrily confronts you in person and badgers you, can you get a restraining order or issue a "no trespass" letter, prohibiting them from school grounds? When a school district employee makes you tear your hair out, isn't that a hostile work environment? These questions create an interesting stew of legal questions, which are slightly more complicated to answer than you might think.