This week, Michigan’s plan to implement the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was approved by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, a Michigan native.  According to Michigan State Superintendent Brian Whiston, the plan takes a “whole child” approach and is designed to do what is best for Michigan’s children.

Michigan’s proposal will have less student testing; focus on student academic growth; creates a school accountability system; gives schools more flexibility on how they chose to improve; and gives schools greater ownership in how they follow their own plans.

Additional aspects of the plan include:

• A Parent Transparency Dashboard is being developed to provide parents with a clearer understanding of where their child’s school is performing.
• Well-round focus on academics in the core subjects, as well as access to the arts, libraries, and physical education.
• Michigan’s accountability system no longer will be a top-down hammer for low-achieving schools. It will identify “Comprehensive Support Schools” and “Targeted Support Schools” and provide varying levels of support and assistance.
• It continues the Partnership Model that the state has instituted to help schools and districts most in need – developing locally-driven solutions and measures of success, with the help of other state, local, and regional partners.
• Every school will be conducting a Comprehensive Needs Assessment to study their resources and data, to find their school’s needs and gaps, and develop a School Improvement Plan, based on the results of that process.
• A greater focus on developing the best educators, providing targeted professional development for teachers; creating a stronger teacher preparation and development system with Michigan colleges and universities and other partners.

ESSA was signed into federal law on December 10, 2015, replacing the No Child Left Behind Act.  The law requires states to develop plans that address standards, assessments, school and district accountability, and special help for struggling schools.

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