Posted on 05/04/15 at 2:45pm
“MEA has received hundreds of Facebook posts and emails from members detailing the problems they have in implementing the test. Their comments are so appreciated. I hope their issues are addressed so that we can get down to the business of improving the M-STEP experience for all Michigan students,” Cook said.
In a presentation to the House Education Committee, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) acknowledged that the test length, time constraints and dealing with test data are still issues plaguing M-STEP. MDE reports that the English language arts portion of the test is taking the longest time to complete, with only 63 percent of students finishing within the 90 minutes allotted.
Brian Whiston, the new incoming State Superintendent, and David Hecker, AFT-Michigan President, also received copies of the memo.
Posted on 05/04/15 at 2:52pm
NEA and the National PTA have set aside this week, May 4-8, as Teacher Appreciation Week, to recognize and celebrate the important roles and contributions of educators. NEA, along with Kansas and Indiana state affiliates, and the Dodge City, Kansas local chapter lobbied Congress for a day to recognize educators. The first Teacher Day was celebrated on March 7, 1980.
Posted on 05/04/15 at 2:53pm
Charter schools in urban areas don’t generate better outcomes than traditional public schools, according to Andrew Maul, assistant professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. Maul reviewed the
Urban Charter School Study done by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University which states “charter schools in urban environments provide a slightly greater test score advantage than those in non-urban environments."
Posted on 05/04/15 at 2:55pm
Gov. Snyder’s K-12 education plan to restructure Detroit splits the district into two separate ones—one to pay off the $483 million debt, and one to oversee enrollment and other district functions.
Posted on 04/28/15 at 2:53pm
Charter schools in urban areas don’t generate better outcomes than traditional public schools according to Andrew Maul, assistant professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. Maul reviewed the
Urban Charter School Study done by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University which states “charter schools in urban environments provide a slightly greater test score advantage than those in non-urban environments.
Posted on 04/27/15 at 4:11pm
Waterford child care workers, custodians, bus drivers, bus driver aides and maintenance employees are being threatened with privatization. You can show support for them at a rally and school board meeting on Thursday, May 7.
Posted on 04/27/15 at 4:12pm
Tuesday, May 5, is Teacher Day/School Family Day when schools and communities pay tribute to the lasting contributions all school employees make to public education. It’s part of a week-long celebration honoring educators.
- See more at: http://www.mea.org/#sthash.HhZ9oUU8.dpuf
Posted on 04/29/15 at 2:27pm
“Michigan’s road quality is among the worst in the nation,” according to a study done by the East Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group.
Posted on 04/23/15 at 12:27pm
EAST LANSING, Mich., April 21, 2015 — In an open letter to Gov. Snyder and state education stakeholders, MEA President Steve Cook is asking that data from the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) not be used this year in teacher evaluations, district rankings, or for any other purposes. The letter details numerous problems associated with the test, which is now in its second week of implementation in school districts across the state.
Cook said, “After just five days, we’re hearing loud and clear from our members just some of the many problems associated with M-STEP. It’s impossible to believe that this test could be an accurate measure of student growth. We can’t use unreliable data to judge teachers and school districts.”
The letter points out that M-STEP is taking huge amounts of time away from classroom instruction and curriculum. In some cases, a whole school day is absorbed with testing, when only a few hours were scheduled. Teachers reported that students are not finishing the test and were “locked out” of completing the test later.
Since M-STEP is an online test, computers and computer labs are unavailable to other students and classes to do their work. In many schools, computer labs are in school libraries which are now off limits during the testing period.
In too many cases, a school district’s infrastructure isn’t able to provide the technology needed for administration of M-STEP. A middle school test coordinator spent the first days of the testing window working with computers locking up or crashing; insufficient server capacity, equipment failures, and software issues. “It seemed M-STEP became an assessment of a student’s ability to manipulate the technology, and less a test of what a student learned.”
Posted on 03/25/15 at 1:20pm
The ice has melted and the roads are worse.
Michigan’s deteriorating roads and bridges pose a serious safety threat to drivers. Crater-size potholes are responsible for extensive damage to our automobiles.
Posted on 02/25/15 at 9:21am
If you believe our schools and safer roads are important to the quality of life in Michigan, circle May 5 on your calendar. On that day, voters will be asked to vote on a proposal that would raise over $1 billion to repair Michigan’s dangerous roads and bridges, while raising $300 million in new revenue for Michigan public schools, funded by a 1-cent increase in the state sales tax.
Posted on 02/18/15 at 3:06pm
When you find yourself in a hole, the first step to getting out is to stop digging.
The hole I am referring to is the $1 billion taxpayers spend each year on Michigan’s experiment with charter schools. A recent report by a pro charter school group ranks Michigan’s charter school accountability law last among similar states.
Posted on 02/18/15 at 3:05pm
When you find yourself in a hole, the first step to getting out is to stop digging.
The hole I am referring to is the $1 billion taxpayers spend each year on Michigan’s experiment with charter schools. A recent report by a pro charter school group ranks Michigan’s charter school accountability law last among similar states.
Posted on 01/28/15 at 10:26am
When you find yourself in a hole, the first step to getting out is to stop digging.
The hole I am referring to is the $1 billion taxpayers spend each year on Michigan’s experiment with charter schools.
Posted on 01/06/15 at 12:54pm
“Believe there is good in the world.”
That is the motto of Yale Education Association as teachers in this small district in St. Clair County seek to fulfill Gandhi’s dream and “be the change you wish to see in the world.” Their goal: raise $50,000 to build a home for a family in need in their community. Yale teachers have recruited students and community members in their mission and are partnering with the Blue Water Habitat for Humanity to achieve their goal.
The Heartlands Institute of Technology is a career tech center run by the Ionia Intermediate School District.
Students not only get hands-on experience in a number of fields, but are able to give back to the community as well; in the Dental Occupations program they use that experience to help provide free dental care to patients who lack insurance. Teachers set up the program, recruit dentists to provide free services and teach students the necessary skills to assist with the procedures.
These are just a few examples of school employees across the state going above and beyond to improve the learning experiences of their students, the communities they live and work in and, along the way, teach lessons that can’t be taught with a textbook or a computer. These efforts won’t show up on student standardized test scores or teacher evaluation forms, but they are essential lessons nonetheless.
Posted on 10/31/14 at 1:15pm
EAST LANSING, Mich., Feb. 26, 2013 — The following statement can be attributed to MEA Executive Director Gretchen Dziadosz in response to a Detroit News column this morning listing her as a potential candidate as Michigan’s next State Superintendent of Public Instruction:
Posted on 10/22/14 at 11:23am
Four years ago, Rick Snyder was elected governor and the Republicans won complete control of the Legislature. One-party control has created clear-cut winners and losers. The winners, large corporations and CEOs, have been given huge tax cuts, while the consequences for the losers — senior citizens, middle-class families, public school students and low income workers — have been devastating.
- See more at: http://www.mea.org/newsroom#sthash.wSsjYCDM.dpuf
Building Visits
GHEA Leadership will be visiting your building after spring break. We are looking for feedback on what we are doing well, what we need to stop doing, and what we should start doing. More information will follow, but remember that you can attend any meeting if you are unable to make the one in your building. AR’s, please remember to ask for the media center if that is where the meeting will be.
Date/Time
|
Location
|
Association Rep/Contact
|
Tues. April 14 3:00
|
GHHS-LGI
|
Aaron Portenga, Tammy Bowser, Josh Walters, Jeanne Blease
|
Tues. April 14 4:15
|
Lakehills
|
Gina Gancarz
|
Wed. April 15 4:15
|
Robinson-Library
|
Melissa Sanborn
|
Mon. April 20 3:00
|
Central HS- Room 7
|
Amy Stringham
|
Mon. April 20 4:15
|
Rosy Mound-Room 10
|
TJ Klumpel
|
Wed. April 22 3:00
|
LMS-Media Center
|
Joe Lutz and David Funk
|
Wed. April 22 4:15
|
MAW-
|
Shari Sigsby
|
Thurs. April 23 4:15
|
WPMS-Media Center
|
Jeff Schiller and Melissa Moreland
|
Mon. April 27 4:15
|
Ferry-Room 12
|
Amy Miller
|
Tues. April 28 4:15
|
Peach Plains-Media Center
|
Danielle Bolthouse
|
Wed. May 6, 4:15
|
Griffin-Media Center
|
Tammie Thompson
|
Posted on 03/30/15 at 9:42am
Take the online survey
The Center for Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, is looking for information from educators like you about improving career outcomes for Michigan students after high school. It’s critical that you share your ideas and opinions in an
online survey they’re conducting.
The
survey is part of the Center’s Community Conversations to better understand career navigation, college affordability and the opportunities and hurdles students face in getting a good job and pursuing a successful career in Michigan.
Your responses will be confidential and not linked to you in any way. The data will be used to create a report summarizing what Michigan citizens feel about these issues.
Go
online now to complete the survey. The survey will be available until April 6.
Posted on 03/30/15 at 9:44am
According to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), there is no provision in state or federal law that allows parents to opt their children out of assessments, like the M-STEP currently being administered in schools, without it counting against their school and district’s participation rates. MDE offered its official position last week in a memo to ISD Superintendents, Local Agency Superintendents, and Public School Academy Directors.
Posted on 03/30/15 at 9:15am
MEA is partnering with NEA, the Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ) and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to sponsor the Teaching Leadership Initiative (TLI) program. If you’re an MEA member and ready to take hold of your career and learn to lead in matters of practice and policy—if you’re an MEA member eager to make a difference in your classroom, but not sure where to begin—TLI is for you.
Posted on 03/30/15 at 9:33am
The two vendors who are currently administering the 2015 Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) assessments won a three-year contract to continue their work. Data Recognition Corporation, a Minnesota-based company, and North Carolina-based Measurement, Inc. were awarded the contract by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and the Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB).
Posted on 03/25/15 at 10:10am
The Center for Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, is collecting feedback from Michigan citizens about the Michigan workforce experience through
an online survey. They’re specifically looking for information from educators like you about career navigation.
Posted on 03/25/15 at 1:20pm
The ice has melted and the roads are worse.
Michigan’s deteriorating roads and bridges pose a serious safety threat to drivers. Crater-size potholes are responsible for extensive damage to our automobiles.
Posted on 03/23/15 at 12:01pm
There is a push on for the next two weeks to ensure that reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is done right this time. It's expected that the Senate will take up the ESEA on April 14.
- See more at: http://www.mea.org/#sthash.JMApxo9s.dpuf
In a memo to the State Board of Education
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