Michigan Schools Earn a C+ in National Report
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From the Michigan Education Report January 13, 2009
Michigan earned a C+ for K-12 education in a national report released this week, according to the Lansing State Journal. "Quality Counts 2009," the latest annual report by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, said the average state grade was C, the Journal reported. No state received an A; Maryland received the highest scores.
"There is no state that is knocking it out of the ballpark," researcher Christopher Swanson said, the Journal reported.
Breaking down the report by subject area, Michigan received a B- in school finance, a C+ in students' chances for success, and a B in "transitions and alignment," which tracks education from early childhood through college preparation and work readiness, according to the Journal.
In previous years, "Quality Counts" also measured K-12 academic achievement, the teaching profession, and standards, assessments and accountability, the Journal reported, but the survey has now switched to an alternating-year format among categories.
Michigan's latest grades in those categories were D, D+ and A-, respectively.
"Michigan has worked hard and made standards and curriculum a major focus," Jan Ellis, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Education, told the Journal.
Michigan earned a grade of C+ in a national report released today that focuses on kindergarten through 12th grade education.
That beats the national average grade of C.
No state failed, but none got an A, either.
"There is no state that is knocking it out of the ballpark," researcher Christopher Swanson said.
The annual report, created by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, this year assessed and graded states in the areas of school finance where Michigan got a B-, its students' chances for success (C+) and a category called "transitions and alignment" which tracks early childhood learning through college preparation and readiness for work. Michigan earned a B in that category.
For the first time, it also looked at how well the nation's schools are serving a rapidly growing population of students now known as English language learners - those who don't speak English at home.
It did not grade states in that area, but pointed to a need for increased attention on that rapidly growing student population.
"We're starting to get a better sense of who these students are and what their educational needs are," Swanson said. "They come to school with some disadvantages."
Those disadvantages often show up when English language learners take tests.
For example, Michigan's fourth-and eighth-grade English language learners scored lower on statewide math and science tests. While 73.9 percent of all kids taking the math test passed, only 47.9 percent of English language learners passed. While 74.5 percent of all students passed the reading portion, only half of English language learners did.
The Lansing School District has had a focus on English language learners for several years, said Superintendent T.C. Wallace Jr. The district's 14,569 students include 1,147 who are classified as English language learners. They come from 82 countries and speak 65 languages.
"This is an issue that has to be a part of our strategic planning and has to be part of our restructuring," Wallace said. "All of our programs have to meet the needs of the diverse population that we serve."
In previous years, the Quality Counts reports has included new rankings and letter grades in six educational categories, including chance for success, transitions and alignment and school finance. This year, it did not measure kindergarten through 12th grade achievement, standards, assessments and accountability, or the teaching profession.
In 2008, Michigan earned a D in kindergarten through 12th-grade achievement, a D+ in the teaching profession, which includes such things as teacher accountability, incentives for teachers, support such as mentoring programs and such things as class size and student-teacher ratio.
It earned an A- in standards, assessments and accountability. Among the changes that prompted that grade were a realignment of curriculum several years ago for kindergarten through eighth grade students and tough new high school graduation requirements.
"Michigan has worked hard and made standards and curriculum a
major focus," said Jan Ellis, spokeswoman for the Michigan
Department of
She said student achievement is expected to increase because of the curriculum changes and the new graduation requirements.
No state earned an overall ranking of A; Maryland came closest with Massachusetts right behind it. No state earned a grade of F, either. The District of Columbia, Nevada, Idaho and Mississippi all earned grades of D+.
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