Schools

Feds Ease Demands of No Child Left Behind on Michigan Schools

Michigan schools can now be more flexible in how they spend NCLB dollars and Macomb area districts won't be penalized for not meeting academic growth goals determined by mandated tests.

Macomb Township’s school districts will have more flexibility in determining how to address student achievement now that Michigan is among several states granted a waiver by the U.S. Department of Education today.

“The idea that all kids would be proficient by 2014, especially in light of the switch to common core and then the changing of the cut scores, with those kind of factors, that really became unreasonable,” said Chippewa Valley Schools Superintendent Ron Roberts. “We don’t know the details yet of what we’ll be required to do because of the waiver. There will be additional requirements that the federal government will expect Michigan to reach.”

In a press release Thursday morning, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan called the flexibility approval great news for students and schools. “This approved flexibility to No Child Left Behind will help us continue our efforts to get all kids career- and college-ready, and close the achievement gap between various student populations," he said.

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What the change essentially means is that the state no longer has to follow the guidelines set by the government that requires all students to be passing statewide-standardized tests by 2014. They can also be more flexible in how they spend NCLB dollars and find ways to measure academic growth that doesn't rely solely on tests.

Critics have argued the 2014 deadline was based on "arbitrary targets" and "one-size-fits-all" strategies for proficiency. And now states can set the pace and determine exactly what students will need to learn based on their own accountability standards. Michigan has already started to do that with its deemed to be tougher than statewide tests in the past.

Find out what's happening in Macomb Townshipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And key is that local districts will be allowed to develop their own interventions and plans for those who are performing poorly academically. , such as annual yearly progress.

Chippewa Valley Schools already offers countless programs at the elementary, middle and high school level to support students struggling with math, reading and other core subjects.

“When they put in the Michigan Merit Curriculum, we put in a support class for Algebra I,” Roberts said. “Students in ninth grade will normally take this and those who indicate they might have difficulty are offered a support class so they receive two hours of math during the school day.”

Support classes are also offered for Algebra II and Geometry, as well as reading.

“We offer Read 180 at the ninth-grade level, which is a double block of reading and English for students with difficulty,” Roberts said, adding that the district will implement this program at the middle school level starting this year in an effort to identify and aid struggling students prior to entering high school.

The district also offers an online “credit recovery” program for students who have failed certain classes.

“We went to bat for local school districts because we know they are working hard to improve student achievement, but needed this flexibility from the ‘one-size-fits-all’ structure of No Child Left Behind,” Flanagan said in the release. “We’ve gotten them the flexibility and assistance, but in return, are raising expectations and transparency. The end result will be higher achievement levels for all students and a greater future for Michigan.”


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