ECS Blueprint State Profile: Michigan
According to the October 2014 ECS Blueprint analysis of Michigan’s educational policies, the state has addressed four out of 10 Blueprint policies for improving college readiness. Blueprint policies in the report are divided into three specific categories of anchor policies: high school policies, higher education policies, and bridge policies (these focus on connections between K-12 and postsecondary education). The following areas are the most relevant to P-12 NCTE members:
· College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards: Michigan has joined 47 other states and the District of Columbia in adopting more rigorous standards in ELA (and math). Specifically, Michigan is implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for ELA and math along with 42 out of the aforementioned 47 states, plus D.C. Michigan is also in elite company as one of only six states that require all school districts to offer dual enrollment, which allows students to take some college courses while in high school.
· CCR Assessments: Addressing the assessment aspect of the ECS Blueprint, Michigan requires students to take the ACT and WorkKeys assessments in 11th grade as part of the Michigan Merit Examination (MME). Portions of the Michigan standards not assessed by ACT or WorkKeys (in ELA, as well as Math, Science, Social Studies) will be covered by a new, computer-based, summative assessment program called the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP). For more information on the M-STEP, see my next post, “Michigan replaces MEAP with M-STEP”
· Graduation Requirements: Michigan’s statewide minimum high school graduation requirements are not aligned with minimum college admissions requirements.
· K-12 Accountability: Michigan is one of 27 states that do not use CCR indicators to measure school performance.
· Higher Education Policies: Michigan does not address any of the four college policies, but there is speculation that that may change as a recently-adopted, performance-based funding system for colleges is implemented.
· Statewide CCR Definition: Michigan does have a statewide definition of CCR.
· P-20 Data: Michigan has a P-20 data pipeline that assists decision-makers in evaluating the effectiveness of educational programs and policies.
Sources:
http://www.ecs.org/docs/ECSBlueprint.pdf
http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-22709_70117—,00.html