Michigan's Yardstick for Excellent Schools

On March 14, 2002, the State Board of Education approved a new accreditation system for all of Michigan schools, titled Education YES! – A Yardstick for Excellent Schools. School districts are on track to receive their first Education YES! “report cards” before the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year. The four-page report card will summarize the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) achievement of students for each school, as well as the school’s self assessment on critical efforts to positively impact student learning.

Each school building will be assessed in several areas, including:

Performance Management Systems—Schools are recognized for implementing systems to track whether each student is attaining critical skills, particularly the progress of students at risk because of economic disadvantage and other factors.

Continuous Improvement—This indicator recognizes programs that have a focus on continuous improvement, including monitoring of improvement activities, external support provided through professional development, visitation by peer reviewers, and/or other continuous improvement programs.

Curriculum Alignment—Schools’ efforts to measure curriculum alignment in each building and across the district with state standards is another indicator.

Teacher Quality and Professional Development—The teacher quality indicator measures both the preparation of teachers for their assignment and the professional development schools undertake to implement the school’s improvement plan, which will align with the provisions of No Child Left Behind.

Extended Learning Opportunities—Schools receive credit if early childhood programs are available for at-risk students in the district and for extended learning opportunities at the upper elementary and middle school levels.

Arts Education and Humanities for All Students—Credit is given to schools for providing all children with a foundation in the arts including ongoing education in music, drama, dance, and the visual arts. This indicator also encourages programs including social studies, the principles of America’s political system of self-government and constitutional liberty, and the classics.

Advanced Coursework—This indicator recognizes participation in advanced coursework such as dual enrollment and advanced placement provided face-to-face or through distance learning technologies.

Family Involvement—This indicator recognizes a variety of forms of regular communication with parents in a significant and meaningful way, using both traditional and more modern channels, including voice mail, e-mail, and Web-based parent reporting.

Student Attendance and Dropout Rate—Student attendance is a measurable indicator at the elementary and middle school levels. At the high school level, the dropout rate is used for this purpose.

Four-Year Education and Employment Plan—This indicator recognizes the development and use of individual four-year education and employment plans for each student. The purpose of the plan is to provide every student with an ongoing, and periodically updated, record of career planning to guide his or her choices.

School Facilities—School facilities are inventoried through the School Infrastructure Database maintained by the Center for Educational Performance and Information. This indicator identifies areas where school facilities pose barriers to learning and embracing the information age.

“Education YES! assesses more than a single test on a single day,” said Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Watkins. “While MEAP scores are certainly a critical part of the system, they are only one facet of the system.”

Approval of the State Board of Education’s new accreditation system came after several months of work by the Department of Education, which sought input about the system from teachers, school administrators, parents, citizens, business leaders, and education organizations. The indicators reflected on the Education YES! report card were defined by research in order to focus resources and efforts on practices that directly impact student achievement.

For more information about Education YES! indicators, go to www.michigan.gov/mde and search Education YES! Contact the Michigan Department of Education, State Board of Education, P.O. Box 30008, Lansing, MI 48909, (517) 373-3900.