Take a Closer Look at the Michigan School Improvement Framework

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) recently released a K-12 education framework that uses current research and best practice to offer local districts and schools multiple ways to develop, support, and enhance their individual school improvement efforts. The MDE developed the Michigan School Improvement Framework in conjunction with the efforts of school improvement specialists and educators across the state.

The Framework is organized in a well-known curriculum development layout with strands, standards, and benchmarks. Within the Framework, there are five “strands” or areas of general focus. Drilling down from the strands, readers move into the 12 “standards,” then the 26 “benchmarks” that further define the standards within each strand. Each benchmark also contains helpful key characteristics and sample questions districts and schools can use to guide discussion and increase understanding of the research-based school improvement benchmarks. It is this increased understanding of both the benchmarks and the systems development required to sustain a robust school improvement plan that will assist educators in the development of the building-level school improvement plan. Districts will also be able to allocate resources to the programs and systems that will become institutionalized within a building and district.

Schools and districts can use the Framework as a blueprint to establish goals and objectives that will guide teaching and learning, resource allocation, staff development, data management, and assessment. Embedded in the school improvement plan, the goals and objectives will support long term change and supply educators with the necessary systems to support meaningful achievement growth for all students.

The Framework can also be individualized to meet the needs of an individual school. It can be used in multiple ways to develop, support, and enhance school improvement plans. Schools and districts can use the Framework to review and enhance existing improvement efforts and reveal where those plans match or differ from state-of-the-art school improvement practice. In addition, schools can use the Framework during a peer-assessment exchange with a similar school, which could lead to mutual problem solving.

To assist school improvement team leaders in efforts to develop a shared understanding within buildings, districts, and the community, a variety of tools were developed, including a glossary, a set of rubrics for each characteristic within the benchmarks, links to the research used to develop the Framework, and a conversation starter kit that provides models for group discussion. Each tool contributes to the ability of a school team to understand, utilize, and assign meaning to each of the strands, standards, and benchmarks.

To download a copy of the Michigan School Improvement Framework, visit www.michigan.gov/schoolimprovement. For more information, contact: Yvonne Caamal Canul, Director, Office of School Improvement, Michigan Department of Education, P.O. Box 30008, Lansing, MI 48909, (517) 241-3147.

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