NCLB

LANSING--Eight out of 10 public schools in Michigan made Adequate Yearly Progress this past school year despite a big jump in the goals,
according to the Michigan Department of Education.

The state’s EducationYES! Report Cards were released publicly today for
Michigan elementary, middle, and high schools, along with the annual
report on each school’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as required by
the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's revised, lower high school graduation rates
resulted in fewer schools meeting federal No Child Left
Behind goals, the state said Monday.

By Wendy Zdeb, MASSP Board of Directors

If your school did not make AYP due to the participation rate in your school’s special education sub group, you may want to formulate an appeal based on information contained in the student’s IEP. There are a variety of reasons that may keep a student from being counted in the school’s participation rate such as:

The 2006-2007 graduation rates will be calculated by tracking individual students who first enrolled in ninth grade in fall 2003, and graduated four years later with a regular diploma. Continuing students who were not reported as diploma recipients were recorded for accountability purposes as “off-track.”

FROM ALLIANCE FOR EXCELLENT EDUCATION--Diane Mc

Groups raise concerns about timelines, interim rate, and accountability

By Stephen Sawchuk

Some good news about AYP!--Diane Mc

News Release
Contact: Martin Ackley, Director of Communications, (517) 241-4395

July 7, 2008
LANSING – Michigan is one of 10 states approved to participate in a national pilot program that will take into consideration a student’s yearly academic growth to help determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

State restructuring efforts for NCLB often take a back seat to the more comprehensive reforms. Look for State Superintendent Mike Flanagan’s remarks in the last paragraph of this Wall Street Journal article.  READ MORE

Michigan and other states would have to ensure that schools required to restructure under the federal No Child Left Behind Act are making meaningful changes and local districts would have to be more clear to parents what tutoring and choice options are available under new regulations unveiled Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, speaking to the Detroit Economic Club, also announced the creation of a National Technical Advisory Council to meet the requirements of the law.
And she said she was continuing to work with Congress to have the law renewed.

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY MARGARET SPELLINGS ON PONTIAC (MI) SCHOOL DISTRICT ET AL. V. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CASE

Statement by Secretary Spellings on the Pontiac (MI) School District et al. v. U.S. Department of Education case:

I am pleased to announce today that the Solicitor General has authorized the filing of a petition for rehearing en banc in the case Pontiac (MI) School District et al. v. U.S. Department of Education. The petition will be filed shortly.

Groups call for improvements on law’s 6th anniversary
By Frank Wolfe

Tuesday marked the sixth anniversary of the enactment of NCLB, and education stakeholders of both political persuasions are calling for improvements to President Bush’s signature domestic achievement in a looming reauthorization of the law this spring.

Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., ranking member of the House Education and Labor Commit tee, said Republicans did not agree with many provisions of the House draft reauthorization bill by Chairman George Miller, D-Calif.