Punishment – MDE Style

MASSP is in the doghouse with the Department of Education. Two reasons: Trying to shift the money spent on the 9th grade social studies exam to EXPLORE, and our public statement about the proposed MI-SAS accreditation program.

When polled, 97% of our membership doesn’t see value in the 9th grade social studies exam. Our governor in her state-of-the-state speech called on us to find ways to reduce wasted state costs without hurting its citizens. So we proposed legislation to shift this money to something 60% of schools do value. We feel it is a matter of equality.

MI-SAS is based upon a growth model. Which in all our public statements we support. Its just there is no testing of eighth to eleventh grades. So, high schools have no way to demonstrate growth. The high school accreditation standard is based upon one test administered in the second semester of the eleventh grade. We think, and others, even within the Department, share in this belief, some changes are needed. We were quoted in the Free Press a week ago as saying the growth model works for K-8, but high schools are hung out to dry. This apparently hit a nerve.

So, for punishment, MDE has cancelled all department staff from presenting at any of our functions. They have sent through the back door for statewide readership a memo to the social studies association discrediting our association. And, they refuse to respond to our request to meet with them.

It’s a lot like dealing with two squabbling 9th graders