On Monday, Gov. Whitmer signed legislation that will change how public schools are ranked by the state.
Under the current Revised School Code, the Michigan Department of Education is required to assign letter grades A through F to public schools. Supporters of the requirement say it helps determine where funding should go, but opponents say ranking schools is more complicated than an A-F grade.
“The complexities of a school or district cannot be simplified down into a letter grade, and this reductive system serves no real purpose—and we already have a system in place that more accurately evaluates a school’s performance,” said David Hecker, President of AFT Michigan.
“Coupled with the parent dashboard, the school index accountability system, which pre-dates the A-F system in the state, is more informative and complete, and has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education,” said State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice.
The school index system gives schools a rating from 0-100 based on student growth, proficiency, graduation rates, English learner progress, attendance rates, advanced coursework completion, postsecondary enrollment and staffing ratios.
