[Michlib-l] Support School Libraries - Contact MI Legislators about ESSA Accountability

[Lester, Kathy]

MAME is asking school library supporters to contact Michigan legislators
about the Michigan Department of Education's ESSA Accountability Plan.
Explanation of the issue with a sample message for legislators is included
below.

MDE is close to making a final decision on how it will implement ESSA’s
accountability requirement.  There were three options in the plan submitted
to the US DOE.  [See below for the three options.]


In all options, “*access to a library media specialist*” is a part of the
School Quality / Student Success Accountability Indicator for K-8.  In
options 1 and 2, “access to a library media specialist” will be included in
the overall Grade (option 1) or one of the Grades (option 2) for each K-8
school; thus, receiving more importance than the many items which will be
included on the transparency dashboard.  In option 3, “access to a library
media specialist” will be just one of many items on the transparency
dashboard; and, thus, may be “lost in the volume of data” with no
particular importance or visibility.



Thus, the decision on which option MDE implements will either make school
library staffing evident to parents and the community (Option 1 or 2) or
will be too nonspecific such that districts may ignore the measure (Option
3).



MAME recommends that our legislators choose option 1 or 2 which will
provide the most visibility for the community on school library staffing.



To ensure that school library staffing information is accessible to school
communities, MAME needs school library supporters to contact their
legislators to ask them to support either option 1 or option 2 in MDE’s
ESSA Accountability Plan.

If the legislature does not take action by June 30, MDE will default to
Option 3.



To reach out to your legislators:



   1.

   Find your Michigan Senator & House Representative:

http://www.senate.michigan.gov/fysbyaddress.html

http://www.house.mi.gov/mhrpublic/



   1.

   Write and/or call your legislator

Sample message:



Dear ___________,

I am writing / calling to ask you to support Option 1 or Option 2 of the
options given for MDE’s Accountability Plan under ESSA. I believe that one
of these two options will incentivize school districts to make positive
change for the students in our state.  These options will also provide more
transparency to parents and the community at large.   Action must be taken
by June 30th or the Accountability Plan will default to Option 3.



Thank you,

Your Name

Address

Phone

_________________________________________________________________________



For information purposes --

Three Options for MDE’s ESSA Accountability Plan



FROM the MDE document:

Michigan’s Approach to the Every Student Succeeds Act:

Overview of Michigan’s Consolidated State Plan

April 3, 2017

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/Michigan-ESSA-
Consolidated-Plan-Overview_558371_7.pdf





Option 1. An A-F grading system for all schools that produces a final
summative grade. Please note: creating this system was the charge given to
the ESSA Accountability Action Team, based on Superintendent Whiston’s
direction and the interest of the legislature and governor at that time.
Therefore, the bulk of the comment obtained through the four rounds of
feedback reacts to this plan.



Option 2. An A-F system that provides grades in six core components
(proficiency, growth, graduation rate, English learner progress, school
quality indicators, and participation in state assessments) but no final
summative grade. This system utilizes the same underlying calculations as
the A-F summative grade but does not add up to one overall grade.



Both Option 1 and Option 2 would be presented along with an additional
transparency dashboard, which would include data and information that might
be useful to parents or community members.



Option 3. A dashboard accountability system. This system is currently
envisioned as a combination of the six indicators above, along with the
transparency dashboard. However, the Michigan State Board of Education has
signaled that they wish to further develop the dashboard. Therefore, the
MDE submits to them the dashboard as is, and asks them to make necessary
modifications.



Any technical details presented in the plan relate to all three systems and
the underlying calculations unless otherwise noted. The major difference
between the three is the amount of “summarizing” that is done to create a
single measure or measures.


Kathy Lester, MLIS, MA
*ISTE Affiliate Representative, Advocacy Chair, Past-President 2014*
Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME)
*SIGLIB Steering Committee*
Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL)
*School Library Media Specialist / Technology Coach*
*SL21 Exemplary Ranking - Michigan School Libraries for the 21st Century
2016-2019*
East Middle School, Plymouth-Canton Schools
*2012 **State Librarian's Excellence Award Winner*
kathyL at mimame.org
810.333.5873 <(810)%20333-5873>
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