Update - MASSP Legislative Efforts

By Jim Ballard
Executive Director

It’s been an interesting week for MASSP in Lansing. Two of our legislative initiatives have received public support from some very important players.
Most immediate are our efforts to reform some areas of the Michigan Merit Examination. This is being written two days before many of you administer the Michigan Merit Exam, so I think this might catch your attention.

Staff of the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee has told us he has instructed them to include all our MME amendments in his School Aid Bill that is scheduled to be released this week. This is a big step – right sponsor in the right bill.

Second, MDE assessment staff announced last week at the testing conference that the 2009 assessment most likely will include the third component of the WorkKeys and that the open-ended responses in the social studies test will be dropped. This keeps in place the ACT writing portion. Given the financial news, Senators will be looking for ways to save money and our $4.2M savings in retakes should look attractive.

So, in summary, everything we wanted seems to be falling in place.
MASSP received a big vote of confidence last week when from the speaker platform at the Governor’s Education Summit, State Superintendent Mike Flanagan mentioned that he agrees with the need to amend the personal curriculum legislation to allow an off-ramp as being presented by our association. That same day we met with vice-chair of the House Education Committee to make sure our off-ramp was included in possible amendments. Follow-up meetings are scheduled.

We have had meetings on the expansion of management rights for building principals upon a schools listing as not meeting AYP. These meetings continue, but no one is rushing to put this legislation in place.