|
MIRS,
September 17, 2008
The status of Michigan's K-12 education system is cause for
worry and alarm, two presenters to the Senate Education
Committee reported this afternoon.
With a statewide 15 percent dropout rate and 75 percent
graduation rate, and a plateau in progress on MEAP and Merit
Exam test scores, Michigan is in danger of falling below the
national average on a battery of tests.
Committee Chair Sen. Wayne KUIPERS (R-Holland) cautioned that
although the forecast seems grim, the data revealed today
doesn't indicate the effects of the High School Graduation
Requirements. At least one presenter, Dr. Sharif SHAKRANI of the
Education Policy Center at Michigan State University, seemed to
think the increased math requirements would boost Michigan
students' test scores in the future.
"Being stagnant is not good enough," Shakrani added. He reported
that 54 percent of 11th grade students are registering as below
proficient in math on the Michigan Merit Exam. Only 34 percent
of fourth grade students fall below proficiency standards for
reading, an alarming figure, he said, because literacy in
elementary school is an important predictor for literacy in high
school and beyond.
Kathryn SUMMERS-COTY of the Senate Fiscal Agency reported on
graduation and dropout rates for districts statewide. Detroit
Public Schools has been on the hot seat after reports of a $408
million budget hole and the school board's recent reprimand of
Superintendent Connie CALLOWAY. The committee was surprised that
Detroit, the state's largest district, was not the worst
performing.
"We seem to focus on Detroit because of its size," Kuipers
noted, "but there are other districts statewide doing far
worse."
Both presenters touched on the correlation between free lunch
eligibility -- a proxy figure for poverty levels -- and
performance on standardized tests, graduation rates, and dropout
rates.
Nearly 90 percent of students in Benton Harbor are eligible for
free lunch, a proxy figure for poverty levels. Graduation and
dropout rates for FY 2007-08 were 54 and 37 percent,
respectively. Conversely, less than six percent of students in
Fowler Public Schools are eligible for free lunch. Last year,
Fowler graduated 98 percent of its students.
"I'm really more alarmed about what is going to happen in the
future than present status, to be honest with you," Sen. John
GLEASON (D-Flushing) admitted before asking Summers-Coty for her
recommendations for education reform.
"Well, we don't have opinions between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,"
Coty replied, reminding Gleason the SFA is charged with
analysis, not solutions.
"It's pretty complex," she added.
back to the top ~
back to Breaking News
~ back to
What's New
|
