The Middle School at Parkside has made significant progress in improving student achievement and will be removed from the state’s Priority Schools List, Gov. Rick Snyder said today. A total of 30 schools were removed from the list following improvements in academics for students.
The schools moving off of the Priority List have met annual goals in reading and math, and tested at least 95 percent of their students. Significant measurable progress has been made, showcasing the ability of programs to quickly improve student performance.
“To ensure the children of Michigan are on a path to success, we must work to be certain the schools we are sending them to provide the education they need to compete for the jobs of the future,” Snyder said. “The 30 schools being taken off of the priority list have made progress and I applaud them for putting in the hard work and making improvements in the classroom.”
In a message to staff, Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Beal said this was news worthy of celebration and he congratulated a “very hard-working group of teachers, support staff and leaders at the Middle School at Parkside”.
“The turnaround showed by these 30 schools is a testament to the ability to significantly improve student outcomes in a relatively short amount of time,” said School Reform Officer Natasha Baker. “These schools’ teams developed plans four years ago to boost academics. The teachers, leaders, and kids worked hard and focused on student performance.”
Release from the Priority List is a step in the right direction, but does not end the engagement and focus on improving student achievement. These 30 schools will be required to submit a school improvement plan by Sept. 1, 2016, to the Michigan Department of Education and show continued growth.
The State School Reform/Redesign Office was created in 2010 to establish policies and procedures for turnaround in struggling schools. Gov. Snyder issued an Executive Order in March of 2015 moving the SRO to DTMB to put a renewed focus on this effort, helping turn around the state’s most struggling schools. Per state law, the office focuses on the lowest-performing 5 percent of the state’s schools, with interventions that include a focus on leadership, human capital, performance management, and rigorous instruction.