Middle Cities Education Association
Creating Opportunities for the Urban Learner

Education YES! is the state’s accreditation system. The system is designed to evaluate schools based on measures of achievement (status, change and growth) and performance indicators (engagement, instructional quality and learning opportunities). Following evaluation, schools will receive a composite score in the form of a letter grade (A, B, C, D-Alert or F-Unaccredited). For a brief explanation of a school’s composite score, click here. The letter grade, along with a school report card, will be made available to the public.

In December 2002, the State Board of Education acted on a number of provisions for Education YES!, including approval of cut scores for the various components of the system. We’ve prepared the following explanation of each component of Education YES!

If you have questions or concerns regarding Education YES!, please contact MCEA at 517.347.0292 or e-mail Ray Telman at rtelman@middlecities.org or Laura Wotruba at lwotruba@middlecities.org.

The Status grade reflects a school’s success at academic achievement while taking into account the school’s success in attaining academic proficiency for all students. The score in this category will account for 23 percent of the final composite score.

For elementary schools, MEAP scores in reading and math will be used to determine a letter grade based on a weighted index. Click here to view the elementary school cut scores for Status.

In middle schools, MEAP scores in reading, math, social studies and science will be used to determine a letter grade based on a weighted index. Click here to view the middle school cut scores for Status.

At the high school level, MEAP scores in reading, writing, math, science and social studies will be used to calculate a school’s grade when three years of high school MEAP data are available in a format that allows the State Board of Education’s Accreditation Advisory Committee to determine a weighted index.

The Change grade is based on a school’s ability to advance achievement from one year to the next and reflects how much schools must improve each year to get all students to proficient levels by 2013-14. The change score makes up 22 percent of a school’s composite grade.

Basically, change is reflected through a slope line that has all students reaching proficiency in 12 years. Schools that exceed their slope line, will receive As. Schools that meet their target will receive Bs. Schools that almost make the slope will receive Cs. A school that demonstrates a flat line, reflecting no change, will receive a D, and a school that declines in performance will receive an F.

The Growth score is a measure designed to follow students from grade-to-grade. For example, the measure will take into account students’ 4^th grade MEAP scores and compares it to the same group’s 7^th grade MEAP scores to determine whether growth has occurred. This measure accounts for 22 percent of the final composite score.

Based on current MEAP testing, both "feeder" and "receiving" schools (i.e., the 4^th grade and 7^th grade pair, and the 7^th grade and 11^th grade pair) will receive the same grade.

For a list of the elementary to middle school cut scores for Growth in reading and mathematics, click here.

Scores for Growth from middle school to high school in reading and mathematics will be available at such time as three years of high school MEAP data are available in a format that allows for students’ scores to be matched. It is anticipated that it will take MDE some time to provide information about MEAP data in a format that allows students’ scores to be matched and calculation of the weighted achievement index.

Once the data are received, the State Board of Education’s Accreditation Advisory Committee will calculate the weighted achievement index.

When grade 3-8 testing is implemented in 2005-06, the growth score will be contained within an individual building.

The School Self-Assessment for the Measures of School Performance are currently available online at www.educationyes.com. The current deadline for completion and submission of the indicators is Jan. 24, 2003. This component of Education YES! accounts for 33 percent of the final composite score.

District superintendents and building principals should receive a letter from the state within the next week that will provide a password and directions for accessing secure sections of the Education YES! Web page. Principals will use their secure access to enter the final results of their building self-assessment online. The report then goes to the superintendent, who uses his/her access to review each building’s report. The superintendent’s access is read-only, so revisions to the report must be made by the building principal. Once the superintendent reviews all the building reports, he/she submits the reports to the state.

• Jan. 24, 2003: deadline for submission to the state of performance indicator rubrics.
• March 2003: report cards issued to school districts for review and preparation; schools will have one month to review their report cards before they are released to the public.
• April 1, 2003: public release of school report cards