Information

Packet
For Public Distribution

For the

August 20, 2008

Board of Education Meeting
 Todd Roberts, EdD.
Superintenden t of Schools
roberts t@aaps.k12.mi.us

MEMORANDUM
To: Board of E d UCa~
ti n Trus tees
From: Todd Rob erts
Date: Aug ust 15, 200
Subject: Information Upd ate

Ann Arbor Language Partnership Presentation

At Wed nesda y' s Board meeting as a first briefing item we will be having a report on the
world language p artnership with the University of Michigan . Included in the attached
information is a copy of the presentation and informa tion prepared by the Unive rsity
related to the program. The presentation on Wed nesday will be a joint presentation
with Dr. Donald Free man, Director of Teacher Pre paration and Dr. Maria Coolican,
Instructor for World Languages from the University of Michigan, along wit h Lee Ann
Dickinson-Kelley and I g iving the presentation.

The pro posed partnership is very exciting from many pers pectives, most pa r ticular ly
our ability to be able to offer Spa msh language educa tion to all third through fifth grade
studen ts over the next three years. Hopefully the partnership to offer Spanish at the
elementary level will be just the beginning of greater partne rship op po rtu n ities with the
university.

Our goal is to move forw ard with approval of the partnership so the uni versity can
move forwa rd hiring the person who will fill the posi tion the university and AAPS will
share. Our esti ma ted cost for impl ementing the language program at the elementary
level is approximately $90,000 - S100,000 per year when the program is fully
implemented . The cost for the 2008-2009 schoo l year will be approximately $60,000.

I am looking forw ard to the pr esent ation on Wedn esday.

Proposed Pioneer Storm Water Containment Project Update

Included in the a ttache d inform ation is another copy of the inform ation I provided in the
8/ 1/08 Up date regarding the storm wa ter cont ainment project that the city and county
are propos ing for Pioneer. As you recall, in October of las t yea r we gave permission for
the city to pro ceed in planning this proposed project. We will have a stu dy session to
fur ther discuss the proposal at 5:30pm on 8/20 prior to the board mee ting. As you can
see in the attached diagram of the proposed location for the containers, the larger
container is situa ted under the lower parki ng lot and a sma ller cont ainer is situated
un der the grass area between the low er pa rking lot and W. Sta di um. We have asked the
city to look at a second option tha t would have both containe rs pl aced unde r the lower
parking lot. If we plan to allow this project to move forward we wo uld need to commit
to the project by no later than October 22, 2008. The work wo uld occur over tw o
su mmers beginn ing in 2009.

Early Release Days at Hi gh School and Middle Schools

As was the case last ye ar Pioneer and Huron will ha ve five earl y release da ys built into
the year so that staff can comp lete the work on curricul um alignment and common
assessments, as w ell as work on dev eloping ind ividualized learning plans for struggling
studen ts. Also this year the mid dle schoo ls will have four early release days. Providing
time for teachers to meet regarding students was a key need identified last year by the
comm ittee that reviewed the impact of middle school restr ucturing. While these four
da ys do not compensa te for the lack of team planning time, it does p rovid e time for
teachers to meet regarding students and to w ork on developing and monitoring
personalized learning p lans for struggling students. We have scheduled the early
release days to be the same days for middle schools and high schools. Also, we will
have after school programs at all of the middle schools for families who need for their
students to stay at school until the end of the normal schoo l da y. The after schoo l
program will be a t no cost for studen ts. By offering the after school program we are
trying to make sure that the early release da ys are not a hardship for fam ilies, while
providing staff w ith time to coilaborate and do som e of the important work we need
don e around instruction and imp roving stude nt ach ievement. The leng th of the middle
and high schoo l da ys allows for the early release da ys becau se they accu mulat e time
well beyo nd the 1098 ho urs required by the state. The dates for the early release days
are as follows:

High Schoo l Middle School

October 8'1, October 8'"
Decemb er 10th December 10th
March 25'h March 25'h
April 29'h May 13'h
May 13t h

Op ening Day Kick-Off and New Teacher Lunch

I wanted to rem ind you that the opening day kick-off for staff is Tuesda y (8/ 26) at 8:45
am at Pione er in case you would like to attend . Also, I wa nted to remi nd you tha t you
are invited to the lunch for new teachers on Tuesday (8/ 19) at 12:00 pm at the AAEA
office on Jackson Rd .
Information Pac:ket Index
August 20, 2008

Draft Minutes of the July 15, 2008

Meeting 1

Administrative Committee Descriptions I

prior year assignments 2

Newspaper Articles
3

Page 1
 ANN ARBOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BOARD OF EDUCATION • Meetings of July 15, 2008 DRAFT
DISTRICT LIBRARY MINUTES

STUDY SESSION
Liz Margolis presented the marketing plan and 5 concepts for trustee rev iew. Terri Devall and Karen
Anderson were available for questions. It was noted SEMCOG has not yet released the most recent
student population estimates .

Trustees liked concept designs and wondered about doing billboards. The cost for billboard
advertising is prohibitive ($12 ,OOO/month for 6 month minimum).

Margolis requested input from the board on the concept designs and w ill put together focus groups.
Trustees will be given the focus group dates. Will narrow down to two campaign possibilities.

ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING

CALL TO ORDER
7:05 PM

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Trustee Mexicotte led the pledge.

INTRODUCTION OF NON-VOTING MEMBER AT THE TABLE

Trustee Cross introduced Dr . Todd Roberts, Superintendent of Schools.

OATH OF OFFICE FOR NEWLY ELECTED TRUSTEES

1) HELEN GATES-BRYANT (2008-2012)

"I, HELEN GATES-BRYANT, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM THAT I WILL SUPPORT THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE CONSTITUTION OF THIS STATE, AND
THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY DISCHARGE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF MEMBER OF THE
BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE ANN ARBOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WASHTENAWCOUNTY,
MICHIGAN ACCORDING TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY."

ROLLCALL
Present - Trustees Cross, Friedman, Gates-Bryant, Mexicotte, Nelson, Patalan
Absent - Trustee Baskett
Present from Administration - Kathe Hetter, Margolis. Allen , Gomsa , Osinski (Recorder)

PUBLIC COMMENTARY
Tom Partridge urged the board to unite with other school districts to provide free or affordable higher-
level education for adults .

APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Moved the Special Briefing item of BSCS Science Textbook Adoptions to occur after Public
Commentary. Approved by consent ofthe Board.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Dr. Roberts indicated that the following Trustees indicated interest as Board Officers : Cross-
President; Patalan-Vice President; Friedman-Treasurer; Nelson-Secretary.

Page 1 of 4
All Ann Arbor Public Schools' Stud~nfs Will Graduate Ready
 ANN ARBOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BOARD OF EDUCATION Meetings 01July 15. 2008 DRAFT MINUTES

Moved by Trustee Friedman , supported by Trustee Patalan to elect the following officers :

President - Karen Cross

Vice President - Irene PataJan
Treasurer - Randy Friedman
Secretary - Glenn Nelson

On roll call vote, the motion carried 6-0, Trustee Baskett absent.

INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS
"I, (Karen Cross , Irene Patalan, Randy Friedman , Glenn Nelson) , DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I
WILL ABIDE BY THE BYLAWS, RULES, AND REGULATIONS OF MY OFFICE AS (President, Vice
President, Treasurer, Secretary) TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY."

APPOINTMENT BY PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARIAN, CONFIRMED BY THE BOARD OF

EDUCATION
Trustee Nelson was appointed Parliamentarian.

SECOND BRIEFING
• Policy Adoption - Margolis, pp. 13-19
o 7100 - Advertising , pp. 14-16
o 7150 - Naming, pp. 17-19

• CRE/Online Offerings - Roberts, pp. 20·29

SPECIAL BRIEFING
• 08-019 Skyline Textbook Adoption of BSeS Science: An Inquiry Approach - Hunter, pp. 30-37
• Approve 2007-08 Board of Education Meeting Schedule - Osinski, p. 38
• Approval of Financial Institutions - Allen , pp. 39-40
• Appointment of Auditors - Allen , p. 41

ACTION - CONSENT AGENDA

08-019 Skyline Textbook Adoption of BSCS Science : An tnquiry Approach - Hunter, pp. 30-37
Trustee Mex/cotte, supported by Vice President Patalan, moved to approve the purchase of BSCS
Science: An Inquiry Approach . Levels I and 2 for Skyline . The textbooks are to be purchased from
Kendall/Hunt Publishing at the total cost of $73 .539.31. On roll call vote, the motion carried 6-0,
Trustee Baskett absent.

Approve 2007-08 Board of Education Meeting Schedule - Osinski , p. 38

Trustee Mexicotte, supported by Vice President Patalan, moved to approve the board meeting
schedule as presented, except for the June 24th date which will be rescheduled due to the MSAN
conference occurring on the same date. On roll call vote , the motion carried 6·0, Trustee Baskett
absent.

Page 2014
All Ann Arbor PubUe Schoofs' Students Will Graduate Ready
ANN ARBOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BOARD OF EDUCATION -Meetings 01 July 15, 2008 DRAFT MINUTES

Approval of Financial Institutions (WILL RESCHEDULE PENDING COMPLETION OF CRITERIA

REVIEW)

Appointment of Auditors
Trustee Mexicotte, supported by Vice President Patalan. moved to designate Plante & Moran , PLLC
as the school district's auditor for fiscal year 2007/08 . On roll call vote , the motion carried

Policy Adoption - Margolis , pp. 13-19

1) 7100 -Advertising, pp.14-16
2) 7150 - Naming , pp. 17-19

Trustee MexicoNe, supported by Vice President Patalan , moved to adopt policies 71OO-Advertising
and 7150-Naming as presented. to be effective immediately. On roll call vote, the motion carried 6-0.
Trustee Baskett absent.

CRE/Online Offerings - Roberts , pp. 20-29

Trustee Mexicotte. supported by Vice President Patalan , moved to allow school of choice option
called the Regional Community Resource Extension program (RCREl to all students who reside in the
Washtenaw Intermediate School District. Enrollment outside the Ann Arbor Public school district will
be limited to 10 slots for the 2008/09 school year and in accordance with the attached proposal. On
roli call vote . the motion carried 6-0. Trustee Baskett absent.

Approve minutes of the 6118/08 Regular Meeting, Information Packet

Trustee Mexicotte, supported by Vice President Patalan. moved to approve the minutes of the 6/18/08
Regular Meeting as presented. On roli call vote, the motion carried 6-0. Trustee Baskett absent.

Gift Offers
Trustee Mexicotte, supported by Vice President Patalan, moved to approve the gift offers as
presented . On roll call vote, the motion carried 6-0. Trustee Baskett absent.

SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT

ITEMS FOR AGENDA PLANNING, pp. 43·50

Trustee Mexicote would like follow-up on board retreat dates (maybe August 13).
Trustee Patalan reminded Trustees about the Executive Session tomorrow to finalize the
superintendent's evaluation.

Trustee Gates-Bryant requested the Reading Apprenticeship program be put on the agenda either as
a study session or information item. Trustee Nelson suggested that it be presented during a televised
meeting.
President Cross requested that the Superintendent share what was presented at MSAN.

ITEMS FROM THE BOARD

Trustee Mexicotte noted that her children are taking part in all the good summer programs offered by
the district.

Page 3 014
AU Ann Arbor PubUe S6hools' Studenh Will Graduate Ready
ANN ARBOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BOARD OF EDUCATION -Meetings of JUly 15, 2008 DRAFT MINUTES

Trustee Mexicotte would like to be considered as chair of or member of Performance Committee. She
commented that she enjoyed being part of the July 4 parade . She thanked Liz Margolis for organizing
it and hopes the other trustees will take part in it next year, as she plans to do .

Trustee Gates-Bryant noted that our staff presenting at MSAN are trainers for Washtenaw County.

Trustee Gates-Bryant also noted that Jeanette Stanbury passed away last week, but the spaghetti
dinner fundraiser on 7/18 is still going on to assist the family with her medical expenses.

ADJOURNMENT
8:15 PM

Page4of4
All Ann Artior Public Schools' Students WIJI Draduate Readv
2
 BOARD OF EDUCA nON COMMITTEE REPRESENTA nON

Meeting
Committee Name Description Date/Time/ 200 7/08
L ocation BOERep
ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTE ES
Panel charged to review and recommend student (2)
Student disciplinary action or grade reinstatement issues. As Need ed Cross
Discipline Membership inclu des teachers, administrators, and Gates-
H earing / Grad e board trustees. Bryant
Reinstatement
P anel
Supports and monitors the work of the building school
School improvement team s by 1) orga nizing program to share T BD (I)
Improvement Team building SIT successes and challenges; 2) evaluates Patalan
(District School proposals from buildings and awards small grants
Support Team) facilitating creative projects; 3) makes
recommendations to the Superintendent and Board
concerning admini strative regulations and policy
relatinz to school improvement.
BOARD OF ED UCATION CREATED C OMMITTEES
Joint committee of the Ann Arbor Schools and the (2)
City/Schools City of Ann Arbor. Committee membership consists As Needed Cross
of School Board T rustees, City Cou ncilpersons, Baskett
administrators from the School District and the City
Board advi sory committee that monitors equity issues Third ( 1)
Equity Audit within the di strict. Reports to the Board on a regular Monday , Nelson
basis. 7:30 p.m., Patalan
Balas 1
Recreation Board appointed advisory committee that also I" Tue sday
Advisory includes appointees from the City of Ann Arbor. of mo nth, (1)
Commission Comm ittee serves as advisory to the Community Rec 7:00a.m ., Nelson
and Ed program and to the City Parks Recreation Balas II
Programs.
Celebration of Employee recognition program. As Need ed (I)
Excellence Gates-
Bryant
Advisory committee to the Board of Education, the ( 1)
Trans portation Ann Arbor City Council and, in a less formal manner , As Needed Gates-
Safety other governmental units includin g the Pittsfield Bryant
Town ship Tru stees and the Washten aw County Road
commission. Thi s committee investigates, identifies
and recommend s remedy to assure the safety.
COMMITTEES WITH TRUSTEE REPRESENTATION IN THEIR CHARTER
Ann Arbor Seat on the Foundation Board designated for a School Thi rd (I )
Ed u catio nal Board T rustee. T he Foun dation raises monies to Thursday of Friedman
Fou ndation support enric hme nt activities for the district. Each Month Nelson
4:30PM @
Balas

0708admincommdesc.doc - 8/14/08
 BOARD OF EDUCA TION COMMITTEE REPRESENTA TJON

COMMITTEES REQUESTING BOARD REPRESENTATION

Youth Senate A nonprofit organization created in 1997 by a small and Quarterly ( I)
(Youth diverse group of teens to foster youth initiative and on Sundays Gates-
Empowerment increase yo uth representation in the service and Bryant
Project) decision-making life of Our community. Board
representation by invitation .
Advisory Com mittee. Health Place 101 is apart of the On ce eve ry (I)
Hea lth Place 10I University of Mi chigan Regional Alliance for He althy other Mexicotte
Schools (RAHS) and has been in existence since 1996 month!
with a goal of imp roving children's overall well-being Location
and success in school. TBA
LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVE (Per Board Policy 1190)
Washtenaw Serves as district board repre sentative. Attends Annual
Associ ation of Meeting in September and the budget review meeting 2 x/year Me xicotte
School Boards (in March or April) Nelson
(WASB) (VPj
WASB Legi slative Assists in planning the legislative breakfasts 3 x/year Mexicotte
Relations Network
(LRN)
MASB Legislative Review information as part ofMASB publications; keep I x/year Mexicotte
Relations Ne twork in contact with legi slator; attend Annual MASB LRN
meeting in Lansing

0708admincommdesc.doc - 8/14108
3
 The sc hool year in review
Sunday, July 09, 2006

Last school year was one that some Ann Arbor Board of Education members might rather forget. Here are
a few of the highlights.

October and November

• Bids for steel and concrete work on the new high school come In $3.3 million over budget.

January

• Superintendent George Fomero announces he's leaving the district in July for a similar position in Illinois.

February

• Fomero unveils his high school boundary redistricting plan to criticism from parents in the northeast
se ction of district.

• Fomero announces the comp letion of the new high school will be up to one year behind schedu le and
suggests that the students be housed in a temporary location, possibly in a building outside the district.

March

• Fomero scraps plan to house 2007 new high school students in temporary location after parental outc ry.

• Board hires two outside advisers to guide it through remaining bond work because of all the problems
that have arisen.
= ,m;
Apri l

• Officials announce the district will have to make 51196 million in operating budget cuts over the next
three years. including eliminating 104 positions.

May

• School board decides to restore $8.4 miilion in options at the new high school, raising total cos t to $96.3
million.

• District officials raise the total amount of budget cuts needed to be made to $16 million over the next
thre e years.

• School board decides not to open new high scho ol until 2008.

June

• School board picks Todd Roberts to rep lace Fomero as superintendent.

• School board passes Fornero's redistrictin g plan.

• School board approves $6.46 million in budget cuts for 2006-07 school year.

© 20 06 Ann Arbor News

© 2006 Michiga n Live. All Rights Reserved.

 OUTFRONT
Sunday, July 09, 2006

A look ahead at this week's important issues.

Witness will testify in molestation case

The key witness in a child molestation and exploitation case against a former Ann Arbor man is expected
to testify during a pretiminary hearing in Was htenaw County 14A District Court Friday.

The witness, Justin Berry of California, touched off a national investigation earlier this year when he
revealed in a New York Times article his years -long involvement in Webcam child pornog raphy.

Among those charged as a resuit of the investigation wa s 28-year-old Kenneth Gourlay, a Detroit man who
lived in An n Arbor in 2001 when he was accused of luring Berry here and molesting him.

Beny was scheduled to testify against Gourlay in a hearing last month, but an assistant attorney general
who is prosecuting the case said the teenager was hospitalized after an emotional breakdow n. No
diagnosis was given for his condition .

Gourlay, a computer consultant, faces 10 charges - including two counts each of enticing a child to engage
in sexua lly abusive activity and using a computer to engage in child sexuall y abu sive activity - all 20 -year
felonies. He also is charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, a 15-year felony.

Gou rlay remains jai led on $500,000 bond. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m.

. Aew superintendent to discuss goals

1/.- ._. " 7 " - -, ..· · ' -,-.-------- .
The Ann Arbor school board will meet Wednesday WITh new Superintendent Todd Roberts to discuss goals
for the upcoming school year. The meeting will be at 5 p.rn, at the Was htenaw County Interm ediate School
District's administration building, 1819 S. Wagner Road. Roberts is replacing George Fornero, who took a
similar position in Illinois.

Willow Run trustees to meet Thursd ay

The Willow Run school board will have its annual organizational meeting Thursday at 7:30 p.rn. at the
administration building, 2 171 E. Michigan Ave. The board will elect officers and welcome new trustees
Dorothy Stewart and Sheri Washington.

Ypsllanf board session Tuesday

T he Ypsilanti school board will hold its annua l organizational meet ing on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in room 138 at
Ypsilanti High School, 1885 Packa rd Road. A regular board meeting will follow at 6:30 p.m. Trustees-elect
David Bales and linda Sneda car-Horne will begi n their term. This is the only school board meeting held for
the month of July. The board usua lly meetings on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.

Public to meet on non-motorized plan

Washtenaw County residents will have a chance to learn about and comment on a draft the county's new
non- motorized plan during a series of public meetings this wee k and on Aug. 3.

The non-motorized plan provides a vision for the county's walking, biking and other non -motorized
transportati on system. The plan identifies existing nonmotorized facilities, provides a "conceptual network"
of future non-motorized facilities using a map and list of improvement s and identifies sources to help fund
future improvements.

Staff of the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study [WATS), the county's main transportation planning
agency, conducted a series of public meetings last year to help gather information for the plan, and also
gathered information from local govern ments .
The WATS Policy Committee is expected to vote on acceptance of the plan in September.

Meet ing times and places are: Monday, 6-8 p.m , Manchester Village Hall, 912 City Road, Manchester,
T uesday, 6 p.rn., Ypsilanti Township Civic Center, 7200 S. Huron River Drive, Ypsilanti Tow nship;
Wed nesday, 6-8 p.m. , Ann Arbor Transportation Autl10rity offices, 2700 S. Industrial Highway, Ann Arbor;
Thursday, 6-8 p.rn., Ypsilanti City Hall, 1 S. Huron St , Ypsilanti; and Aug. 3. 9 a.rn.. Washtenaw Metro
A lliance, 100 N. Fou rth Ave., Ann Arbor.

A copy of the plan is available at www.miwats.orglnon motorized/

nonmotorized.hlm .

From News staff reports

4:12006 Ann Arbor News

© 2006 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.

 l o ading "Mtlve .com's Priflt er-F ric:ndly Page" 0 7/1 4/ 20080,3 :39 PM

Sch ools to gauge stude nt pro gress

Sunday, July 13, 2008
BY DAVID JESSE

Th e Ann Arbor News

The federal government recently told the state of Michigan's education depart ment that it w as o ne of 10
pilot stal es across the nal ion approved to use a new growth model method to help determine whe ther
scho ols and school districts are making Ade quate Yearly Progress, as mandated by federal law .

Deb Clancy, a supervisor in the instructional services department at the Washtenaw Intemned iate School
District, talks about the changes a nd their effect on local schools.

Q: What is AYP?

A: AYP shows how well schools and school districts are meeting common stand ards of academic
performance.

Q: Why is it important to schools and school dislricts?

A : Under (No Child Left Behind), ii's important fo r each school building to meet target AYP goals. Schools
receiving Title I fun ding, a federal program that provides resources to schoo ls in areas of economic need,
co uld face sanctions under NClB if l he sc hool does not make AYP for two or more years in a row These
sancti ons increase in seve rity for eve ry yea r a Title I school does not make AY P.

Q: How is AYP cu rre nt ly meas ured?

A: There's performance obje ctives that need to be met (Schools) have to, by 2013-14, have all their
students 100 percent proficient on Ihe MEAP (for elementary and middle school students) and the
Michigan Merit Exa m (for high school stud ents).

In addition , in grades 3 to 8, schools must have an average daily attendance rate of 85 pe rcent or more.
High schools have to have a ss percent g raduation rate.

A ll of these items are measured not only fo r the entire school, but subgroups like specia l education ,
econo mically disadvantaged and others. In order to make AYP, a school has to have a ll its subgroups
make all the criteria. Missing one means the school doesn't make AYP.

Q: What is Ihis growth model pilot that t he state is now going to use?

A: Both the MEAP and the Michigan Merit Exam have questions built into them that the state IS able to use
to determine if a student is making prog ress.

They will be able to look at test sco res from , for example . the third grade and the sam e student In fourth
grade. to see if they made progress .

A t the state ievel, they will be able to monitor this to see if a stude nt is making progre ss or "on track" to
being proficient.

Q: SO does this mean if a school's students aren't proficient, but are "making p ro g ress ," the n a
school or sch ool district would be consid ered to have made AYP?

A Yes.
Q: Is Ihis a g oo d change ?

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A: Yes. Additional data will help parents, teachers and administrators better understand the individual
progress of children. These data can also lead to different interventions, or ways to help students succeed.
And, the results can be used to further Improve curriculum and instruction.

Q: How will it affect local scho ols and school districts ?

A: If students are "o n track" toward becoming proficient within three years. those students will count toward
schools making AYP even if they are not yet proficient. This will result in a modest number of additional
schools ultimately making AY P. No schco Is will be affected negatively by considering student prog ress
toward proficiency.

This is really going to be another piece of data that teachers, and hopefully parents, are going to be able
to use to see if their students are making progress. It should also help as teachers and administrators
develop instruction for each stude nt.

Q: Will th e public be ab le to s ee this measure for their local S ChDDI o r school district?

. A : It is my understanding that growt h model lnforrnation will be available to schools, districts and parents.

David Jesse can be reached at dj esse@annarbornews.com or at 734 -994 -6937. Join the discussion at
bloq.mlive.cornrstudy jietl.

0 2008 Ann Arbor News

© 2008 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.

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..... Tur . ··
ANN ARBOR NEvVS
Dis trict hopes to draw 200
Ad s for Ann Arbor Pub lic Schools to start in Septe mber

Wed nesday, July 16, 2008

BY DAVID JESSE

The Ann Arbor News

Ann Arbo r Public Schools officials hope that an aggressive marketing plan ~ centered on the concept of
"exceptional" - will help them add 200 student s in the coming year.

The marketing plan will cost the district $71,000 to 575,000, Liz Margo lis, the district's spokesw oman and
drrector of communications, told the school board Tuesday night.

"This all really flies off the word 'exceptional' and mak ing that our tag line," she said. showing five differen t
conce pts for advertisem ents, "That's what we want people to think about."

The ads would run in local print media and on radio stations and be placed on Ann Arbor Transportation
Autho rity buses.

VVh ile board members liked the concepts and the plans, they told administrators more needs to be done an
mar keting the district

Trustee Randy Friedman said the district needs to ma ke sure every staff mem ber is working to promote
the district to parents.

Superi ntendent Todd Roberts agreed , saying tha t the marketing plan ju st gets prospective stude nts and
the ir parents to tne door of the scho ol, "Once they go II) the door. then what happens determines wtle ther
they come back or not."

The district has long talked about being more aggressive in marketing itself Administrators have said that
about 85 percent of the children living wIthin me distr ict's bounda ries attend Its schools.

On Tuesday, Margolis estimated that about 2.000 students living withrn the drstrict attend a private schoo l.
charter school or a schoo l of choice. or are nome -schooled Margolis said the district's goal for the
marketing campaign, wh ich is to run from Septem ber to April, is to get 1 percent of those students, or 200,
to entail in the Ann Arbor district

Enrollment dropped by more than 200 students between the 2006-07 and 200 7-08 school years. Ab out
16,500 are enrolled in the district.

Getting more students is vital to the district's bottom line. The state pays $9 ,434 for each student. The Ann
Arbor district has had to cut muaons of dollars from its budget in the past seve ral years ta cape with
deficits.

David Jesse can be reached at djesse@annarbornews.com or at 734 -994-6937. JOin th e discussion at

blog.mllve.com/study_hall.

~~2008 Ann Arhat News

© 2008 Michigan Live . All Rights Reserved.

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 l oading "Mlive .com's Prmt er- Frtendlv Paqe" 0 7 / 21 / 2 0 08 0 3:4 3 PM

Ev ery th ing Michlg a"

Michiga n schools likely will get more state aid

7/1712008, 543 pm. ET
By TIM MART IN
Th e Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan's K-1 2 public schools wo uld get between $56 and $112 more per pupil
next budget year and grants wou ld be available to start smaller high schools under a propo sal appro ved
Thursday by the state Senate.

The per -pupil increases of less than 2 percent won't cover infiation and likely won 't prevent more c uts in
some school budgets next academic year. It's a sign Michigan's state government continues to struggle to
make ends meet, in part becaus e of a sluggish economy.

"In the context of the times, th is is pretty much what folks expected," said Tom White , exec utive director of
the Michigan School Busines s Officials.

The schoo l aid budget passed the Senate by a 31-4 vote. The House could vote on the proposal as early
as next wee k.

The lowest-funded districts in the state woul d get the largest per-pupil increase of $ 112. Districts wouid get
a minimum of $7,316 per stude nt for the fiscal year starting in October.

Distr'cts on the higher e nd of the curre nt funding scale will receive sma ller per-pup il increa se s, somet imes
amounting to a less than 1 percent boost. Districts hoped to get more money whe n the budqet process
began in February, but because of lower-than-expected tax revenues, the amount of the increase was
sca led back.

"School districts are seeing a smaller than anticipated increase this year, but it is an increase nonetheless:'
Sen. Ron Jelinek, a Republican from Three Oaks and chairman of the Senate Appro p riations Comm ittee,
said in a statement. 'W e understand the econo mic shortfalls they are facing a nd have do ne wha t we can
to help them out."

Overal l, the stale's school aid fund would total nearly $13.4 billion for the fiscal year start ing in Octobe r.

About $15 million would be alloca ted for Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to expand a pilot projec t and help
create smaller hig h schools in some M i ch ~ g a n districts. It's less money than Granholm wanted but should
give the project aimed at improving graduation rates a limited boost.

Granhol m says that creating smaller high scho ols in some districts could help create a better learning
envi ronment and improve student performance. Districts wo uld be eligible for grants of up to $3 million.
The district would have to match the grant, wh ich could involve money from priva te foundations.

"We are going to leverage external dollars to be able to provide these options that prevent dropo uts,"
Granholm said Thursday

Districts with graduation rates of less than 70 percent would be eligible for the grants. Di stricts would have
to return half the grant money if they aren't gradu ating at least 80 percent of the ir stude nts by the third year
of the progr am. Eighty percent of graduates wou ld have to go on to postsecon dary education for schoo ls
to keep all the grant money.

Granholm had wanted to raise more than $300 million for the project over a several year pe riod by
borrowing against future school aid revenue. But some lawmakers didn't wa nt to add to state debt and
restrict future school aid budgets to pay for the project. That would have included about $32 million next

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 Loading -Mlive.com's Prlnter- Frlend fv rarjt''' 07/2 1/ 200 8 ON 3 PM

fiscal year to pay debt on bonds .

The school aid plan also adds a combined $10 million to early childhood education and schoo l readiness
programs.

Most of next fiscal year's budget has already been approved by the state Legislature. Granholm has begun
signing the budget bills into law .

Associated Press Writer Kathy Barks Hoffman contributed to this report.

The K-12 school aid budget bill is Senate Bill 1107

On the Net

Michigan Legislature: hltpllwww .legislature.mi.gov/

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. AUrrghts reserved.

This material may nol be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistrib uted.

© 2008 Michigan Live. A ll Rights Reserved.

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 Mhve.ccm's Prinrer- Frili'ndl y Page 7117/0811 :30 AM

,,'70' T IfE CO'", ' ,

ANN AR.BOR NEWS

Schoo! board praises superinte nd ent
Ann Arbor's Roberts receives good marks but no pay raise

Thursday. July 17, 2008

BY DAVID JESSE
The Ann Arbor News

Ano ther school year, anothe r good set of marks for Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Todd
Robe rts,

Meeting in an executive session Wednesday night , the school board reviewed the past school year -
Roberts' second with the district - and gave him a positive review, but not a raise,

"Yes , we did have a conversation (about pay), but we didn't do anything," said board Vice President Irene
Patalan, who was acting as spokeswoman for the board,

She said MiChigan's shaky finances, especi ally in funding for schools, played a large part in tha t

"It's tricky," she said, "Todd has done a really good Job and we want to reward that with more than words,
but in this financial picture, we have some constraints."

She said Roberts did not ask for a raise. He currently has a base salary of $ 175,000.

Roberts did not get a raise last year, either, but had his contract extended for two years, until 201 1,

In a stateme nt released after the meeting, the board said it had reviewed the progress of Roberts' eight
goals for the 2007-08 school year.

"These goals ranged from stude nt achieveme nt and expansion of world languages as part of our
elementary program, to the commitment to equ ity training and the transition of Pioneer and Huron as
Sky line High School opens," Patalan wrote in the release, which she e-mailed to The Ann Arbor News.

"Positive achievement has been made in regards to these goals this year," the board said in the statement.
"The board also assessed Roberts' secon d year as superintende nt regarding comm unication, visibility,
personnel and financial management, negot iations and legal compliance, advocacy for our students and
personal character,"

Overall, the board said, it Is "pleased with the direction of the AAPS and with Roberts' vision and
leadership as superintendent"

David Jesse can be reached at djesse@annarbornew s,com Or at 734-994 -6937. Join the discussi on at
bloqmllvecorn/study j t all,

©2008 Ann Arbor News

© 2008 Michigan Live, All Rights Reserved.

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 Sch oo ls need to d o better at h..lri ng g ifte d chlld re n d eve lo p - Ann Arbo r News Op inio n - Mt.ive.corn 07121/2008 03:47 PM

Schools need to do better at helping gifted children develop

Posted by llunurgan July 18,2008 11: HAM

BY CHERY L WHIT E

~ther
As a pa rent of gifted children, I'd like to reco gnize National Parenting
Gifted Children Week, which bega n Jul y 14, by sharing some of the
Voices
1
cha llenges our brightest stude nts and their famili es face, and by dispelling
the myth that "smart kid s don't need support."
I
! CHERYL W~iITE
I The writer is an
W hile there is an intense foc us in our sc hools on low-achieving pupil s, the Ii '\nn Arbor
need s of gifted students too often are ignored. It is harmful and incorrect to , eSidf nt. .:
assum e that they can "m~ke it on the.ir o~vn. " Unfo rt unately, this ass u~p.tion I f I
has led to an Inadequate Investment lJI gifted programs and teacher trammg, L .~
j
:~ !
w hich ultimately results in an inferior education for this student populati on. ..__.. 1

Wh o is gifted ? Francoys Gagne defines gifts as innate abilities and states that gifted children are born with
co mparatively greater degrees of ability in one or more areas. Talent, per Ga gne, is "extraordinary
performance in a field of human endeavor."

Gifted children do not become talented children without help! Parents can be the catalysts who turn these
gifts into talents, of course , but often it is a teacher who leads the process of helping a child reach his or her
tru e potential. The children without these catalysts usually become underachiever s.

Unfort unately, not enough teac hers are trained to recognize gifted stude nts in their classroom, nor do
districts support gifted programs . The first- grader readin g Tol kien or discussing the concept of infinity may
be obvio us. but many students with gifts are missed. It is therefore up to the parent s to advocate for their
childre n,

Th e challenge for parent s is that we had no training either. We have to - --_._-_._-_._. __. - _ _-- _.
learn everything we can abo ut gifts, talents and bow to help our childre n To contribute essays to Oth er Voices,
become all they can be. We usuall y rely on the professionall y trained for contact Mary Morg an , opinion e dito r,
at 734-994-6605 or
assistance in this regard. mmor Clan @ar1narbm"news.co ill .

I rem emb er a boy who was way beyond grade level in math and readin g
who also sucked his thumb in f irst grade . His teacher convinced his pare nts not to advance him, but research
s hows that such a student will lose the regressive behaviors as soon as thcir nee ds to be challenged are met.
T his young man ended up dropping out of high school. I believ e his innate drive to learn will eventually
lead him to college, but his road has been made harder than it sho uld have been.

Ultimately, the gifted children who lose o ut the most are those from underserv ed and disadvantage d
back grounds. While more affluent fami lies can supplement what little resources are provided , students
whose families lack the means a re dependent exclus ively on what the public school system provides.

I salute all parents struggling with this issue in o nr public schools today, and I challenge public sc hools to
ac know ledge the needs of gifte d students and to begin to challenge them appropriately.

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 l e tte r; St anbe rry wa.. teac her who chang ed live" - Arm Arbor News Opin io n - MUvt" x om 07/ 211700 803:53 pM

Letter: Stanberry was teacher who changed lives

Post ed by mmoq:an July 18,2008 ll:llAM

Huron High School and Ann Arbor have lost a wonderful educator with the death of Jeanette Stanberry.

For more than 20 yea rs at Huron, Stanberry was an inspiration to staff, students and parents. She loved the
kids, especially the children held in low regard. She was an incredible counselor, teacher, psychologist, extra
mom and wise advisor to hundreds and hundreds of teenagers. The positive influences she had on Huron
students were the kind that can change lives, and that 's exac tly what she did.

Quiet heroes like Stanberry often do not know the extent or importance of their powers. Hers were a vast
and invaluab le gift to so many Huron famil ies. Huro n High School was grace d by Jeanette Stanberry's
presence.

Stanley A. Bidlack, Eugene, Ore.

Categories: L eller l'

Comments
Footer

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 Mhve.com's Printer-Fr iendly Page 07 /2 1/2 008 OZ:56 PM

Ev ery1hl ng Michig an

Sch ools vie for students Competition especially heated in east

Washtenaw County
Sunday, July 20, 2008
BY L1ZCOB8S

The Ann Arbor News

Principal Laura Lisiscki and her staff at Kaise r Elementary School in the Willow Run school district were
out recruiting students door-to-door again the other day.

Lisiscki and her team were leaving filers on front porches and talking to residents in the Kaiser attendance
area in Ypsilanti Towns hip's West Willow neighborhood.

The staff has gone recruiting at Jeast three times since school closed in June, but it's not new this year.

"We do this every year," Lisiscki said as she headed to another house on Oregon Avenue and
kindergarten teacher Sandy Bogoski visited houses on the other side of the street. By doing this, she said,
"we've been able to maintain our (school's) enrollment."

From knoc king on doors, to sending out mass mailings, to advert ising on radio, billboards and in print
media, local schools are marketing themselves in an attempt to attract more students.

Since the state pays school districts for each student enrolled, the more students a school has, the more
state funding the school receives. State financing is more crucia l to schools than ever in these tough
economic times.

This past school year, traditional schools across Wash-tenaw County experienced the first decline in
overall student enrollment in 20 years, primarily due to Michigan's weak econom y, which is forcing many
families to leave the state, Public charter schools saw enrollment increases last year, but at a slower rate
than in previous years.

Private school enrollment in Washtenaw County increased 22 percent, from 3,842 in the 2006-07 school
year to 4,689 last year, according to statistics from the Was htenaw Intermediate School DistriCt. At the
same time, student enrollment in the county's 10 public school districts dropped 2.1 percent, from 45,371 in
September 2006 to 44,429 in 2007.

Traditional public schools are feeling the brunt because of the educational alternatives parents have, such
as private and charter schools, home -schooling, and schoo ls of choice, which are public schools that
accept stud ents from outside the district's boundaries.

A nn Arbor Public Schools officials announced last week a marketing plan to add about 1 percent of the
district's existing enrollment over the next two school years. That would amount to about 200 students.

Liz Margolis, spokeswo man for the district, said the plan, estimated to cost between $7 1,000 and $75,000,
includes running ads on radio stations, in print media and on Ann Arbor Transportation Authority buses
from September to Ap ril.

Com petition for students is intense in eastern Washl enaw County, where three public school districts, four

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 Mllve.com's Printer- Friendly Page 07/ 21/ 2008 0 2:56 PM

public charter schools and six private schools are located. The schools share the same ZIP codes and
encompass the city of Yps ilanti, Ypsilanti Township and portions of Superior and York towns hips.

The public Lincoln Conso lidated Schools, Willow Run Community Schools and Ypsilan ti Pub lic Schools are
using marketing campaign s to recruit students tor the fall.

Lincoln had previously advertised on radio stations but decided that becoming a schools of choice district
would be more beneficial. The district had hoped to enroll 150 new students through schools of choice, but
on ly enrolled 75 as of June 30. However, 30 to 35 new students have enrolled because of moving into the
district over the summer, said Lincoln Superintendent Lynn Cleary. She expects those numbe rs to rise in
August.

"But, you have to balance that With how many students have moved out," Cleary said, which won't be
known until the fall.

Emma Jackson, spokeswo man for the Ypsilant i Public Schools, which is north of the Linco ln district, said
offic ials there weren't surp rised when Lincoln became a schools of choice district.

"I believe it was inevitable that all the districts in this part of the county would become schools of choice."
Jackson said. "I believe that our families are solidly behind us, and we'll continue to draw new families
because of our diversity and quality of programs and our partnerships with the University of Michigan,
Eastern Michigan University and Washte naw Community College."

When it comes to marketing , Ypsilanti Public Schools has it covered with billboard campaigns and mailings
targeting families with schoo l-aged childre n in the area. On Tuesday, school staff are planning to knock on
doors in the Fairway Hills subd ivision in Ypsila nti Township and in the Normal Park neighborhood in
Ypsilant i to talk to residents about the distr ict.

Willow Run Comrnunity Schools is running ads on four Detroit radio stations. The $65 ,000 campaig n began
in June and ends in mid-August.

"We get a lot of calls from it, but whether or not peop le are submitting enrollment forms, I don't know ," said
Willow Run Superintendent Doris Hope -Jackson.

Willow Run school board mem bers in June approved a budget for the current school year that included
bringing in 170 new students, which wo uld bring in $ 1.6 million in state funding. It is not clear how many
new students have enrolled so far.

Mea nwhiie , Hope-Jackson said she is focusing on developing programs to draw more studen ts, such as
the gifted and talented program for second- through sixth-graders slated to start at Kettering Elementary in
the fall

''I'm not trying to compete With the other school districts or CDPY what they're doing." Hope-Jackson said,
'W e're building programs that will attract students ."

Teach ing students through individualized instruction is a focus at Fortis Academy , said Chris Thompson,
principal of the public chart er school on Golfs ide Road in Ypsilanti, Fortis has more than 700 students and
a waiting list. The school graduated Its first eighth-grade class last year.

"We do a pretty good job of deveioping a good academic profile on every child and atl emptto meet their
needs via a regular classroom," said Tho mpson, principal since the school opened five years ago.

Parents don't seem to mind that the school doesn't have a marketing campa ign going on.

Fortis parents Darryl and Amy Warner said the school's academic setting has been a good fit for their
children, Stacie, who is entering first grade , and Sydni, who is entering fifth grade. Darryl Warner also said
he believes that the staff at Fortis listens to parents' concerns and suggestions and carries them out if at
all possible.

Thompson said that other than open houses , Fortis doesn't do marketing outside of its building.

"The way we get more people into our program and children who stay enrolled is literally through word-of-
mouth," Thompson said. "Your best sales too ls are happy customers."

h tt p: / /www .lll liv~ . com / p r in ter i prtnte r.s.sf! I base / news- z Sf12 16 54 32389 5 5 31 .)(lTll&m11,... 2 Pilge 2 of 3
 Mltve .corn's Primer-Friendly Page 071"211" 2008 03:05 PM

EverythinG Mi chi gan

..:.,,--~~- T HE .-:- ::.c~

ANN ARBOR NEWS

Schools vie for students Competition especla tly heated i n east
Washtenaw County
Sunday, july 20, 2008
BY LIZ COBBS

Th e Ann Arbor News

Principal Laura Lisiscki and her staff at Kaiser Elementary School in the Willow Run schoo l district were
out recruiti ng students door -to -door again the other day.

Lisiscki and her team we re leaving fliers on front porches and talking to residents in the Kaiser attendance
area in Ypsilanti Township's West Willow neighborhood.

The staff has gone recru iting at feast three times since schoo l closed in June , but it's not new this year.

"We do this every year," Lisiscki said as she headed to another house on Oregon Avenue and
kindergarten teacher Sandy Bogoski visited houses on the other side of the street By doing this. she said ,
"we've been able to maintain our (school's) enrollme nt."

From knocking on doors , to sending out mass mailfngs, to advert ising on radio, billboards and in print
media, local schools are marketing themselves in an attempt to attract more students.

Since the state pays schoo l districts for each student enrolled, the more st udents a school has, the more
state funding the school receives. State financing is more crucial to schools than ever in the se tough
eco nomic times.

This past school year, traditiona l schoo ls across Wash-tenaw County experienced the first decline in
overall student enrollment in 20 years, primarily due to Michigan's wea k economy, which is forcing many
fam ilies to leave the state . Public c harter schools saw enrollme nt increases last year, but at a slower rate
than in prev io us yea rs.

Private school enrollment in Was htenaw Co unty increased 22 percent, from 3,842 in the 2006-07 school
yea r to 4,689 last year, acco rding to statistics from the Was htenaw Intermediate Schoo l District. At the
same time , student enrol lment in the county's 10 pUblic school districts dropped 2.1 percen t, from 45,371 in
September 2006 to 44,429 in 2007.

Traditional public schoo ls are feeling the bru nt because of the educationa l alternatives pare nts have , such
as private and charter schools, home -schoo ling, and schools of choice, wh ich are pub lic schools that
accept students from outside the district's boundaries.

Ann Arbor Public Schoo ls officials anno unced last week a marketing plan to add about 1 percent of the
district's existing enrollment ove r the next two school years. That would amount to about 200 students .

Liz Margolis, spokeswo man for the district, said the plan, estimated to cost between $7 1,000 and $75,000,
includes running ads on radio stations, in pr int media and on Ann Arbor Transportation Authority buses
from September to Apri l.

Competition for students is intense in eastern Washtenaw County, where three public school districts , four

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 Milve.com's Pdnter- Frlendly Page 07{ 21/2 Q08 03:05 PM

public charter schools and six private schools are located. The schools share the same ZIP codes and
encomp ass the city of Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township and portions of Superior and York townships.

The public Lincoln Consolidated Schools, Willow Run Community Schoois and Ypsilanti Public Schools are
using market ing campaigns to recruit students for the fall.

Lincoln had previousiy advertised on radio stations but decided that becoming a schools of choice district
wo uld be more beneficial. The district had hoped to enmll1 50 new students through schools of choice, but
only enrolled 75 as of June 30. However, 30 to 35 new students have enrolled because of moving into the
district over the summer, said lincoln Superintendent Lynn Cleary. She expects those numbers to rise in
Aug ust.

"But, yo u have to balance that with how many students hav e moved out," Cleary said, which won't be
know n until the fall.

Emma Jackson, spokeswoman for the Ypsilanti Public Schools, which is north of the lincoln district, said
officials there weren't surprised when lincoln became a schools of choice district.

"I believe it was inevitable that all the districts in this part of the county would become schools of choice,"
Ja ckson said. "I believe that our families are solidly behind us, and we'll continue to draw new families
because of our dive rsity and quality of program s and our partnerships with the Unive rsity of M ichigan ,
Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw Community College."

When it comes to marketing, Ypsilanti Public Schools has it covered wit h billboard campaigns and mailings
targ eting families w ith school-aged children in the area . On Tu esday, school staff are pla nning to knock on
doo rs in the Fairway Hilis subdivision in Ypsilanti Township and 10 the Normal Park neighborhood in
Ypsilanti to talk to residents about the district.

Willow Run Community Schools IS running ads on four Detroit radio stations. The $65,000 campaign began
in June and ends In mid -Auqust.

"We get a lot of calis from it, but whether or not people are submitting enrollment lorms, I don'l know," said
Willow Run Superintandent Doris Hope-Jackson

Willow Run school board members In June approved a bUdget for the current school year that inc luded
bringing in 170 new students, which would bring in $1.6 million in state funding. It is not clear how many
new stude nts have enrolled so far.

Meanwhile, Hope-Jackson said she is focusing on developing programs to draw more students, such as
the gifted and talented program for second- through sixth-graders slated to start at Kettering Eleme ntary in
the fall.

"I'm not trying to compete wilh the other school districts or copy what they're doing," Hope-Jackson said.
"We're building programs that Wilt attract students."

Teaching students through individualized instruction is a focus at Fortis Academy, said Chris Thompson,
principal 01 the public charter school on Gollside Road in Ypsiianti. Fortis has more than 700 students and
a wailing list. The school graduated its first eighth-grade class last year.

"We do a pretty good job of developing a good academic profile on every child and attempt to meet their
need s via a regular classroom," said Thompson , principal since the school open ed five ye a rs ago .

Parents don't seem to mind that the school doesn't have a marketing campaign going on.

Fortis parents Darryl and Amy Warner said the school's academic setting has been a good fit for their
children, Stacie, who is entering first grade, and Sydni, who is entering fifth grade. Darryl Warner also said
he believes that the staff at Fortis listens to parents' conce rns and suggeslions and carries them out if at
all possible

Thompson said that other than open houses, Fortis doesn't do marketing outside 01 its building.

"The way we get more people into our program and children who stay enrolled is literally through word -of -
mouth," Thompson said. "Your best sales tools are happy customers."

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 Mllvc.com's Printer-F rie ndly P",ge 08/0 7/ 2008 0 2;14 PM

Every thi ng MitNgan

:_::-.~,~- Tn E '~:;'-'-'

ANN ARBOR NEWS

Holdi ng stu dents back School district debates wh en to 'retain'
undera chievers
Sunday, July 27, 2008
BY DAVID JESSE
The Ann Arbor News

In what he called a "last-ditch" effort to reach failing students, Scarlett Middle Schoo l Principal Ben
Edmondson this spring held back 24 students from moving on to the next grade.

That may not sound like ma ny for a three- grade school, but it amounts to 5 percent of the slxth-, seventh-
and eighth-graders who make up the student body. And it is unusual compared to the other four middle
schools in the Ann Arbor district; only two students were held back at the othe r four schools combi ned.

Edmondson's move comes as district officials and the school board ponder whether to enact a districtwide
policy on when and how to "reta in" students from moving ahead to the next grade. Unlike most area school
districts, Ann Arbor has no districtwide policy or process for making the deci sion, leaving it up to the
discretion of each principal.

Edmondson said his decision to retain the 24 students was part of tus efforts to bolster the acade mic
climate al Scarlett.

"Kids don't think they have to be accou ntable for learning," he said. "I'm being held acco untable Ior the
achievement of students. The district is being held accountable for the achieveme nt of stude nts. At what
point do we hold students accountable?"

Not everyone believes making stude nts repeat a grade is the right answer. Instead, some experts say, the
key is delivering support to students to keep them from failing.

Research shows that retention can work in raising a student's achievement for a year or two, but not
longer, said Nelson Maylone, an assistan t professor of educational psychology at Eastern Michigan
University.

"Retention for students that haven't achieved is intuitively reasonable," said Maylone, who taught and
worked in public school districts for 25 years. "(However,) the research is so clear that retention is not a
good idea.

"We're certainly not going to scare kids into learning. If you want them to do it long term, you have to do
something else.

"Schools need to be thinking at what resources haven't we had brought to bear."

He said individualized learn ing plans are a good idea

Edmondson met with seven parents of students who were retained. One parent appeale d to a district
appeal board, which upheld Edmondson's decision.

Parents of several students w ho were retained declined to comment When contacted by The News.

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 Mhve.ccm 's Prfnter - Friendly Page 08 /07 / 200802 :14 PM

Scarlett's Parent Teacher Student Organization sent a leiter supporting the school's tougher stance to
district administrators and school board members, and some parents also say they like the approa ch.

Tina Worthy, who has two sons at the school, said she agrees with Edmondson's high expectations for
students. "If they don't do the work, I don't think they should just be moved up to the next grade," she said.

Deciding whom to retain

Edmondson and his staff, including counselors and teachers, came up with a process during the spring for
identifying students who might need to be retained.

They looked at the four core areas - English language arts, math, science and social studies - and the
grade for each subject in the first t hree marking periods of the school year.

Students w ho had failed six of those 12 grading opportunities were listed. The staff then looked at
Michigan Educational Placement Program test results, how the students did in the support classes they
took for at -risk stude nts, attendance records, Scholastic Reading Inventory scores and the previous year's
grades.

Then decisions were made to make students repeat the grade. The students retained were almost evenly
spit between sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students, Edmondson said.

"This shouldn't have come as a surprise to parents," Edmondson said. "We work With students who are
struggling all year. Our first parent-teacher conferences in October are invitation-only for the parents of
failing students."

Ce rtified leiters went aut to the parents of students whow ere being retained in late June.

"We are not thrilled with retention but just cannot send students forward who failed to meet with minimal
academic success in core subjects," Edmondson wrote in the lener. "We are hoping that your child will
experience a great deal of prosperity next year and we will be there to provide our ongoing support."

Edmondson's plans for the students next school year include keeping them with teachers with whom they
had success, SWitching to new teachers in subjects where students struggled, assigning them staff
mentors, giving them additional support classes and req uiring meetings each marking period with each
student's parents.

He encouraged the students to come to summer school. However, passing summer school will not move a
student who was to be retained into the next grade.

Othe r district approaches

For other area schools, retaining a student is a last resort. However, mast have carefully spelled out
policies and administrative guidelines for making the decision.

In Ypsilanti, that means struggling students are first sent to summer school to allow them to master
whatever is holding them back, said district spokeswoman Emma Jackson. Then, after summer school, the
decision about whether to retain a student is made. She said the district does not retain a "significant"
number of students.

In Saline, middle school principal David Raft has borrowed a program from high school Princ ipal Ben
Williams that mandates any student With two Ds or an E and a D to take part in a summer program. There
they work on covering not only academ ic SUbj ects. but also basic study skills. It's a three-week, three-hour-
a-day course.

They have 20 students slated to come the first week in Aug ust, Raft said.

"We tried to put something in place so we don't just retain students," he said. "At the start of the fourth
quarter, we had 80 kids that qualified for this. A lot of kids really picked it up to avoid having to go to this."

Saline did not retain any middle school students this last school year, Superintendent Scot Graden said.

In some other states , the 'decision on retention is taken out of principals' hands, thanks to laws mandating

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 Mlive .cc m's Prtnter-Fnend fv Page 08107/2 008 02:14 PM

students pass a test at the end of the school year in order to advance.

Ann Arbor Superintendent Todd Roberts doesn't support Michigan going to a system like that.

"That says that the only measure of achievement is that one test: he said. "There's more that needs to go
into that decision."

Ann Arbor plan s

Roberts hopes to have a policy on retention and the accompanying administretive guidelines In place by
the tall .

The go al is to create one process for princ ipals to follow, while allowing them fteXJbility in evaluating
dec isions, Roberts said.

"We wa nt to have a consistent process across the district," he said. He said he doesn't want a specific set
of criteria that triggers retention.

The school board's perfonnance committ ee began looking at this issue before Edmondson's decision.

The chairwoman of the performance committee, Deb Mexicolte, said Ann Arbo r needs a distr ictwide policy.

"I expect a process," she said. "T here should be no surprise for parents that their students are in danger of
being retained I would expect every y ear for there to be some retentions at the elementary and middle
school level."

Roberts said he can see why some students mig ht be held beck.

"For som e students, it is needed," he said. "The bigger question is what we are doing to support the
student before il gets to the point of retention."

David Jesse can be reached at djess e@annarbomews.com or at 734-994-6937. Join the discussion at
blog mlive.com/study_hall.

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 Mllve.co m's Printer- Friendly Paqe 7 / 24 /081 2;02 PM

Ever yth ing MlchillM

Tn,
ANN ARBOR NEWS
Skyline High prepares f or opening day Wo rk continues · ana the
library boo ks are shelved
Thursday, July 24, 2008
BY DAVID JESSE
The Ann Arbor News

Sa ra Duvall had a weighty problem sitting outside the almost empty media center at the new Sky line High
School on Tuesday morning.

She had 7,000 books, stacked on 15 pallets, waiting to be carried into the media cente r so they could be
unpacked by a bevy of parents, students, staff members and community members.

The solution?

Eniist members of the football team, who needed a warm-up exercise, said Duvall, the department
chairwoman of media and techn ology at Skyline.

The boxes of books were moved inside Then, all day Wednesday, people unpacked and stacked the
books. The books came already marked with the proper Dewey Decimal System label, so all that needed
to be done was to put them in the right orde r and make sure everything thai was orde red arrived.

The filling of Ihe bookshelves with the $250,000 collection is just one of the many steps being taken this
s ummer as Skyline read ies itself for an invasion by a horde of freshmen the Tuesday after Labor Day,

"Every day we're getting deliveries," Principal Suiura Jackson said 'We're getting a lot of traffic."

Teachers have been filtering in and out of the building all summer, meeting in conference rooms 10 work
on curriculum and heading down the long halls to set up their classrooms .

The Skyline staff hopes to be all toge ther on Tuesday, Aug. 19, for Ihree days of training, Jackso n said.

"That's going to be great," she said. "" . We just got done hiring our world language teach ers, so we're
getting to full staff,"

Work still continues on the buildings and the grounds. Landscaping is going on, and contractors are still
making sure everything works the wa y it should,

"We had a conference in June where we w ere in the rooms," Jackson said, "That let them see how they
would be with bodies in it. Some were really hot and some were too cold We were able to adjust the
temperatures,"

Students are in the building as well, w ith severa l sports teams running practices,

"It's one thing to look at the auditorium and the natatorium and see how great they are," Jackson said. "To
see kids in the pool - that's great.

"To see the eagle in the middle of the football field is a sight to behold "

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 M rive,com' s Printe r-F riendly rag€' 7/2 4108 12:02 PM

The school also has its Parent Teacher StUdent Organization up and running, with officers elected and
beginning to do planning for the upcoming year, Jackson said,

And while staff members are excited to see the building fill up with turniture, they're more excited about
being able to use all the new technology to teach students,

For Duvall, that means using technology like a computer server to w hich she's uploading the school's
movie collection, Teachers will be able to download those movies directly to their laptops and then show
the m to their classes via the projectors in each room without ever coming to the media center to get a
copy ,

"The enthusiasm of the staff is incredible," Duvall said, "We're so excited to get students here,"

David Jesse can be reached at dJesse@annarbornews.com or at 734 -994 -6937, JOin the discussion at
blog,mlive com/studyhal'.

©200a Ann Arbor News

© 2008 Michigan Live. Ali Rights Reserved,

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 Mllve.ccm's Prtnt er- Frlendlv Page 08 11~ /2008 11: SG AM

Ev. rythln[l~Uch I91lli

Sky li ne Hig h prepares for opening day Worl< contin ues - and t he
library books ars shelved
Sunday, July 27, 2008
BY DAVID JESSE
The Ann Arbor News

Sara Duvall had a weighty problem silting outside the almost empty media center at the new Skyline High
Schoo l on Tuesday morning.

She had 7,000 books, stacked o n 15 pallets, waiting to be carried into the media center so they could be
unpacked by a bevy of parents, students, staff members an d community members.

The solution?

Enlist members of the football team, who needed a warm-up exercise, said Duvall, the department
chairwom an of media and technology at Skyline.

The boxes of books were moved inside. Then, all day Wednesday, people unpacked and stacked the
books. The books came already marked with the proper Dewey Decimal System label, so all that needed
to be done was to put them in the right order and make sure everything that was ordered arrived.

The fJlJing of the bookshelves with the $250,000 collect ion is just one of the many steps being taken this
summer as Skyline readies itself for an invasion by a horde of freshmen the Tuesday after Labor Day.

"Every day we're getting dellvenes," Principa l Sulura Jackson said. "We're getting a lot of traffic."

Teachers have been filtering in and out of the building all summer , meeting in conference rooms to work
on curriculum a nd heading down the long halls to set up their classrooms

The Skyline staff hopes to be all together on Tuesday, Aug . 19, for three days of training, Jackson said.

"That's going to be great," she said. "... We jus t got done hiring our world lanquaqe teachers, so we're
getting to full staff."

Work still continues on the buildings and the grounds. Landscaping is going o n, and co ntractors are still
making sure everything works the way it should.

"We had a conference in June where we were in the rooms ," Jackson said. "That let them see how they
would be with bodies in it. Some were really hot an d some were too cold, We were able to adj ust the
temperatures."

Students are in the building as well, wlth seve ral sports teams running practices.

"It's one thing to look at the auditorium and the natatorium and see how great they are," Jackson said. "To
see kids in the pool - that's great

"To see the eagle in the middle of the foo tball field is a sight to behold."

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 Mlive.cor!i'S Pri.nter- Friendly Page 08115/2008 11 :56 AM

The school also has its Parent Teacher Student Organization up and running, with officers elected and
beginning to do planning for the upcoming year, Jackson said.

A nd while staff members are excited to see the building fill up with furniture, they're more excited about
being able to use all the new tec hnology to teach students.

For Duvall, that means using technology like a computer server to which she's upload ing the school's
movie collection. Teachers will be able to download those movies directly to their laptops and then show
them to their classes via the projectors in each room without ever coming to the media center to get a
copy .

"The enthusiasm of the staff is incredible," Duva ll said. "We're so excited to get students here."

David Jesse can be reached at djesse@annarbarnews.com or at 734 -994-6937. Join the discussion at
blog.mlive.comistudL hall.

©2008

© 200 B Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.

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 M Hv e.c om's Print er- Friendly Paqo 08i0 7! 20Q8 02:21 PM

State push es f o r ail -day kinderq arten

Schools may lose money w ith half-days

Saturday. August 02, 2008

BY LIZ COBBS
After about lhree years of research and planning, the Chelsea School District will launch full-day , every -
day kindergarten classes in the fall.

North Creek Elementary Schoo l has been under renovation to accommodate the growth expected when
seven new kindergarten cla sses begin.

''We're excited about the new program and we anticipate great things to come," said Chelsea
Superintendent David Killips. "We know that if we can have an educational impact on students in the
earliest stages as possible, it will pay dividends in years to come."

More school districts across Michigan are moving to offer full-day kindergarten classes, and the state Is
moving to encourage them . Over the next two years, school districts tha t maintain half-day kinde rga rten
will nsk losing state school funding.

A provision in the 2008-09 state school aid package recently passed by Michigan lawmakers will cut
funding for half-day and all ernate -day kindergarten programs and fully fund full-day kindergarten. The
change would be phased in over the next few years.

Fully funded programs are those that get the full per-pupil allocation from the state. Currently, the state
provides the same funding for half-day and full-day programs.

Under the provision, kindergarten programs wou ld be fully funded in the 2010-11 schoo l year if
kindergartners receive 60 percent of the instructional time required for a full day of school. In 2011-12,
kindergarten programs wo uld be fully funded if they operate at least 70 percent of a full school day.

The legislative change is in keeping with Gov. Jennifer Granholm's push to expand early childhood
programs across Michigan. In her State of the State address in January, the governor called on schoo l
districts to begin offering full-day kindergarten.

More than half of the 10 school distr icts in Washtenaw County offer full-day kinderga rten.

School officials say full-day prog rams are more expensive than half-day kindergarten. Killips said the new
full-day program will cost Chelsea an additional 5300,000 for the coming schoc l year, because the district
hired three more teachers and had other costs.

In Ann Arbor Public Schools. Superintend ent Todd Roberts said he's not sure what impact the new
mea sure will have since the d.stnct offers both full-day kindergarten classes and half-day kindergarte n
classes.

"We have to get a better understand ing of what that would mean to us since we already offe r some full-
day kindergarten," Roberts said. "Obviously since it's so far away, who knows if this is going to affect us?"

Saline Area Schools offers a half-day kindergarten progr am and an extended-day kindergarten program.

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 Mllve.ccm's Printer- Friendly Page 08/[)7/20[) 80:2:21 PM

The exten'ded-day option for kindergartners was a response to a request from families who were interested
in full-day kindergarten , said Superintendent Scol Graden .

The district will have to lake a closer look at the recently passed measu re to see w hat impact it might
have, Grad en sa id.

Like Chelsea , the Manchester Community School District wi ll begin offer ing ail-day, every-day kindergarten
cla sses this fall, said Superintenden t Shawn Lewis-Lakin.

The decis ion to have a full-day kin dergarten program was not made beca use of state funding changes, he
said, but rather to provide the best education for students.

"There are some positive benefits to having all -day, every -day programs ," Lewis-Lakin said. "W ith the
increased academic expectations, we'll able to provide the instruction and support students will need to
meet those expectations ."

Liz Cobbs can be reached at Icobbs@an narbornews.comor734 -994 -6810.

©2008 Ann Arbor News

© 2008 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.

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 The d ttemm a of expulsions: They increase as more schools go to zero t ole r ance - Late st fro m tile An n Arbor Nli'w S - Ml.ive .com 08/07 / 2008 02:2 5 PM

The dilemma of expulsions: They increase as more schools go to zer o tolerance

Posted by Imollson Aug ust 02, 2008 22 :51PM

Karrie Rhodes didn't see the first punch that was thrown.

She did n't see the second, either.

What she did see was one of her students being shoved to the ground.

Then. as she raced toward the pair in the back of Kettering Elementary Sc hool in the Willow Run district.
the fo urth-grade teacher saw a kick to the face that left one student with a cut under his right eye and a knot
on his fore head.

T he cause of the fight? Depending on your point of view. either mean-spirited teasi ng of the new boy or an
aggressive troublemaker looking for a fight.

Rhodes' account of what happened d uring the fight and in the hours leading up to it - even the parts she
didn't see - was enough for the Willow Run school board to expel the new student for almost two months.

When the board took that action, the IO-year- old became one of the yo ungest area students expelled in the
past five years.

He also became part of an ongoing debate about how to discipline students.

It's a debate being won more and more by those who favor zero- tolerance policies in schools in the state.
so me experts say.

"We're in a climate today in which zero tolerance is influencing the ways in whic h things once considered
minor infractions are considered major infractions, or the sign that a major infraction is abo ut to occur," said
Robert l agers, University of Michigan associate professor of educatio n. "That's compli cated by schools and
teac hers that are under pressure to perfo rm academically. In some ways, it's easier for a teacher or school to
get riel of you than to deal with yo u."

However, Peter Bakeman, who has a daughter attending Ypsilanti High Sc hool, said some students need to
be expelled.

"When there arc rules in place, they need to be followed," he said. "Schools should offer help to struggling
students, and lots of it, but if someone keeps breaking the rules, I think it's best for them to be removed from
school. There are other students there who deserve the chance to learn."

E xpulsions, classitied by the state as any exclusion from school that lasts longer than 10 days, have shot up
since the 2002-03 school year, an Ann Arbor News analysis of data collecte d by the state Department of
Educat ion shows.

Gro wing the fastest are expulsions related to weapons and physical assau lt.

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 · The dile mma of expulsions: They increase <1$ mor e sc hool s go to zero tolerance - Lat est fro m the Ann Arbo r News - Mljve.com 08/07/ 200 802:2 5 PM

There's also growth in the nu m ber of st udents w ho are expelled for at least one sc hoo l year, state da ta
shows. That number has c lim bed fro m 39 1 st uden ts expelled for a yea r in the 2002 -03 sc hoo l yea r to 85 1 JIJ
the 2006-07 school year. T hat's an increase of 117 .6 percent.

T he result of all these exp ulsions - almost 1,900 across the state in the 2006-07 sc hoo l year - is a growing
group of st udents wit h no real good choices for life, man y say .

"What kind of future do th ey ha ve for them ? " Ypsilanti Supe rinte ndent Jim Hawkins sa id. "What does life
hol d fo r you if yo u've been ex pelled ?"

Hawk ins tries to get this message ac ros s to students.

"I tell them that if they get kicked o ut of school or drop out, they have two likely destinations - incarceration
or th e ce metery."

A new beginning?

A pril 22 was supposed to be a new start for the l O-year-old with a long list of violations .

A t Holmes Elementary School in the Willow Run district, he had been in all so rts of tro uble that had
res ulted in five suspe nsio ns and 23 mi ssed days of schoo l. T he suspensions were fo r offenses that inc luded
threatening a staff mem ber, insubordi nat ion and endanger ing others. He was bein g transferred to Ketterin g
in the hope that a new environme nt would he lp him change his ways.

He showed IIp for school that day shortly after 8:50 a.m., after all the othe r stude nts we re in class .

Accompanied by his m other, he was intro duced to Rhodes , who told him he had a clean slate with her.

The teacher introdu ced him to the class an d sat him at a tab le with three other students . What happened after
th at is not clear -c ut.

Here 's the official version , culled fro m reports submitted to the sc hool board :
A bout an hour and a half after arriving in class, the lO-year -old be gan swe aring and flippi ng his middle
f nger up at Rhodes.

She ca lled him IIp to her desk and tal ked to him abo ut his behavior. He sa t tensely, wi th distraught faci al
expressions while breathing hea vily.

Abo ut 2:30, tbe class went a nt to recess. O n the wa y out, the boy be gan shadowboxing and then attacked
the othe r fourt h-grader, who fough t back.

Kettering Prin cip al Delores Jenkin s too k writte n statements after th e fi ght from several st udents and Rhod es,
but not from the IO-year-old himself.

S he passed on her report to Superintendent Doris Hope-Jackson, who forwarded it to the sch ool board fo r an
exp ulsion hearing.

W hile school boards are the ultimate decision makers on expulsion m atters, experts say board mem bers
rarely vote against the administrati on's recommendations, making the superinten dent a key pivot poi nt in

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 The d ilemm a of ex pu ls ions : T hev Incre ase as mo re scho ols go to ze ro tole rance - Lat es t fro m th e Ann Arbo r News - MLive .co m 08/07/ 200 8 02 :25 PM

whether a student is dismi ssed from school.

Superintendents face a tough balancing act - weighing the safety of the entire school against their desire to
give a kid another chance.

Hope-Jackson, who declin ed to comm ent on this specific case, said expulsion is a last resort. but sometimes
it's the only way to protect other students.

"We bring (an expulsion) to the school board when we cannot address the behavior issues of the kid and
have no alternative but to remove them from the school."

She added a student's age doesn't fact or into her decision to seek expulsion.

"A five-year- old can do something heinous.just as a 12-year-old or a 17-year-o ld can ," she said. "Would
they understand right or wrong ? I think so."

. One man's approach

A student in the Ypsilanti school district who has done somethin g serious enoug h for admini strators to
consider expulsion or long-term suspension will find himself sitting at a long conference table with
Hawkins.

Next to the superintendent will be a copy of the student's perman ent record.

Hawkin s and the student will go over every issue filed there.

"I try to read the riot act to them ," Hawk ins said. "I try to 'beat' them up a bit and make sure they unders tand
the reality of the situation.

"We normaJIy spend about an hour there. Lots of times, kids leave in tears. 1 alwa ys leave with 'I love yo u.'
n

The students leave with Hawkin s' home phone number, cell phone number and a signed contract outlining
changes they'll make.

It works about 60 to 70 percent of the time. Hawkins said.

"My main philosophy has been to do everything humanely possible to save as many kids as possible," he
said. "I know I can't save them all."

If students don't change their behavior after that meeting, most of the time they end up going before the
school board for an expul sion hearing.

Th ose hearings can be emotiona l, con frontational and sometimes chaotic. T hey are often held behind closed
doors at the parents' request and place often untrain ed school board members in the uncomfortable position
of serving as j udge and jury.

Th e expulsion hearing

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 The d il~ rn ma of ex pulsio ns . They increase a'S more sc hools 90 to U fO toler ance - Latest from the Ann Arbo r News - MUve.com 08 /0 7/ 20 0& 02:25 rM

As Willow Run school board members heard an account of the incident, the l O-year-old facing expulsion
sat quietl y next to his mother, who was alrea dy sniffling a bit.

Rhode s told the board what she knew about the event, reading from the statement she wrote the day after
the fi ght.

At times, she noted she didn't see what happened, didn't hear what the l O-year-old was saying and didn't see
the rude gestures. Instead, students in her class told her what had happened .

T hen, it was time for the l O-year-nld and his family to state their case.

According to their version, the lfl -year-old wasn't cursing and wasn't mak ing rude gest ures. After being
called to the front of the classroom , he returned to his table where he sat cryi ng, mostly because of anger.

Th e other boy involved in the right came over and started picking on him. Th en, while he went to recess, he
was shadowboxing when the other boy began picking on him again.

T hat 's when the fight began. The Itl-year- old said he hit first, then was pushed onto his back.

As for the kick ? The JO-year-old said he was ju st trying to do a flip to get himself back on his feet.

His family also pointed out that the other boy received no punishment, despite admitting that he was in a
fi ght.

The hea ring then fell into a series of charges and countercharges between administrators on one side and the
family and Stndent Advocacy Center representatives on the other side.

Th ere were no clos ing statements and no chance for either side to q uestion the other. despite repeated
attempts, especially by the center's advocates to do so.

At many points, several p eople, including representatives of both sides and school board members, were
talking at once.

As the evening progressed, the boy's mother, Felecia Hancock, became emotional, saying the district hadn't
tried to help her son. The school's acade mic reports place him several grades behind his peers in every
subject, especially in writing and reading.

"Why won't you help my son? " she sobbed. "Just help my son. Please hel p my son."

Afte r more than an hour-and a half, the board told the fa mily it would decide the case later and moved on to
ot her matters.

At 9:25 p.m., after a 25-millute closed session to debate the the case, Willow Run's school board emerged
and voted unanimously to ban the fourth-grader from school for the rest of the year.

The family got the news in a letter a few days later.

In many ways, the Ifl-year-old fit s the stereotype of students who get expelled.

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 T he d ilemma of ex pulsion '>: They Increase as more schools go to z ero tolerance - Latest from t he Ann Arbo r Newv -. MU ve,co m 08! 07f 20 08 02:2S PM

"They are mostly of color, poor and come from a single-parent home," said Margaret Harner, an advocate
with the Student Advocacy Center of Michigan. "They tend to get labeled as troublemakers, and then they
get pushed out of the schoo l."

The I O-year-old is all of that.

Superintendent Hawkins said many students who get expelled are 15 or 16 years old and frequently violate
the school code of conduct.

"They need some sort of attention and for many of them, some attention is better than none," he said.

The aftermath

After the expulsion, there was nowhere for the lO-year-old to go.

He and his mother live with his grandmother. His mother works. They can't afford a private school. There's
no alternative elementary schoo l.

The school promised to send a tutor once a week, but no one showed up for severa l weeks, the family said.

T he grandmother, who is a subs titute teacher and a paraprofessional, copied down assignments and details
fr om classrooms she works in so she could bring them home.

"He needed help," Hancock said. "We're trying to home-scho ol him, but we ain't no teachers.

"He has an anger problem. I know that. I wanted him to be tested (fo r special-ed ucation help), but they told
me I did n't want him to have that label, that it would follow him for 50 years."

Hancock doesn't believe her son was blameless, but said the district overreacte d.

"He should have been punished Ior being in the fight. That wasn't right. He could have been suspended fo r
one day, for two days . But fo r the rest of the school year? "

for many students, troubles m ultiply after they get expelled,

"A kid with that much more free time is more vulnerable to influences leading them into trouble," Mark
Fancher, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, said .

lagers of U-M agreed.

"They find other kids who have been put out of school and they become delinquent together. They feed off
each other.

"It's a school-to-prison pipeline."

So what's the solution? That's unclear.

While there are those would like to see expulsions eliminated altogether, Hawkins sees a need for them. But
he would like to make sure they are used as a last resort.

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 The dile m ma of exculstcns- They increaseas more schools 90 to zero tolerance - Lat est from t he Ann Arbor New s - MUvP,com 08 107/ 2008 0 2~ 2 S PM

"What I need in our district is more new tutorin g, mentoring and other intervention programs. What we
d early need is other kinds of interve ntion strategies.

"We can't afford to lose another generation."

David Jesse can be reached at djesse@annarbornews.com or at 734-994-6937. .loin the discussio n at

blo R.lI1live.COlll!stady halt.

Read the story

Categories: Educatio n, To p Sto ries

Comments

em vhall says•..

I'm in the Ypsilanti School District with one daughter at a middle schoo l and one at the high school.
Children need parents and families that are there to love them and discipline them. Th e school district can
only do so much. It's a parents/families job to raise them. Last yea r at YHS we had a pri ncipal who cov ered
up fights, knife incidents, etc. That meant there were no exp ulsions fo r those issues. YHS was a much more
dangerous place to be for the students . These problem st udents are not innocent. kids ju st. waiting fo r
guidance. They are aggressive and violent. If their antics arc ignored, they j ust get wo rse. Zero tolerance
protects the students who are at the school to get an educat.ion. While I feel bad for the mothe r of this 10
year-o ld, she is much of the problem. Perhaps parenting classes for her would help. Many single parents
raise productive, non-violent children. I think our schoo ls go out of their way to try to hel p these children. I
don't see as much of an investment by the parents. Maybe more research needs to be do ne on how to help
the famili es learn how to parent.

Posted On 08/03/08 at 8:59AM

URKid d inMc22 says ..•

Schoo l leadership must be procative in dealing with behavio r issues. When issues can no t be avoided,
school leadership needs to be very orga nized in the approach taken to addre ss problems. The entire school
comm unity is dependent upon both the proacti ve and reacti vc choices that school leadership makes. I am
concerned about some of the actions and beliefs regarding Willow Run leadership described in this article .
My first concern is why would a 10 year old who is already disp laying problems at another school be moved
to a second elementary school without an ag ressive support plan? It seems that an iden tifie d student havin g
difficulties needs more that a new location to be successful. T he person or persons who made that decisio n
bear some responsiblity fo r what occ urred in that classroom on day one of the fresh start. It seems they put a
classroom at risk. It is also concerning that the parent reports that she reqnested special education testing
which she states was dism issed by school perso nnel. By law, schools are required to test students when
pare nts make a request for testin g. Testing doesn't require la beling . It seems that thc shoo l district wo uld
have supported getting mo re infor mation regard ing this partic ular student. It may have helped to create an
aggressive support plan. Has the superintendent, Doris Hope-Jackson, checke d into what schoo l perso nnel
broke the Jaw and dismissed this parent' s request for testin g? She is q uoted in the article as sayi ng

http : / / b lo.g .m lrvp. .,om /a llna r bom t'\V'5 i2 0 08 /aB /l fll,~ _dHl!. m m i.l _QL~xpu ls i ons _ theY /p r i nt . htm l Pag el 6 o f 10
 The dt femma of expulsions: They increase as more schools go to zero tolerance - Latest from the AnnArbor News - Ml.lve.ccm 08/0 7/ 20080 2:25 PM

"expul sion is a last resor t" wo uldn' t paren t requested toasting come before the last re sort? I also do n't
und erstand why a principal would not get a sta tement reagarding the acti ons of an acc used stude nt.
"Ke tte ring P rincipal Delores Jenkins took written statements af ter the fig ht from seve ral students and
Rh odes, but not from the IO-year-old him self." Agai n, this is anot her mi ssed o pportunity to get all of the
informati on needed to react appropriately. It probabl y wou ld not have changed the o utcome but it may have
given m ure information which is always helpful wh en addressing serious probl em s. Lastly , I am conce rned
abo ut the foil wong statement attributed to Dori s Hope-J ackson: She ad ded a stu de nt's ag e doesn't fac tor into
her de cision to seek ex pulsion . "A fiv e- year-old can do so mething heinou s, j ust as a 12- year -old or a 17-
ye ar-old can," she said. "Would they understand ri ght or wrong? 1 think so." The re are developm ental and
c og nitive differe nce s between 5, 12, and 17 year a ids. The legal system un derstan ds this point. How can a
supe rintendent of a Ki ndergarten throu gh twelfth grade schoo l district think that they all are able to
com pre he nd actions in the same wa y. T he bottom line is that address ing behavioral probl ems successf ully
need s q uali ty orga nized proactive and react ive s upport systems. T here is no doubt that serious be havi or
needs to be addressed with serious con sequences but what is bein g don e to sto p these pro blems before the y
occur and before there are vict ims ?

Posted on 0 8/03/08 at 9:44 AM

meanmustard says...

Let's get the first point straight. Doris Hop e-J ack son is stupid to make such a statem ent. 1 have done
teaching at Kettering and it is a reall y toug h environment. T he Willow R un Sc hool Di strict itself lies in an
area of social unr est where crime is a way of solving problems. A teacher took home a sick student one day
with the approval of the previous principle becau se their mom did not have a ca r to come pick up their
chi ld -vle t alone mi ght hav e bee n on dru gs and incoh erent to do so, accordi ng to the teac he r. How abo ut the
boy 1 met who found his mother at the age of six in a closet where she had committed suici de ? T his is real
people .

Many of these kid s grow up in an unproducti ve famil y en vironment. I am not saying all as I have met kid s
th at we re doing amazing things at this scho ol an d were again st the odds th e evident surrounding area offe rs.

And back to the po int of Hop e-J ackson ? All ch ildren know right from wron g, but do you think a five year
old has the capacity to understand wha t a sevente en year old has ? Fool : one deficien t in j udgme nt and good
sense. No wo nder the school district is losin g so man y children, because I woul dn 't want mine their eithe r.

Posted on OX/0 3/0 8 at 12:30PM

dixborodixie says ...

W hen do we stop passing the buck. Thi s 10 yr old obvio usly has anger and em otion al issues , which his
mother ex pects everyone else ( m ostly the school) to address. Th ere are many low cost venues for her to ge t
cou nseli ng for her and her so n. The U of M , has a won derful family counseling se rvice , th at is based on
yo ur inco me . Huron Valley has one . I feel like we are only getting a small part of th e story here also . Who
did the mother ask abo ut tes ting? Se ems to me th at there comes a tim e that our j uvenil e system should be
helpi ng BEFORE he gets into mo re serio us trouble. The first thin g I wo uld see is a child fronting, maybe
because he just can't learn , ca n't compre hend how to learn . So be acts o ut bea use he doesn 't want the other
kid s to th ink he's stupid. Mom , take him to child and fami ly service s at Uof M !!

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 Th e d ilemm a of exp ulsions : The y Iocree se a s mor e sch o ols go to zer o to le ranc e - Latest from t ile Ann Arbo r New s - Ml.tve.co rn 08 /07/7.008 0 2 :2 5 PM

Posted on 08/03/08 at 12: 39PM

pokey22 says...

As being a former teacher in Michi gan , I can tes tify that many peo ple are to blame in this situation. Th ough
we place much of the blam e on the parents, understand that many of these parents do not know how to raise
their children, or are not in their lives enough to make a difference . [ was very disapp ointed to sec that the
district decided to transfer the stude nt to another school, instead of hav ing some action plan in place to help
this chi ld and their family. As a teacher, I would be very unhappy if I wa s threa tened and the best solution
that was made was to tranfer the st udent to anot her school, possibly place another staff member at risk. [f
this incid ent also took place outs ide during recess, who is supervisi ng the children'! It doesn't sound like
there was adequate supervision in this area . I also want to ment ion that man y parents have unrea listic
expectati ons of teac hers. Te achers have many responsibilities during the day. No t only do we have the
respon sibili ty of teaching children, we also have to plan for future sc hoo l days, take tim e o ut fo r
conferences , make pho ne ca lls, grade asse ssments, attend professional develo pment meetings, and spend
cou ntless other hours outside of school hours doing many ot her activities to improve the quality of
educa tion for children. T hough some of the blam e can be placed at the parents, teachers, and child's feet,
who is making these odd and stupid decisions that lead up to all this mess? I se rio usly ques tion the
leadershi p of the superintendent and the board of ed ucation. [I' you can't control your sc hool district, maybe
yo u sho uld find a new profession !

Posted on 08/03/08 at 1:09PM

ima realtlyer saJ's...

My, my, my. What a da mning article. Yes, the truth hurts . But lets work to fix it. Hope-Jackson is one of
the owrst things I have seen hit Ypsi lanti. She needs to be fired and dro p-kicked bac k to wherever she came
f rom. Bennit, Cianna now Jackson. T his is a W illow Run Board of Education issue of lack of leadership }!'!
T he man from M[ Chronic le said it best. We deserve what we get in elected officials. Wh y '! Because we put
them an d keep them there. This 10 year old boy knows som ethings, an d obvio usly is lacking in many are as
too. He needed help and Will ow Run failed him. If you replace the current idiots with people who are
qualified, capab le and care, you will see big diffrncc in the product the schools produce, as well as with the
staff. I fec i sorry for those trap ped by Braxton, Smith and Jackson' s assinine behavior. They are self -s erving
j ackasses...oops, i meant do nkeys.

Posted on 08/03/08 at 2:06PM

coach 1202 says ...

Here is a little different take on this.

First, the parent needs to take res pons ibility for her child's actions. If she knows there is a problem, what
has S HE done to get help for HER child. There arc a lot of low cos t co unsoling options for fami lies in thi s
type situation. The sc hool district is not solely responsible for raising her Child.

Second, the school is in a very tou gh situation. What can they do to help th is student'! They transfered him

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 The dilemm a of exp ulstons: They Increase as more schools go t o ze ro to lera nce - l atest from the A nn Arbor News - MUve,com 08/0 7/ 2008 0 2:2-') PM

to a different school s. Do they have a counsoler in the school for him to see'! Does the district have the
money to provide the help these and many other students in need of help.

The school district is definately not without blame her either.

If they are going to expell a student they had belter have a way of educating him durin g the expu lsion. He
has a legal right to an education. and in my opinion the Willow Run schools failed in that regard when they
failed to provide him an adequate location and materials to get an education.

In my opinion, this is a combin ation of a school district facin g serious fundin g problems which prohibit it
from providing the services they need to for all student. It is also an issue of a parent that doesn't have
control over her child and doesn't want to or have the ability/knowledge to get him help , thus the reason she
is expectin g the schoo l to provide all the answers to her childs problems.

In conclu sion, this a complete mess that all these facors contribute to.

The question is what ca n be done ? Willow Run is not a stable area. Crime is a huge part of the issue in that
area. Is this an area of bad people ? I don't think so. Is this an area in which the support for a safe
community is lacking ? ] think so.

Posted on 08/03/08 at 3:19PM

ShowAndTcII says...

Willow Run elementary teachers and staff do an amazing job of workin g with students and their famili es to
provide quality education. There are specific protocols in place that prevent the horror story presented in this
article from becoming reality. It is a shame that the Ann ArborNews chose to sensationalize only one
anicdota l event for their very biased story.

Please realize that there an: two sides to every story and this appears to be a lopsided account. It would be
unprofessional and unethical for Dr. Hope-J ackson or any member of the Willow Run district to comment
on a specific student incident.

I believe that providing a safe atmosphere for learning is paramount in Willow Run elementary schools.

Posted on 0 8/03/08 at 9:25PM

meanmustard says...

I'd never support the jerk off. Eastern professors have even grumbled about the district. Many teac hers are
good at what they do, but I see the admini stration as being a problem. The WISD seems to agree.

Posted on 08/04/08 at 12:26AM

friend12 says...

I am not familiar with the school district in question. In general discip line needs to be of a progressive

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 · The dilemma of expu lsions: They Increase as more Sd 100 ls g o [ 0 zero tole rance - Lcrest from the Ann Arbor News - MUve .com Daf07/l 00S 02:25 PM

nature. In this case that see ms to have happened. What I do see in my schoo l district and others is the
admi nistrators "follow ing the rules" and based on a "zero tolerance" policy handin g down punishment with
no program or effort to try and co rrec t the problem. An in school suspension in many cases would be better
than just keeping the kid home. Se nding some kids home is exac tly they wanted in the first place. "zero
toleran ce " policies need to be changed to force the admi nistra tor to make an effort to determine what would
potenti ally work to correct the problem instead of headin g towards j ust removin g the problem from the
school.

Posted on 08/04/0 8 at 7:35A M

llGOBLUEll says...

Many of the people posting here see m to think it 's the role of school officials to act as parents. Th e kids
willing to learn get to stay , and the ones that aren't willing to don't. Evol utionary principles in action.

Posted on 08/04/08 at 9:03AM

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ANN ARBOR NEWS

As budget eb bs, fou ndati on steps in
An n Arbor schools welcome boost

Thursday, August 07, 2008

BY DAVID JESSE

The A nn Ar bor News

Here's Ihe challenge facing the Ann Arbor school district: How does it add prog rams students need w hile
fac ing bUdget woes that have led to $1 5 million in cuts the last four years?

Superintendent Todd Roberts posed that question to about 20 community members gathered Wednesday
morning for a breakfast with the An n Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation.

The answer? Roberts isn't sure but said part of the solution could be found in the fundraising done by the
foundation.

The organization has been around for several decades but has had a renewed push to raise funds in
recent years. This last school year, it raised $220,000, more than its goal at $200,000.

That money funded grants to teachers for classroom projects and the purchase of special w rrting software
to help students in grades five to nine, foundation Executive Director Wendy Correll said as she walked
through a list of accomplishments.

"II was just a marvelously long list," she said. "We just plan on continuing that upward growt h."

The foundatio n has plans for fund ing teacher grants ag a ~ n this year and also to purchase two different
ACT prep tests for district students to use, one in eighth grade and one in 101h grade. The organization
also plans to work on enrichment programs at the elementary school level.

The district is grateful for the help, especially because it doesn't look like the state will increase funding by
a ny large measure any time soon , Roberts said.

"We are working on how do we maintain all of this (the various programs in the district) while adding what
we need for our students ? I don't think the state is going to be in any posrtion to do much more."

David Jesse can be reached at djesse@a nnarbornews.comorat 734-994- 6937. Join the discussion at
blog.mlive.com/study-hall.

©20 0a Ann Arbor News

© 2008 Michigan Live . All Rights Reserved.

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 Talented teen s spend summe r alo r mstde UnivNsity of Miehig ;ln grad st ude nts - Lates t from tile: Ann Arbo r News - Ml jve.corn 08/07/2008 01:50 PM

Talented teens spend summer alongside University of Michigan grad students

Posted by Cllericso August 07, 2008 11:00AM

'Alan Warren I The Ann Arbor

News Jeff Hampton, a senior at Saline High School, looks at breast cancer cells throngh a microscope earlier
this month alongside his mentor, University of Michigan graduate student Devin Rosenthal, at the U-M
Cance r Center in Ann Arbor. Th ey are a part of Michigan Mentorships, a program in which U- M grad uate
students mentor gifted high school students dur ing the summer,

Jeff Hamp ton, a Saline High Schoo l senior, is spending his summer getting ali idea of what it's like to be in
the medical field.

Through Michigan Mentorships, Hampt on has been working with University or Michigan graduate student
Devin Rosenthal all his laboratory research all inflamm atory breast cancer.

Ge tting first-hand laboratory expe rience at the U-M's Cancer Center is something that can't be replicated in
a high school science class, he said.

"This is a lot more fo cused and more repetitive (than a class)," Hampton said. "This has a more grow n-up
fee ling. It's easier to focus on the task at hand and I'm always a part of what's going on. This has been an
amazing experience."

Hampton is one of 30 students participating in Michigan Mentorships, a summer program for gifted and
talented students arranged throu gh the cooperation of the Washtenaw County Alliance for Gifted Education
and the U-M. For the past 27 years, high school students have been matched with mentors in the areas of
engineering, English, science, math , aerospace, poli tical science and the arts.

Th is year's Michigan Mentorship s bega n June 20 and will end Aug. 21.

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 Ta lent ed t ee ns spe nd sum mer alonqs jde u niversity o f Mlcnigan q rad stu dent s - La test from t he Ann Arbo r News - MUve .co m 08/ 07!2 008 Ol:SO PM

The program strives to give students a real-world, hands-on experience in areas they may decid e to pursue
a s careers. It also helps students know what advanced edu cati on is needed to obtain jobs in those area s.

Ela ine Fisher, founder of Michigan Mentorships and dire ctor, said it has
a lon g-term impact on the students. Reporter liz Cobbs can be reached at
lcobbs@annarbomews.com or 734-
994-6810.
"I've seen high school students becom e professionals iu the area where
they had their mentor ships," she said.

Hampton sa id wor king with Rosen thal thi s sum mer has "definitely solidified my desire to be in the medical
field , alth ou gh I'm still undec ided o n what I'U study."

Being a mentor has also helped Rosen thal.

"This is an opportunity for me to teach someon e else and be abl e to translate wh at I do from buzzwords to
reality ," said Rosenthal, a graduate stude nt in the cellular and molecular biology program.

Heather Claxton, a graduate student in biochemi stry , agrees .

"It help s me to explai n wh at I do to so meone else ," Claxto n said. "It's also nice to have someone asking
interesting questions about what I do."

Claxton has been wo rking at U -M 's Life Sciences Institute with Sequ oyah Kin g, a senior at Huron High
Sc hool in Ann Arbor.

Clax ton's research on X -ray cry stallogra phy, wh ich examines the struct ure of crystals, am ong other thin gs ,
was attractive to Kin g, who wanted to know more about the subject since learning about it in a high school
sci ence class.

As part of the research , Claxto n and Kin g have gro wn crystals and protein In the lab.
King said he's enj oyed the one -a n-one rel ati onship.

"Getting the real experience is grea t, " King said. "I think it's helping me to cement my plans to major in the
phy sical scie nces. "

• About Michigan Mentorships

Mich igan Mcntorship s is an opportunity for gifted and talented high schoo l stude nts to int eract with
University of Michi gan graduate students in volved in research . T he program is arranged thro ugh the
cooperation of tile Washtenaw County A lliance for Girted Education and the U niversity of Michi gan.

For more inform ati on about Michi gan Mentorships o r about the Washtcnaw Co unty A lliance for Gifted
Educa tion, call 734- 663- 1706 or e- ma il C heryl White at cherwhitccumlch.edu.

Ca tegories : Educatio n

Comments
Foo ter

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 ~<., TilE ,.. e..

ANN ARBOR NE'WS

St udents at status quo in fl!lME test
Area school districts ran king rema ins largely the same

Friday, August 08, 2008

BY DAVID JESSE
The Ann Arbor News

Area high school students maintained the status quo in the latest round of Michigan Merit Exam testing.

Some area districts, including Sa line and Ann Arbor, posted results that were among the best in the stale
on the MME, a high school lest which meludes the ACT college admissions test

Students at schools that have traditionally struggled with standardized test performance, such as Willow
Run and Ypsilanti, again received low scores.

Saline Area Schools' ACT composite score of 23 was the sixth-highest among school districts and public
school academies in the state, school offic ials said. The Ann Arbor school district had the 10th highest
score among the same group , while local charter school Washtenaw Tech nical Middle College had the
14th highest score.

"We're proud of our students," said Saline Superintendent Scot Graden. "We know that the score on the
ACT continues to open doors for colleg e for them."

Community High School in An n Arbor also fared extremely well with an AC T composite sco re of 25.1, the
second highest in the state among individual bUildings.

Results of the test, which measures students' proficiency in reading, math, scie nce, soc ial studies and
English language arts, were released by the state Thursday. The test was administered to high school
ju niors last fall. Students who scored at levels j Udged to be proficient or advanced in individual subject
areas are considered to have passe d that portion of the test.

An n Arbor Superintendent Todd Roberts said the district expected the slight dip in scores that the results
showed. This was the first year t hat students had to take the test in order to graduate . About 91 percent of
the district's high school students took the test this spring, up from about 84 percent last year. Still, the
district's passing rate was well above the statewide average in all subject areas.

The district plans to now look at individual students' results to see where they need help

He said he expected scores to increase as state requirements mandate all students take algebra 2 and
geometry.

W illow Run Community Schools had the lowest composite ACT score among traditional public school
districts with a 16.1. District students also had passing rates well below the statew ide average In all subject
areas.

Superin tendent Doris Hope-Jac kson said the results "are most disappointing in all areas ," except reading.
Although it's slight. there was an increase in reading proficiency this year compared to last year, she said.

Also, more students took the test than the previous year, a positive sign, she said.

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 l oading "Mli...e.ccm's Print er-F riendly Page" 0 8jl Sj2 008 12:27 PM

She said Willow Run wi ll continue efforts to improve, including impleme nting its restructuring plan, which
include s overha uling the math department.

Ypsilanti and Van Buren Public Schools had the second-lowest ACT comp osite score among area schoo l
districts with a 16.9.

Yps ilanti schoo ls spokeswoman Emma Jackson said in an e-mai led statement that the district is working to
improve perfor mance . "While we are pleased with the gains, we remain committed to shoring up the
content areas where our students are struggling," the statement said . "One of our grea test cha llenges is
ensuring that our students are in school during the testing days. This is one of the shortcomings that we
conlinue to tackle aggre ssively ."

Richard Weigel, the district's ass istant super intendent for educational quality, said in an e-mailed
state ment that the district will begin using new tests dUring the co urse of the year to see how students are
doing and develop individualized learning plans for the students .

Across the state, the percentage of public school students who scored at the proficient or advanced leve ls
climbed slightly in reading, writing and scie nce this yea r compared to 2007. Social studies passing rates
declined and math results held steady with a passing rate of less than 50 percent.

Seve ral area schools also failed to achieve a passing rate of 50 percent in math.

Studen ts WhO take the MME can qualify for up to $4,000 in state college scholarship money.

The exam , in its second year, is part of an effort to tighten high school graduation requirements and
improve acade mic performa nce .

Ann Arbor News Reporte r Liz Co bbs and The Associated Press contributed to this story. David Jesse can
be reached at djesse@ann arbornews.com or at 734 -994-6937. Join the discussion at
bloq.mlive .cc m/study j t al].

©2008

© 2008 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.

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Thursday, August 7, 2008

Scores increase slightly on Michigan Merit

Exam
Jennifer Mrozowski I The Detroit News

LANSING -- While scores increased slightly this year on the state's high school test , the Michigan
Merit Exam (MME), just about half of the state's juniors passed the English test and less than half
passed math, the Michigan Department of Education announced today.

High school juniors were tested this past spring on the MME, which includes the college entrance
exam , the ACT.

Compared to the results from spring 2007, the percentage of Michigan public school 11th graders
who scored at the proficient or advanced levels improved slightly in the subjects of reading , writing,
English language arts , and science. There was no change in the percentage of students scoring
proficient or advanced in math. There was a slight.decline in the students who scored proficient or
advanced in social studies.

"We are seeing the benefits of a renewed emphasis on high school achievement." said State Board
of Education President Kathleen N. Straus in a statement. "Schools, parents, and students are
becoming more aware that high school achievement is the launch pad to post-secondary success
and greater opportunity for a high-paying career."

For each subject area, the percentages of 11th grade students achieving proficient or advanced
performance levels compared to 11th graders from the previous year were as follows: Reading 62
percent up from 60 percent; writing 41 percent up from 40 percent; English language arts 52 percent
up from 51 percent; mathematics 46 percent in both years; science 57 percent up from 56 percent;
and social studies 80 percent, down from 83 percent.

The MME includes a national ACT college entrance exam. On average, Michigan students who took
the ACT as part of this state test had the same composite score (18 .8) as last year's students on this
test.

"The MME, with the inclusion of the ACT, is a rigorous test and all students have to be prepared with

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 Sco res increa se s light ly on Michiga n Me rlt Exa m 08 / 07/ 200 8 0 1 :38 PM

the knowledge to excel ," said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. "As the
requirements of the new high school curriculum continue to be implemented , we expect to see
students' scores improve."

The state 's new graduation requirements went into effect beginning with last year's freshman class ,
and are not reflective in this past spring's MME, Flanagan explained .

"Once all students are given the opportunity to become proficient in subjects like algebra, where
districts are developing different ways for kids to learn in a traditional classroom or a career
pathway, we will see this commitment by schools and students rewarded with greater success for all
kids ," he said.

Schools receive a variety of printed and electronic reports for the MME, including Parent Reports
that show their student's performance on the statewide assessment Schools are to make available
to parents the printed Parent Reports when students return to class this fall , or to mail the Parent
Reports home upon receipt Parents are encouraged to contact their school's Guidance Office if
they do not receive their student's printed Parent Report by mid-September.

The Michigan Merit Exam is given each spring to Michigan 11 th grade students. Completing the
MME qualifies the student for the $4 ,000 Michigan Promise scholarship, administered by the
Michigan Department of Treasury.

In addition to enabling students to earn the $4,000 scholarship, taking the MME provides students
with a free college-reportable ACT score, accepted by a vast majority of colleges in the United
States. They also receive an ACT Work Keys score for employability skills related to reading for
information and applied mathematics.

MME scores are divided into four performance levels: Advanced , Proficient, Partially Proficient, and
Not Proficient Students who place in either the Advanced or Proficient levels are considered to be
"proficient" in that subject Those who place in the Partially Proficient or Not Proficient levels are
deemed to be "not proficient."

While individual student scores are protected by a federal right to privacy law, summary data about
an entire school or district is available to the public at www.michigan.gov/mme. From there. click on
"MME Test Results" on the left side of the screen. Documents available online for Spring 2008 MME
are Demographic Reports , Frequently Asked Questions, a School and District Data File, School and
District Summary Reports , Statewide Results, and a Michigan Promise Scholarship Fact Sheet

The exam is billed as a tougher measure of whether students are prepared for college. Last school
year marked just the second year for the assessment, which takes the place of the now-
discontinued Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests.

Come back to detnews.com throughout the day for the updated results.

You can reach Jennifer Mrozowski at (313) 222-2269 or ;mrozowski@detnews.com.

Find this article at:

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 PUBLIC

High School Michigan Merit Exam results

The stat e released result s for th e Michigan Merit Exam Thursday. The exam includes th e ACT. w

School Name Act Con ELA Math Reading Science

AA - ROBERTO CLEMENTE CENTER 14 .8 10.5 10.5 15 .8 10.5
AA COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL 25. 1 92 .8 85.7 9 5.5 9 1.2
AA- HURON HIGH SCHOOL 23.2 73.2 72 .2 7 6.5 74.2
AA- PIONEER HIGH SCHOOL 22 .3 74 .7 72.3 8 2. 1 76 .8
AA· STONE HIGH SCHOOL 14.2 11.8 7.9 30 2 1.6
Ann Ar bor Public Schools 2 2.5 7 3.1 70 .7 · 78.6 74 .5
Bright on Area Schools 2 1.1 7 1.2 66 .5 80 .4 7 6.8
Central Ac ademy 17. 2 3 3.3 44 .4 55 .6 33.3
Chelsea School District 2 1.9 71.7 68 .2 77 .6 72.5
Clint on Community Schools 19.3 56 .4 4 8.9 7 0.2 67
Dexter Community School District 2 1.6 7 1.8 . 69.2 77 .9 74.4
Fowlerv ille Community Schools 18.6 48.6 45.8 58.8 57. 5
Hartland Consolidated Schools 2 0.5 65.4 66 .4 72.6 73.6
Howell Public Schools 19.5 5 6.2 S3.9 68.9 66 .4
Kensington Woods High School 18.4 48.8 39 70.7 56. 1
Uncoln Consolidat ed School Dist rict 17.3 39 . 1 3 1.4 57.4 50.9
Mancheste r Commuity Schools 19.5 64. 6 49. 5 73.7 72
Milan Area Schools 19.1 54.9 53.8 64.6 60 .5
PC . SALEM HIGH SCHOOL 2 1.9 70. 1 69 .7 77 . 1 7 5.6
PC- CANTON HIGH SCHOOL 21. 6 68 .9 70. 9 7 6.1 7 5.8
PC- PLYMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL 2 1.5 7 3.9 72 .6 79.3 76 .9
Pinckney Community Schools 2 0.4 64.4 56 7 1.6 71
Ply mouth-Cant on Community Schools 2 1.7 70.9 7 0.9 77.4 76
Saline Area Schools 23 78 .5 77 .5 80 .5 80.2
School Dist rict of Ypsilanti 16 .9 33 .3 3 1.5 46 .2 3 1.4
South Lyo n Community Schools 20.2 64 .9 56.1 7 4. 1 75 .5
TECUMSEH HIGH SCHOOL 19.6 61 .3 50 A 70.8 63.3
Tecumseh Public Schools 19.5 60.2 4 9.2 69 .9 62 .6
Van Buren Public Schools 16.9 36 .6 2 8.3 4 8.2 39 .5
VB - BELLEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL 17.2 39 .4 31 5 1.5 4 2. 1
VB - VAN BUREN ALT ERNATIVE 13.5 7.3 2.3 17.4 13 .6
Washte naw Technical Middle College 22 .3 7 9.5 82 .4 8 8.2 8 1.4
Whitmore Lake Public Schools 1B.8 51.3 45 66.3 5 7.5
Willow Run Commu nit y Schools 16. 1 29 .4 19.5 38.5 30
St at ewide 18.8 52 .3 4 6.2 61. 9 56.6

Source: St at e of Michigan

Page 1
 PUBLIC

hich many co lleges use fo r admission pur poses.

School Name Writ ing Social Studies

AA - ROBERTO CLEMENTE CENTER 5.3 36.8
AA COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL 85 .7 96.5
AA- HURON HIGH SCHOOL 68 .5 84.2
A A- PIONEER HIGH SCHOOL 64 .9 89 .2
AA - STONE HIGH SCHOOL 8.3 41
An n Arbo r Public Schools 6S .7 85 .8
Bright on Area Schools 58 .9 92 .5
Centra l Acade my 27 .8 72 .2
Chelsea School District 6 1.1 87.3
Clinton Communi ty Schools 46 .8 86 .2
Dexte r Communit y Schoo l District 59 .2 90.8
Fowlerv ille Community Schoo ls 37.5 85
Hartland Conso lidate d Schools 52 .1 9 1.1
Howell Public Schools 4 1.2 89.3
Kensington Woo ds High School 39 82.9
Lincoln Conso lidate d School District 24.4 8 1.4
Manchest er Commuity Schools 45 95
Milan Area Sch ools 39 .5 83 .6
PC - SALEM HIGH SCHOOL 64 90.3
PC- CANTON HIGH SCHOOL 60 91. 3
PC- PLYMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL 63.1 92
Pinckney Community Schools 51.8 87.2
Plymouth-Canton Comm unity Schools 62.3 91. 2
Saline Area Schools 7 3.3 93 .5
Sch ool District of Ypsilanti 26.9 58 .5
Sout h Ly on Commu nity Schoo ls 5 1.4 9 1.4
TECUMSEH H!GH SCHOOL 48 .3 90
Tec umseh Public Scho ols 47.2 89. 1
Va n Buren Public Schools 24 .6 71 .2
VB - BELLEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL 26 .8 74.8
VB - VAN BUREN A LTERNATIVE 2.3 35 .6
Washtenaw Technical Middle Colleg e 68.2 95.4
Whitmore Lake Public Schoo ls 40 87.5
Willow Run Community Schools 16.4 59. 8
St at ewide 4 1.1 79 .9

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m iive .con~
Everything Mic<hill3n

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ANN ARBOR NEWS

Pioneer go lfers open w ith victo ry
Pioneers top Dexter 179 ·2 14 beh in d med al ist Therm an

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

From Lo cal-Reports

A co uple of the area's best high school golf programs didn't wait long to ge t their seaso n swinging.
Pioneer and Dexter played a Sou theastern Conference dua l meet Monday, the first day competition was
a llow ed by the Michigan High School Athletic A ssociation.

The Pioneers started fast, wi nning 17g ·214 at A nn Ar bor Country Club.

"Two days of practice and we were at It. A nd we definite ly started with a bang," said Dexter coach Fred
Ligrow. "But that's a good thing , to get a measure of where you're at,"

Pio neer senior Alexis Therman was med alist w ith a 3-ove r-par 39, Alex Sturgeon (46), Sarah Kennedy
(47) and Paige Munroe (47) rounded o ut l he sco ring,

"The front nine at the Ann Ar bor Country Club is one of the toughest rounds there is in the SEC ," Ligrow
said, "So to come out and shoo t a 179 on the first day- more power to them."

Step hanie Ager's 49 led Dexter.

GIRLS GOLF

Mason Invitational- Saline carded a 38 1 to finish third at the 12 -team tournament, trailing Holt (329) and
Lansing Catholic Central (354).

©2008

© 2008 Michigan Live, All Rights Reserved ,

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 Ed~to rj a l: New kinde rgart en fund ing plan - Critnd Rap ids Pre ss Op inion Im pact 0 3 / 14 / 2 00804:05 PM

Editorial: New kindergarten funding plan

Posted by ahuDt August 12, 2008 15: lOPM

WH Y IT MATIERS

Full-day, everyday kindergarten provides academic benefits. But Michi gan's funding model has made it
more financially attractive for school districts to offer half-day classes, instead of full -day programs.

Michigan is eliminating the bonus funding schoo l district gets for half-day and alternate day kinderga rten
programs. The recently- signed K -12 school aid budget phases out the practice of giving schools the same
amount of money per kindergartner no matter if the child attends school a half day or fuJI day. Full-d ay
programs will receive full funding. Half- and alternate-day program s will get a reduced amount. That's not
unreasonable, especiall y if the goal is to nudge more districts toward full-day kindergarten and the acade mic
benefits that structure provides.

The measure is not a mandate requiring full-day kindergarten, nor is it being hastily implemented. The
funding chan ge won't begin until the 2010-11 school year. To get full fundin g in 2010-11 kindergarten
programs would have to operate for 60 percent of a day. The next year, kindergartners would have to get at
least 70 percent of a f ull day. T hat schedule gives district off icials and parents plenty of lead time to disc uss
and decide how to proceed.

Gett ing full funding for every kinder gartener, no matter if classes are f ull time or part time, provides no
incentive for schools to expand kindergarten. The minimum fo undation allowance for each student attending
state publi c schools will be $7,316 next year. And with kindergarten programs less expensive to operate than
middle and high school programs, school districts have long considered the extra kindergarten dollars
crucial to supplementing the much higher cos t of edncating seco ndary students.

The funding change will be negligible in some districts snchFull-day , everyday kindergarten provides
academic benefits. But Michigan's funding model has made it more financially attractive for school distr icts
to offe r half-d ay classes, instead of full-day programs.

as Godwin Heights and Grand Rapids Public Schools, where full -day, every -day kinder garten programs are
a fixture. Other districts, such as Rockford and Forest Hills, where half-day or alternate -day programs are
the norm, will take a financial hit.

The nationwide trend is toward full-day kindergarten with 65 percent of kindergartners in full-day
prog rams, according the Education Commissio n of the States. In Michigan, 16 percent of kinde rgartne rs are
in districts that only provide full -day programs ; 38 percent are in distri cts that only offe r a half-d ay
program; and 46 percent are in districts that both or some other alternative. Th e more students who have the
full-day option the better.

Stud ies show fu ll-day kindergarte n students learn more math and literacy skills than their half-day
co unterparts , The gains are most pronounced among low-incom e stndents. However, whether those
academic gains last beyond eleme ntary school remains a question among researchers.

A half day of kindergarten no doubt will be sufficient for some students, especially those exposed to

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 Ed itorial: New kinde rga rten fUll ding plan - Gran d Rapid S Press Op inion I mpact 08/ 141200S 04:0 5 PM

learning activities at home. Even if schools offer only full- day programs, parents shou ld have the option of
picking up their child after a half-day if they so choose.

The plan to readjust state aid for kindergarten is a reasonable change both for the state budget, and for
yo ung learners.

E- ma il aletterto the editor forpublicationonlineand inprint:pulse@grprcss.com

Ca tegories: Edito rials, Feat ured

Comments

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Skyline students start athletic legacy

Cross country teams off and running toward varsity competition

Thursday, August 14, 2008

BY SeTH GORDON
The Ann Arbor News

Three weeks before classes begin, Skyline High School has been abuzz with activity as Its first group of
athleti c teams began practice Monday.

But unlike Skyline's other fall sports teams, like football, volleybali, field hockey, tannis and soccer, the
cros s country teams will

immediately compete on the varsity level in the school's first year.

"I was worried that they were going to be nervous and scared, but they' re really eager to represent
Skyl ine," girls coach Amber Culp said. "I'm happy about that. You can just j ump right in, which I think IS
great."

Athletes on both the boys and gir ls teams see it as an opportunity to

begin a legacy at the new high schoo l

"I think that's the main reason I came to Skyline, because we'll be remembered forever,' incoming
freshman Maddie Mayleben said. "You have more opportunities, I think."

Boys coach Jamie LaBrosse says he isn't putting any expectations on his team in its first year, but his
runners aren't backing down from the chali enge.

"It's go ing to be good competition," Nate Wegryn said. "We'll get used to it earlier than if we were at
Pioneer. It'll give us more experience ."

Gulp has taken an inclusive approach in building the program to give her athletes an increased sense of
ownership.

"It's pretty cool that we get to start traditions," Randa Sakailah said. "in later years of cross country, they'li
probably still be doing what we started "

Boi h teams have about six al hletesat this POint, but GUlp and LaBrosse said their athletes are excited to
recruit others to the sport.

"I think once school starts and football games get started , things like that, that's when it's realiy going to
happen," LaBrosse said. "Once we get roliing it should take off on its own , but right now, it's just getting
everything organized and prepared for the season."

As excited as they are, both teams will face stiff challenges competing w ith freshme n at the varsity level.

"These guys are going to come in and run against varsity boys, 16-17-year-old boys," LaBrosse said "It's
going to be tough for them, so we have no expectations. We're just going to go out there and get our feet
wet and have fun with it. Hopefully they'll come back next year, and we' ll raise the bar a little bit each
year."

Even those who competed in middle schoo l w ill have to adjust from runn ing 1.5 miles to the standard
varsity distance of 3.1 miles,

LaBrosse and Gulp will

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aiso have to be more nands -on than most coaches

becaus e they won't have upperclas smen to lean on.

"Coaching nine yea rs at Clarksto n. all that stuff was a given," LaBrosse said . "It wa s a well-oiled mac hine
for a w hile, and J d id less coac hing. New kids came in , and they jus t followed the lead of everyone else.
These kids are like litlle d ucks following me around. Yo u have to start from scratch, but it's fun to go back
like that."

The girls swimm ing and d iving team will likely

compete at the varsity level this fall as we ll. but with head coach Maureen Isaac in Beijing for the Olympic
Games. practi ce wo n't begin unt il Aug . 25. .

A nd with both cross co untry team s schedu led to atte nd, the South Lyon Invitationa l on Aug. 23 could be
Skyline 's first varsity competit ion in any sport.

"We'll go down in history , if we do good," Michelle

Buitron said.

Set h Gardon can be reached at sgordon@annarbornews .com

or 734 -994-6108.

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