Information on Michigan academic standards and instructional resources.
Responsible for providing final decisions in administrative appeals to MDE.
Learn more about the MDE office responsible for providing leadership in curriculum and instruction that provides students with greater choices to prepare for success.
Resources for educator certification, recognition programs, evaluation, and workforce research.
Resources related to financial and pupil accounting and auditing.
Options available for Michigan students that provide unique learning opportunities.
Food & Nutrition Programs
This MDE office provides resources and technical assistance in physical education, sex education, health education, behavioral, emotional, mental, and social education as well as safety, discipline, and transportation.
Resources for programs and initiatives that support school improvement efforts.
Resources for supporting special education in Michigan.
Michigan has an innovative and comprehensive system of assessments to measure student achievement in learning our state content standards.
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
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This memo announces additional staffing flexibilities to intermediate school districts and local education agencies, both traditional public schools and public school academies.
Ensuring that an appropriately prepared and endorsed teacher is assigned to teach in Michigan’s classrooms is critical to student achievement. The State Board of Education (SBE) has approved standards for preparing teachers in each endorsement area.
Michigan has offered a variety of elementary education endorsements, including Elementary K-5 All Subjects (K-8 All Subjects Self-Contained Classrooms) (ZG) and Elementary K-8 All Subjects (ZC). Districts should use this guidance when assigning teachers who hold one of these elementary endorsements.
A "self-contained classroom" is a classroom in which one teacher provides instruction to the same pupils for the majority of the instructional day. A majority of the instructional day is a number equaling more than 50% of the total instructional time in a day. This is typically found in elementary assignments where multiple subjects are taught by the same teacher.
Any other scenario in which a teacher provides instruction to the same group of students for less than 50% and/or where the teacher is the sole provider of instruction in a single subject area is considered “departmentalized.” To be assigned to a departmentalized course, a teacher must hold the appropriate endorsement for the subject and grade level of the course. When staffing a departmentalized assignment, a district may refer to the Proper Placement Considerations guidance document.
Michigan districts provide 180 days of instruction, with a minimum of 1,098 instructional hours. The Pupil Accounting Manual(PAM) can be used to identify hours or minutes from the teacher’s assignment that qualify as instructional time.
Instructional time typically would include:
Instructional time typically would not include:
The basic formula for determining self-contained is as follows:
For positions where a district is unable to find a Michigan certified and endorsed teacher who is available for the assignment, a permit may be applied for. MDE offers a system of permits, approvals and authorizations to expand flexibility and assist districts in covering needs, including immediate and long-term options.
