Information on Michigan academic standards and instructional resources.
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.
The Equitable Services Ombudsman helps ensure equitable services for private school children, teachers, and other educational personnel.
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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A "self-contained classroom" is one 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.” While most common in middle and high school assignments, elementary schools also feature departmentalized classrooms.
Ensuring that children have access to well-prepared teachers is critical to academic achievement. Endorsements on Michigan teaching certificates indicate the content areas and grade levels in which teachers were well-prepared. Michigan has historically offered multiple elementary education endorsements that reflect preparation to teach in both self-contained and departmentalized elementary classrooms. These include Elementary K-5 All Subjects (K-8 All Subjects Self-Contained Classrooms) (ZG) and Elementary K-8 All Subjects (ZC) endorsements. New Lower Elementary (PK-3) (ZO) and Upper Elementary (3-6) (ZP) grade band endorsements also reflect preparedness for self-contained and departmentalized settings.
Endorsements on teaching certificates indicate the subjects and grade levels in which a teacher was initially well-prepared in alignment with State Board of Education (SBE) approved preparation standards. Endorsements do not necessarily impose strict limits on what an excellent educator may teach, and MDE provides guidance to support districts with both self-contained elementary placements and single-subject, departmentalized placements to ensure students have access to the best-prepared teacher to meet their learning needs.
Districts may also refer to the Proper Placement Considerations guidance.
