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Action Required to Ensure State Evaluation Data is Accurate for Certificate Progression

Action Required to Ensure State Evaluation Data is Accurate for Certificate Progression

What You Need to Know

Public Act 173 of 2015, the Michigan Educator Evaluation Law, links teacher certificate progression to evaluation data submitted by districts and public school academies (PSAs) to the Registry of Educational Personnel (REP) for the most recent five-year period. Teachers are able to view the effectiveness labels reported within the REP through their Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOECS) account. All Michigan teachers who hold a valid Michigan teaching certificate should review their evaluation data for the past five years to ensure the effectiveness ratings entered are accurate.

What Data is Shown in MOECS

Educator effectiveness ratings are shown for teachers in districts and public-school academies reported with an instructional role code in the REP. Educator effectiveness ratings will not appear in MOECS for teachers reported with non-instructional codes. Annual year-end educator evaluation labels for teachers in nonpublic schools that opt-in to the requirements of Michigan’s educator evaluation law are collected within the Nonpublic School Personnel Report (NPSPR). Once the ratings are entered into the NPSPR, nonpublic school teachers in districts that have opted-in are able to view effectiveness ratings within MOECS.

Educator Effectiveness Data Appeals Window

Each year, starting on the first business day in September and ending on the first business day in December, districts and PSAs can submit data appeals into the REP for inaccurate teacher evaluation data submitted for any of the past five years. If you find that your evaluation effectiveness ratings are inaccurate, you will work with your district to correct the inaccuracy. Any data corrected during the appeals window for teachers in instructional roles will appear in MOECS immediately after being entered by the district. 

Note: This appeals window is only for the purpose of appealing errors in the reporting of data to CEPI. This data appeals window is not a process for contesting the outcome of an evaluation.

What You Need to Do

  • For educators in instructional assignments - Log into MOECS account and check the accuracy of your evaluation data.
  • For educators in non-instructional assignments – contact the district to obtain a printout or screenshot of the rating the district submitted to the REP.
  • If there is a discrepancy, contact the district that reported the data to learn about the district process for submitting a data appeal.
  • Be proactive and follow up to ensure that an appeal is submitted by your district during the appeals window.

Certification Requirements in Public Act 173 (2015)

Public Act 173 of 2015 maintained the requirement that annual year-end evaluations assign one of four effectiveness labels based on the tools and measurements used in your district’s educator evaluation system: highly effective, effective, minimally effective, or ineffective. The law created requirements for the renewal and progression of certain certificates based on effectiveness labels. These requirements include:

  • To progress to, or renew the Advanced Professional Teaching Certificate, a teacher shall meet the following:
    • Received a highly effective rating on three out of the five most recent annual year-end evaluations under PA 173 (2015); and
    • Not been rated ineffective within the five most recent years; and
    • Additional criteria established by the department, which includes completing National Board Certification or having a Teacher Leader designation on his or her certificate.
  • To progress from the Standard Teaching Certificate to the Professional Teaching Certificate, in addition to completing all other requirements set forth in administrative rules, a teacher must have the following:
    • Successfully completed three years of teaching; and
    • Received effective or highly effective ratings on his or her three most recent annual year-end evaluations under PA 173 (2015); or
    • Received three nonconsecutive effective or highly effective ratings and have received a recommendation for certificate progression from his or her current school administrator.

Didn't receive a rating in 2019-20? Learn more about the No-Eval Emergency Order label.

For more information, please visit www.michigan.gov/mde-edevals or email MDE-EdEvals@Michigan.gov.