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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Michigan law (380.1278 Core academic curriculum. Sec. 1278.) requires that students have the opportunity to learn and show proficiency in all subject areas: (5) “pupils have a realistic opportunity to learn all subjects and courses required by the district's core academic curriculum.” Student subject area proficiency is based on the MDE Academic Standards. Michigan’s K-12 Science and Social Studies Standards call for the use of inquiry, compelling questions, phenomena, and problems. Viewing these standards as a content knowledge checklist falls short of the visions presented in the respective research-based frameworks (National Research Council, 2012; National Council for the Social Studies, 2013)
By the end of the 12th grade, students should have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, to be critical consumers of scientific information related to their everyday lives, and to be able to continue to learn about science throughout their lives. They should recognize that our current scientific understanding of the world is the result of hundreds of years of creative human endeavor. And these are goals for all of the nation’s students, not just those who pursue higher education or careers in science, engineering, or technology. (Report Brief)
The purpose of social studies is to promote the knowledge, skills, intellectual processes, and dispositions required of people to be actively engaged in fulfilling their responsibility of civic participation. As members of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world, young people need to learn and be able to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good (Michigan K-12 Standards for Social Studies Standards, pgs. 3-5). Social Studies promotes inquiry-based learning that helps students prepare to face challenges in the modern world and guides them in how to be productive members of society.
National trends reveal that science and social studies are being marginalized due to the prioritization of ELA and Math (Plumley, 2018). Research gathered from Michigan educators aligns with these national trends, and in some cases, has resulted in the complete absence of science and/or social studies since the pandemic (Doornbos, 2024). These trends are happening despite research calling for the allocation of both social studies and science instructional time to boost literacy scores (Council of Chief State School Officers, 2021; Council of Chief State School Officers, 2023). In fact, the importance of engaging in informational texts is enshrined in Michigan’s ELA standards, "By reading texts in history/social studies, science, and other disciplines, students build a foundation of knowledge in these fields that will also give them the background to be better readers in all content areas. Students can only gain this foundation when the curriculum is intentionally and coherently structured to develop rich content knowledge within and across grades" (Michigan Department of Education, 2010). Considering the inequities revealed by this data, it is essential that Local Education Agencies (LEAs) address these gaps by providing students with the time and the opportunity to learn all academic standards aligned to the vision put forth in those standards, including science and social studies.
Deciding to prioritize student learning of science and social studies is just the first step (Duke, 2019). Five scheduling approaches have been provided to support locals with models as they consider their unique assets and constraints in providing time for science and social studies. In addition, visit the Social Studies and Science content webpages for resources that support leaders and their teams with implementation that results in students (and educators) with time to learn and access to high-quality experiences aligned to the visions put forth in the state academic standards.
