The Annual Education Report served as the progress report to the community. Accreditation was included as a means to verify that change had occurred and was described as an ongoing process to demonstrate that a school had met a set of standards for quality education. The goal initially was to have every school in Michigan be accredited in eight years. The accreditation status of schools was announced for the first time in 1995. The proposed accreditation system is designed to evaluate the performance of public schools in Michigan in order to help schools improve the academic performance of their students.
Significant work remains to be accomplished to assure that all children are learning.
This emphasis requires a stronger, improved redesign of the accreditation system for Michigan schools. In May of 1999, the State Board of Education approved a framework for a new system of performance-based accreditation. This report describes further progress the staff has made in defining and planning for the implementation of the system. Michigan's schools must be accountable for the learning of all Michigan students. In order for such a system to work, all students must participate in the assessment program.