Be sure your email address is up-to-date in the Michigan Online Educator Certification System to receive important notifications





View in Browser [ [link removed] ]

Forwarded from a friend? Sign-up [ [link removed] ] to receive this e-newsletter!















Educationally Speaking

Issue 51 | January 2024
________________________________________________________________________

*Be sure your email address is up-to-date in the **Michigan Online Educator Certification System* [ [link removed] ]* to receive important notifications regarding YOUR certificate.*

**Please see the *archived newsletters [ [link removed] ]* for other important information that affects licensure.**

________________________________________________________________________


Noteworthy News
________________________________________________________________________



Now Inviting Educator Participation!

"*Teaching Black History: Lessons from Educators*"

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) believes that comprehensive history instruction includes teaching about the full breadth of our country’s—and world’s—history, including historical movements, themes, and groups. It includes the teaching of not simply the soaring but of the searing, not simply the uplifting but the deflating. It entails diverse perspectives throughout the year, with additional instruction to honor specific groups of people during recognized heritage months.

Please consider completing this form, Teaching Black History: Lessons from Educators [ [link removed] ], to share lessons and resources that are happening in your district, school, or classroom. *The deadline to submit is January 26, 2024.* Your attention to this abbreviated timeframe is appreciated.

For more information, see the full MDE memorandum from January 11, 2024 [ [link removed] ]. [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________



Public Comment on Proposed School Librarian Preparation Standards

MDE requests public comment on the proposed Standards for the Preparation of School Librarians [ [link removed] ]. They would replace Michigan's current Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of Library Media [ [link removed] ]. All feedback on the proposed standards must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., March 10, 2024, at the School Librarian Preparation Standards Public Comment [ [link removed] ] website. All comments will be reviewed in preparing a final recommendation to the State Board of Education at its May 14, 2024 meeting. 

________________________________________________________________________



School Counselors Title
National School Counselor Week
February 5-9, 2023

Exciting news! Stay tuned to our February 2024 newsletter when the MDE Office of Educator Excellence (OEE) will recognize and celebrate National School Counseling Week, February 5-9, 2023. 



________________________________________________________________________



Certificate Application Fee Reimbursement Program

Happy New Year! In case you missed it, MDE is continuing The Certificate Application Fee Reimbursement program. The program has been designed to retain and incentivize early renewals of educators* renewing their certificates for the first time* between October 1, 2023, and September 13, 2024. There is no need to apply for this reimbursement. The important thing to know is that this program is available until funds are exhausted. Please visit MDE’s Certificate Application Fee Reimbursement website [ [link removed] ] for more information.

________________________________________________________________________



Alison Lirette Headshot
First Renewal of the Year!

Congratulations to Alison Lirette for being the first educator to renew her certificate in 2024! Alison renewed her Professional Teaching Certificate on January 1st. *Please remember to renew **your certification before the June 30 deadline. *



________________________________________________________________________



Annual Certification Reminder and Requirements

Schools and districts should begin the annual review of staff credentials for 2024. Remind educators with a credential expiring June 30, 2024, to log into the Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOECS) [ [link removed] ] to update account information.   

Educators are recommended to work with their employer to ensure they are ready for the 2024-2025 academic year! Log into MOECS [ [link removed] ] to check the status of a credential and professional learning [ [link removed] ] prior to certificate renewal [ [link removed] ].   

________________________________________________________________________



Student Loan Forgiveness

The United States Department of Education has approved a total of $45 billion [ [link removed]. ] in Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) for more than 615,000 borrowers since October 2021. 

Visit [link removed] [ [link removed] ] to learn more or click on the image to the right to review the two loan forgiveness options available to teachers.

Student Loan Forgiveness Options [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________


Grants Information Section Header
________________________________________________________________________



Coming Soon! Student Loan Repayment Program

While we're on the subject of student loan forgiveness programs for Michigan's educators, MDE is pleased to announce the $225 million Student Loan Repayment Program grant opportunity, with an application being planned for opening on the GEMS/MARS system in late February 2024.

This money has been allocated for grants to Michigan’s intermediate school districts (ISDs) and local education agencies (LEAs), both traditional public school districts and public school academies (PSAs) for the purposes of implementing a student loan repayment program for their employees in accordance with Michigan Compiled Law (MCL) Section 388.1627k [ [link removed](S(qxl4zwmlfgrqa0etmmjkfblf))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-388-1627k&highlight=27k ].

This program will provide eligible candidates with payments of *$200 each month* for the purpose of offsetting their existing student loans, or *$400 each month* if the applying LEA, ISD, or PSA is assigned to band 6 in the opportunity index as defined in MCL 388.1631a [ [link removed](S(qxl4zwmlfgrqa0etmmjkfblf))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-388-1631a ] (typically areas with a high proportion of students who are economically disadvantaged).

Information about the program, including updates, eligibility requirements, and a downloadable Word template of the application for ease of planning, are all available on the Student Loan Repayment Program website [ [link removed] ]. For questions and inquiries, please contact us at [email protected].

________________________________________________________________________



*Michigan Teachers and National Board Certification Grants*

This month, grants will become available for eligible teachers who currently hold National Board Certification (NBC) or teachers in Title I buildings wishing to pursue NBC certification for the first time. ISDs and LEAs (both traditional districts and PSAs) may apply.  

Full details regarding the grants and eligibility requirements can be found at the Michigan Department of Education's National Board Certification (NBC) Grant Opportunities website [ [link removed] ]. 

________________________________________________________________________



*Applications Open Now!
Section 504 EXPLORE + Grow Your Own Grants for FY24*

The OEE is pleased to announce the opening of the application window for the new round of Section 504 grants, with applications submitted on NexSys. An official MDE memo about this new grant opportunity [ [link removed] ] was posted on January 19, 2024.

ISDs and LEAs (both traditional districts and PSAs) may submit applications to build and sustain EXPLORE programs, to provide tuition grants to eligible EXPLORE graduates, or both.

Full instructions for applying for this grant opportunity on NexSys can be found on the EXPLORE grant: Section 504 website [ [link removed] ]. In addition, the website features a downloadable Word template of the application currently being developed. This will help applicants gather necessary data, budget details, and supporting information before starting the application process.

For questions and inquiries, please contact us at [email protected].

________________________________________________________________________



Round 2 Grow Your Own (GYO) School Staff Grants Awarded

MDE announced the 96 grantees of the second round of Section 27b GYO School Staff grants in a press release dated December 20, 2023 [ [link removed] ].

Our congratulations to these grantees, who will be able to use the grant funds to reimburse costs associated with educator preparation on behalf of school staff wishing to pursue initial certification or additional endorsements, thereby addressing staffing needs and reducing areas of teacher shortage.

Did You Know
________________________________________________________________________



AAPSA Logo
Join AASPA's National Educator Shortage Summit!

The National Educator Shortage Summit [ [link removed] ] is an interactive event that convenes focused groups of PK-12 and higher education stakeholders to address the challenges of the national shortage of educators and the educator pipeline to share ways to replicate practices via a national strategy.

Central to this conversation will be the use of data and collaboration in sharing promising practices. Above all, it is hoped that the Summit will support comprehensive conversations among these groups in the education community and serve as a place where they can pool different perspectives. Join the event in Phoenix, AZ: Thursday, February 29, 2024, through Friday, March 1, 2024. 



________________________________________________________________________



PAEMST Logo
*PAEMST (**Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching)* 

The 2023-24 PAEMST application cycle is NOW OPEN!  Outstanding K-6th grade educators working in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics can be nominated/apply on the PAEMST webpage [ [link removed] ]. Nominations closed on January 8, 2024. Applications must be completed by February 6, 2024.  

Established by Congress in 1983, the PAEMST award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government specifically for K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teaching. Learn more by visiting the PAEMST webpage [ [link removed] ].  

Six Michigan educators were named as finalists for the 2022-23 PAEMST award! Winners will be announced in early 2024. 



________________________________________________________________________


Educational Resources
________________________________________________________________________



EPIC logo
Michigan Teacher Shortage Study: 2024 Report

In partnership with MDE and the Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI), the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) has released their third annual report [ [link removed] ] about teacher shortages in Michigan requested by the state legislature in December 2020 (2020 PA 316).

Although the state data on this topic are limited, these analyses still help to paint a picture of teacher shortages across Michigan, assist policymakers to target policies and programs in ways that can best support the state and local communities in growing their teacher workforces, and highlight ways that new or better data may provide a deeper understanding of local and statewide teacher shortages. In addition to updating the analyses from EPIC’s first comprehensive report, we continue to adjust and expand on our past analyses based on the results from prior reports and any additions or improvements to the data available each year.  



________________________________________________________________________



Teacher Discounts [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________







________________________________________________________________________



"Copyright © 2023 Office of Educator Excellence, All rights reserved."

Michigan Department of Education - Office of Educator Excellence
608 W. Allegan Street, Lansing, MI 48933
(517) 241-5000 | [email protected]






________________________________________________________________________

Michigan Department of Education Logo [ [link removed] ]  Questions?
Contact Us [ [link removed] ]

STAY CONNECTED:   [ [link removed] ]   [ [link removed] ]   [ [link removed] ]   [ [link removed] ]  

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
Manage Preferences [ [link removed] ]  |  Unsubscribe All [ [link removed] ]  |  Help [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Michigan Department of Education · 608 W. Allegan Street, P.O. Box 30008 · Lansing, MI 48909
body .abe-column-block { min-height: 5px; } table.gd_combo_table img {margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px;} table.gd_combo_table div.govd_image_display img, table.gd_combo_table td.gd_combo_image_cell img {margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px;}