August 5, 2021 MICIP Continuous Communication

Michigan Department of Education sent this bulletin at 08/05/2021 02:53 PM EDT

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In this issue of MICIP Continuous Communication

Welcome to the first issue of MICIP Continuous Communication for the 2021-22 school year! We are excited to share some updates over the summer in our Welcome Back article, responses received from our recent surveys, our new Voices from the Field feature, upcoming components to Monitoring and Adjusting in the MICIP Platform, news about the Fall 2021 Continuous Improvement Conference, New Data Set Templates, and more!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to a new school year! We are hopeful that you had an opportunity to rest, relax, and rejuvenate for the year ahead.

As we look toward the return to school for the 2021-22 school year, the MICIP team is excited to share the results of the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) Statewide System of Support (SSoS) survey.

The results highlighted some areas of strength (MICIP will contribute to improved student outcomes, MICIP improved districts’ approach to continuous improvement, and MICIP helps teams engage in the continuous improvement process) as well as opportunities for improvement (whole child focus and strategies). See the Statewide System of Support Survey Indicates Strong Support for MICIP article in this issue for a more detailed discussion of what we learned from this survey.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback—this was an important tool for gathering feedback on your experiences using MICIP and identifying ways to make MICIP even better!

The MICIP Team’s Summer

The MICIP team has been busy throughout the summer working on ways to help make implementing, monitoring, and adjusting plans meaningful and easy to use. We are excited to offer this addition to the process.

More information about these improvements will be communicated through MICIP Continuous Communication and statewide training will be provided prior to launch.

Invite New Team Members to Sign-Up for MICIP Continuous Communication

Back-to-school is often a time when new staff join the team or current staff members are assigned new roles for the upcoming school year.

If you are aware of any staff member in your school or district who is new to the school improvement team, be sure to share the Continuous Communication newsletter with them and encourage them to sign up!

This is an important way that the MDE MICIP team communicates with stakeholders and will ensure you have the most up-to-date information about the MICIP platform, professional learning opportunities, and more!

Go to this link to sign up!

Statewide System of Support Survey Indicates Strong Support for MICIP

As part of its efforts to gather feedback and input on assistance to districts and schools identified for additional supports, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) Statewide System of Support (SSoS) conducts an annual survey through Basis Quality Research.

The 2021 survey included questions about the extent to which the MICIP process impacted the continuous improvement process for those districts and schools.

Researchers distributed survey invitations to 122 district administrators and ISD/ESA personnel supporting SSoS schools, with a return rate of 57% (N=70). Results included the following:

90% of stakeholders believe that MICIP will contribute to improved student outcomes.
82% of stakeholders believed that MICIP improved the districts’ approach to supporting continuous improvement.
90% of stakeholders agreed that MICIP helped continuous improvement teams effectively engage in defining measurable goals, assess needs, and select target measures while slightly fewer agreed that MICIP helped teams effectively focus on the whole child (87%) and selecting strategies (75%).

In some instances, results varied slightly between district and ISD personnel, with ISD personnel being more likely to agree that MICIP improved districts’ approach to supporting continuous improvement and will eventually improve student outcomes and district personnel being more likely to agree that MICIP helped teams effectively engage in assess needs, selecting target measures, focusing on the whole child, and selecting strategies.

While MDE and its partners are pleased overall with these initial results, the team also intends to use this information to improve MICIP, including the stakeholder experience with MiStrategyBank (managed by Michigan Collaborative Hub) as well as the focus on the whole child. MDE continues to welcome comments about MICIP from all stakeholders at mde-micip@michigan.gov.

(Information is taken from the 2021 Statewide System of Support Annual Survey Report from Basis Quality Research, Grand Rapids, MI.)

Voices From the Field

A new feature in MICIP Continuous Communications this fall is Voices from the Field.

Periodically we will suggest a topic to which we will ask CC recipients to respond. In subsequent issues we will publish representative answers.

We hope that this will promote collaboration and communication among MICIP users and allow us to learn from each other’s experiences.

The first topic will be, What I Wish I Knew About MICIP Before I Got Started. Follow the link to share your ideas which might be helpful to our colleagues who might be new to this process.

MICIP Monitor and Adjust Components

Over the past few months, the MICIP team has been working hard on designing and building the Monitor and Adjust component of the platform.

Monitoring involves checking on progress toward fidelity of strategy implementation, activity completion, and impact as measured by interim and end targets. MICIP users will be able to note such progress using a “running record” text box and will also have the opportunity to answer questions aligned to the same NIRN-designed categories as are in the MICIP Evaluation component (Implementation with Fidelity, Capacity, Scale/Reach, Impact).

As a result of this analysis, users will be asked to identify possible adjustments to their plan. The Monitor and Adjust component will also serve in part as a replacement for the former Program Evaluation Tool (PET). The component will be released this fall.

The MICIP team will be providing professional learning opportunities that will be announced in Continuous Communication.

MDE Fall 2021 Virtual Continuous Improvement Conference

The MDE Fall 2021 Virtual Continuous Improvement Conference “Equity and Stakeholder Voice: Making Education More Engaging and Relevant for Students, Families, and Educators” will take place on Tuesday, October 19. Keynoting the conference will be Dr. Jal Mehta, Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, speaking on “Humane and Equitable Continuous Improvement: Why Tools Should Serve Humans and Not Vice Versa.”

Returning to the event will be Dr. Seena Skelton, Director of Operations for Region III Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center, speaking on "Equity and Continuous Improvement: Using Quantitative and Qualitative Data in an Equity-Centered Continuous Improvement Process."

Attendees will also have an opportunity to attend 30 breakout sessions; in contrast to the recorded presentations at last year’s event, breakouts this year will be live. Those attending will also have access to all presentations after the conference, including five presentations about MICIP:

MICIP: The Latest and Greatest – An update on enhancements to the MICIP platform, requirements, and resources, with a focus on the Implement, Monitor and Adjust components.
MICIP 101 – Participants will experience the process in the platform using real-life examples.
Building Equity Through MICIP – This presentation will identify key reflection questions and resources that can be used to consider an equity lens while engaging in MICIP.
What Gets Monitored (and Evaluated) Gets Done – Participants will experience the enhanced Monitor, Adjust and Evaluation components and tools.
The MICIP Assess Needs Process: A Simulation – Participants will engage in a simulated activity where they will gain a deeper understanding of the Assess Needs process using an equity lens and will also experience new MICIP toolkits.

Conference information and a registration link are available at MDE Fall 2021 Virtual Continuous Improvement Conference | Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators (gomasa.org).

Please contact Ben Boerkoel at boerkoelb@michigan.gov if you have questions.

New Data Set Templates Available

A data set template is a pre-built group of data single data reports used to conduct a data analysis. A district could use a data set template to help start their data story.

Thank you to the Statewide Field Team for suggesting the data set templates listed below.

A catalog of data set templates will be available in MICIP website under resources. This catalog will be updated when new templates are added. If you are interested in submitting data set templates, please click on this link to obtain submission information. New templates available:

Academic

Math
- Elementary Mathematics Benchmark
- High School Math Benchmark

Non-Academic

Climate and Culture
Discipline & Equity
Student Engagement
Suspensions
Social-Emotional Health
SEL & Behaviors

Systems

Communication
- Communication System Effectiveness
Professional Learning
- Professional Learning Effectiveness

Children Matter. You matter. Learn SEL!

Please participate in a quick summer learning opportunity that helps you and your students!

Last spring, the Michigan Department of Education launched the Children matter. You matter. Learn SEL! campaign. MDE is asking leaders and educators to complete an ‘Introduction to SEL’ online module hosted through Michigan Virtual.

The goal is that as many educators as possible (a minimum of one school leader and two to four teachers per building across the state) will complete the module before Labor Day. The course is free and offers SCECHs. This program is open to all districts.

Would you please participate in the training and encourage others to complete the training? So far over 600 educators have completed the course since the campaign began. Let’s reach our goal by Labor Day!! Check to see if your district is on the map.

To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/mde-sel.

Please Share Continuous Communication

Please feel free to forward Continuous Communication to anyone you feel would like to receive information and updates about MICIP. To subscribe or unsubscribe, please click on this link.

Previous issues of MICIP Continuous Communication are available on the MICIP web page.

Feedback is Essential for Continuous Communication!

Have a question, an idea, a suggestion, or a compliment? The MICIP team is always eager to hear your feedback! Send us an email using the MICIP email address (mde-micip@michigan.gov).

The Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Process (MICIP) is a collaboration with the Michigan Department of Education, the Center for Educational Performance and Information, and the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators.

For more information visit the MICIP website at www.michigan.gov/mde-micip
or email mde-micip@michigan.gov.