Issue 70 | September 2025
Be sure your email address is up-to-date in the Michigan Online Educator Certification System to receive important notifications regarding YOUR certificate.
Please see the archived newsletters for other important information that affects licensure.
Public Comment on the Proposed Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of Visual Arts
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) requests public comment on the Proposed Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of Visual Arts. These proposed standards support goal 7 of Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan by increasing the number of certified teachers in areas of shortage. These standards would replace Michigan's current Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of Visual Arts Education adopted by the State Board of Education on June 12, 2001.
All feedback on the proposed standards must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., October 23, 2025, at the Visual Arts Educator Preparation Standards Public Comment website. All comments will be reviewed in preparing a final recommendation to the State Board of Education at a future meeting.
For additional information, please contact Dr. Gina Garner at GarnerG1@Michigan.gov.
MOECS Will Be Offline September 26, 2025
MDE wants to ensure you are aware that the Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOECS) will be offline beginning Friday, September 26, 2025, from 6:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. due to a server upgrade.
Services halted by the upgrade include:
- Submitting applications and all application-related processing
- Includes educator applications for initial and renewal certificates, as well as additional endorsement applications, permit, annual career authorization and special education approval applications
- Document uploads and verification of receipt of documents
- SCECH applications and related processing, including uploading participants
- Personal Identification Code (PIC) resolution
- Account corrections
- Refunds
Services still available:
- Password resets
- Phone support
- Email support
The MOECS Educator Help team can continue to support general questions regarding certification needs to the best of our ability while MOECS is offline and unavailable.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and want you to be aware that it affects all users, including MDE staff.
New School Social Worker Tuition Reimbursement Grant
In response to the ongoing and substantial need to provide fully credentialed school social workers for students with disabilities, MDE is offering a School Social Worker Tuition Reimbursement Grant Opportunity using federal IDEA Part B funds. The School Social Worker Tuition Reimbursement Grant funds are intended to encourage master's-level social workers to pursue their School Social Worker credential. Read more about this grant opportunity in this MDE memo released September 4 and on the School Social Worker Tuition Reimbursement Grant webpage.
Fiscal Year 2025 Student Loan Repayment Program Update
On Friday, August 22, 2025, all educators who applied to the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Student Loan Repayment Program were notified of the outcome of their application. This notification was sent to the email address provided by the educator at the time of application. In addition, employing districts were notified of the outcome of their employees’ applications.
Educators whose applications were denied are encouraged to use the information on the Understanding Application Denials webpage and the instructional documents still available on the main Student Loan Repayment Program webpage to ensure a successful application for the next cycle (FY26).
The Program Administration webpage has been updated to assist districts with administering FY25 payments to approved participants, address special situations, and provide best practices for communicating with applicants.
By 5:00 p.m. on September 30, 2025, educators whose applications were approved must report to MDE whether:
- there was a change in one or more monthly loan payment(s) since the time of application;
- there was a change in eligibility status since the time of application; or
- there were no changes to the monthly loan payment(s) reported on the original application.
A link has been posted on the Student Loan Repayment Program webpage for the purposes of completing this report.
MDE will then share this information with employers to adjust FY25 payments, where necessary. IMPORTANT: Completing this step is required by law to receive FY25 payments.
More timeline information will be posted on the Student Loan Repayment Program webpage in the weeks ahead, but educators are encouraged to begin the process of ensuring they meet all eligibility requirements by the time they apply.
As always, for general questions about the Student Loan Repayment Program, please visit the Student Loan Repayment Program webpage or its associated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) webpage.
Grant Open! Michigan Teachers Can Earn National Board Certification
The National Board First Time Candidate Grant (27m(7)) is available for eligible teachers employed in schoolwide Title I buildings wishing to pursue National Board Certification for the first time.
Local education agencies, both traditional public school districts and public school academies, and intermediate school districts may apply on behalf of eligible teachers. The application window closes September 29, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
Full details regarding the third round of the National Board First Time Candidate Grant (27m(7)) and eligibility requirements can be found on the Michigan Department of Education National Board Certification Grant Opportunities webpage. Please direct questions about the grant to MDE-EdWorkforceGrants@Michigan.gov.
2026-27 Michigan Teacher of the Year Nomination Window Open
The 2026-27 Michigan Teacher of the Year nomination window is open. This annual program recognizes outstanding teachers in our state. Each year, ten Regional Teachers of the Year are selected through a competitive application process, with one of the Regional Teachers of the Year named Michigan Teacher of the Year.
Parents/guardians, students, colleagues, and community members are invited to nominate a teacher. To be eligible, a nominee must have a valid Michigan teaching certificate, at least five years of teaching experience in Michigan, and be in good standing with their school or district. Teachers cannot self-nominate.
Please make nominations using the online form, which is available until Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
We recognize that some districts and intermediate school districts have an established process for awarding local teachers of the year. District representatives are welcome to nominate their district level teachers of the year by directly emailing MTOY@Michigan.gov.
To learn more about the Michigan Teacher of the Year program and MDE's other educator recognition programs, visit the program webpage. Please contact MTOY@Michigan.gov with questions regarding the program or nomination process.
The Annual Educator Effectiveness Data Appeals Window is Open through December 1
Each year, starting on the first business day in September and ending on the first business day in December, districts and public school academies may submit data appeals for inaccurate educator effectiveness ratings for any of the past five years into the Registry of Educational Personnel (REP). This data correction window is only for the purpose of updating inaccurate effectiveness ratings data within REP. It is not a process for contesting the outcome of an evaluation. Any data corrected during the window for teachers in instructional roles will appear in the Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOECS) immediately after being entered by the district.
For questions regarding educator evaluation, please contact MDE-EdEvals@Michigan.gov.
Professional Practices Reminders
As we start the new school year, MDE reminds all districts and educators about conviction disclosure and reporting requirements. The Revised School Code requires prospective employers, local districts, intermediate school districts, and public school academies to:
- Conduct criminal background checks with fingerprinting for all job applicants, including those contracted through third-party agencies (e.g., substitute educators, school safety officers).
- Require an applicant to authorize current and former employers to disclose any unprofessional conduct.
- Request an applicant’s current or previous employers to provide results of a criminal history check.
- Decline to hire an applicant who does not provide the required authorization and release about unprofessional conduct.
- Notify the superintendent of public instruction within 15 days after being notified or learning from an authoritative source that an employee who holds an educator credential has been convicted of a criminal sexual conduct or another crime described in MCL 380.1535a or 380.1539b.
- Retain personnel files for employees cited for unprofessional conduct for not less than 50 years after the individuals are no longer employed by the district.
- Retain all other personnel files for not less than 6 years after the individuals are no longer employed by the district.
- Respond to employers’ requests for information about unprofessional conduct within 20 business days.
- Refrain from entering into a collective bargaining agreement, employment contract, or resignation or severance agreement, or any other contract or agreement that has the effect of suppressing or expunging information about substantiated unprofessional conduct of an employee or former employee.
Local districts, intermediate school districts, and public school academies are also encouraged to take advantage of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Educator Identification Clearinghouse (Ed ID Clearinghouse). The Ed ID Clearinghouse is a database that monitors and tracks adverse actions taken against an educator’s credential. Many of these actions are not related to criminal prosecutions and do not show up in traditional criminal background checks. By including the Ed ID Clearinghouse in the screening of certified and non-certified applicants, a school district can make more fully informed hiring decisions. More information can be found at the Ed ID Clearinghouse website.
All applicants directly hired by a local district, intermediate school district, public school academy, or third-party employment agency must provide:
- Written release of current and former employers from liability for providing information about unprofessional conduct.
- A written statement disclosing any criminal convictions and unprofessional conduct.
- Contact information for all current and former employers.
- Written consent for a criminal history check.
Additional resources and information about how criminal background checks and criminal convictions may impact an educator’s credential can be found on MDE’s Professional Practices website.
We Need Your Voice!
Interested in sharing your perspective with the Office of Educator Excellence on a future project? We are always looking for new individuals to participate in workgroups, review committees, and other projects involving Michigan’s education workforce. To be considered, please complete the following form.
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