The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and the Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) are in the process of updating the School Code Master (SCM) in preparation for system replacement on September 30, 2008 . The new system will be called the Educational Entity Master (EEM).

The current SCM is the directory foundation of educational data collection in the state of Michigan . The new application continues that path and also moves the state closer to a shared vision of “collect once, store once, and use many times.”

According to the MDE:

“By updating the directory, including an improved ability to track relevant entity characteristics, we can continue efforts to improve the overall quality and accuracy of data collected in other state systems that rely on the foundation components of the EEM. Through better identification of entities and characteristics, other systems will be able to more accurately capture all student, staff, and finance data from pre-K through grade 12 for use by school districts, parents, the legislature, and state agencies.”

In the SCM, some entities were identified as “Schools” and others as “Ancillary Facilities.” As part of the transition to the new EEM, definitions for all entities were reviewed and updated, resulting in the need to adjust entity types based on the new definitions. Many ancillary facilities in the current SCM will be identified in the new EEM as “Schools,” while some will become “Unique Education Providers” or “Non-instructional Ancillary Facilities.”

If you have any questions, the following contacts can be of assistance.

• Alternative Education, Mary Alice Galloway (gallowaym@michigan.gov, 517.241.4185)
• CTE, Jill Kroll (krollj1@michigan.gov, 517.241.4354)
• Early Childhood, Gary Schafer (schaferg@michigan.gov, 517.335.2875)