Michigan schools perform above the national average, but just, according to a report released by Education Week magazine January 8.

The magazine's annual Quality Counts report gave Michigan a C+ grade and a score of 77.8.   That put the state in 16th place nationally, about where it stood last year , and just above the national average of 76.2.

As with last year, no state earned an A, though 10 states had Bs.   Maryland was the top state overall with an 84.7, followed by Massachusetts with 84.6. New York, which was first last year, dropped to third with an 84.1.

Washington, D.C., again fell to the bottom of the listing with a D (68.3), topped by Nevada with a 68.8.

To reduce burdens on state officials filling out questionnaires, the magazine this year moved to a rotating basis for the scores, so only scores for Chance for Success, Transitions and Alignment, and School Finance were new this year.

Among those, Michigan did best in Transitions and Alignment with a B (85.7), ranking sixth.   Among the places where the state missed in that category was having a definition of school readiness and having districts assess students based on that, having high school diploma requirements aligned with college requirements and a state-required high school curriculum.   But the report noted that last issue would be resolved for the class of 2011.

Read the Quality Counts report…

Source: Gongwer News Service, 1.7.09