News Release

Contact: Martin Ackley, Director of Communications Jan Ellis, Spokesperson, (517) 241-4395

98 Lowest Achieving Schools Identified; and

Latest Top-to-Bottom School Rankings Released
August 26, 2011 LANSING The Michigan Department of Education announced today that 98 schools have been identified as Persistently Lowest Achieving (PLA) Schools. Schools placed on the PLA list are required to develop and implement Redesign Plans approved by the State School Reform Office in the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). Also released today was the Top-to-Bottom (highest to lowest) ranking of all schools using MDEs comprehensive methodology, developed in collaboration with education stakeholders. The Top to Bottom list ranks all schools in the state, based on student proficiency, achievement, academic growth and achievement gap in math, reading, writing, science, and social studies; and also graduation rate for high school buildings. This is important information for schools, parents, and communities to review, said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. It provides a real look at how our local schools are doing in educating their students. Some schools are doing well at preparing students. Too many others still are struggling. But we all can improve, Flanagan added. In order for Michigan to succeed in this competitive global economy, our schools need to step up their efforts some, in a big way. I encourage communities to have honest discussions with their school leaders to embrace and support the changes needed to move forward. As required by state law, the 98 schools on the PLA list were identified using the federallyprescribed and approved formula used for the federal School Improvement Grant. That formula considers student proficiency levels and academic improvement rates in math and reading only; whether a school is in one of the three federal school sanctions levels (corrective action, restructuring, or improvement); and whether a secondary school had a graduation rate below 60 percent.

Once identified on a PLA list in any year, a school is required to develop and implement an approved redesign plan, regardless of whether it appears on a subsequent years PLA list. The school remains under the supervision of the School Reform Officer until the School Reform Officer determines it has made significant improvement in pupil achievement and the state Superintendent of Public Instruction releases it from the measures that have been imposed under state law. Under state law, schools located in a district with an Emergency Manager do not fall under the authority of the State School Reform Office. The four federally-required school improvement models from which the schools must select, are: Transformational Model Districts would address four specific areas: 1) developing teacher and school leader effectiveness, which includes replacing the principal who led the school prior to commencement of the transformational model; 2) implementing comprehensive instructional reform strategies; 3) extending learning and teacher planning time and creating communityoriented schools; and 4) providing operating flexibility and sustained support. Turnaround Model This would include among other actions, replacing the principal and at least 50 percent of the school's staff, adopting a new governance structure and implementing a new or revised instructional program. Restart Model School districts would close the school and reopen it under the management of a charter school operator; a charter management organization; or an educational management organization selected through a rigorous review process. A restart school would be required to enroll, within the grades it serves, any former student who wishes to attend. School Closure The district would close a failing school and enroll the students who attended that school in other high-achieving schools in the district. For more detail, including the 2011 Top-to-Bottom ranking for all school buildings in Michigan and Frequently Asked Questions; visit the Persistently Lowest Achieving (PLA) Schools (http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-6530_56811-261309--,00.html) and Top-toBottom (http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-37818_56562---,00.html) webpages.

2011 Persistently Lowest Achieving (PLA) Schools List

District Name Albion Public Schools Allen Academy Atherton Community Schools Battle Creek Public Schools Beecher Community School District Benton Harbor Area Schools Berrien Springs Public Schools Bridgeport-Spaulding Community School District Buena Vista School District Clintondale Community Schools Conner Creek Academy East Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District School Name Albion High School Allen Academy Atherton High School Battle Creek Central High School Beecher High School Benton Harbor High School Berrien Springs High School Bridgeport High School Buena Vista High School Clintondale High School Conner Creek Academy East-MI Collegiate High Bow Elementary-Middle School* Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts* Burns Elementary-Middle School* Carstens Elementary-Middle School* Central Collegiate Academy* Cody College Preparatory Upper School of Teaching and Learning* Crockett High School* Denby High School* Field, Moses* Finney High School* Fisher Magnet Upper Academy* Ford High School* Garvey Academy* Holmes, A.L. Elementary-Middle School* Jemison, Mae C. * Keidan Special Education School* Kettering High School* King High School* Law Elementary School* Mary McCloud Bethune ElementaryMiddle School* On 2010 PLA List? Yes No No No Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No 2010 Rank Yes No 2010 Rank Yes No Yes Yes No 2010 Rank Yes Yes Yes Yes

Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit Community Schools Detroit Midtown Academy Dream Academy East Detroit Public Schools Ecorse Public School District Ferndale Public Schools Flint City School District Flint City School District Flint City School District Frontier International Academy George Washington Carver Academy Grand Rapids Public Schools Hartford Public School District Hazel Park City School District Highland Park City Schools Hillsdale Community Schools Kalamazoo Public School District Kalamazoo Public School District Kalamazoo Public School District Lansing Public School District

Mumford High School* Murphy Elementary-Middle School* Nolan Elementary-Middle School* Northwestern High School* Osborn Upper School of Global Communications and Culture* Palmer Park Preparatory Academy* Parker Elementary-Middle School* Pershing High School* Phoenix Elementary-Middle School* Priest Elementary-Middle School* Pulaski Elementary-Middle School* Southeastern High School* Southwestern High School* Stewart Elementary-Middle School* Trix Elementary-Middle School* West Side Academy Alt. Ed* Western International High School* Wilkins Elementary-Middle School* Detroit Community Schools-High School Detroit Midtown Academy Dream Academy East Detroit High School Ecorse Community High School University High School McKinley Foundation Northern High School Northwestern High School Frontier International Academy George Washington Carver Academy Union High School Hartford Middle School Hazel Park Junior High School Highland Park Community H.S. Davis Middle School Hillside Middle School Maple Street Magnet School for the Arts Milwood Middle School Eastern High School

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No 2010 Rank Yes No Yes No No No No Yes No Yes Yes No No Yes No No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes

Lansing Public School District Lincoln Consolidated School District Lincoln Park Public Schools Lincoln Park Public Schools Madison Public Schools (Oakland) Mt. Clemens Community School District Muskegon Heights School District New Haven Community Schools Nsoroma Institute Oak Park City School District Oak Park City School District Pinconning Area Schools Pontiac City School District Port Huron Area School District Reading Community Schools River Rouge School District Ross-Hill Academy Saginaw City School District Saginaw City School District School District of the City of Inkster School District of Ypsilanti South Lake Schools Southfield Public School District Stephenson Area Public Schools Van Dyke Public Schools WayPoint Academy Westwood Community Schools Westwood Heights Schools Willow Run Community Schools

Gardner Middle School Lincoln Senior High School Lincoln Park High School Lincoln Park Middle School Madison High School Mount Clemens High School Muskegon Heights High School New Haven High School Nsoroma Institute Oak Park High School Oak Park Preparatory Academy Pinconning Middle School Pontiac High School Central Middle School Reading High School River Rouge High School Ross-Hill Academy-Elementary Ruben Daniels Middle School Saginaw High School Inkster High School Ypsilanti High School South Lake High School Southfield Regional Academic Campus Stephenson High School Lincoln High School WayPoint Academy Robichaud Senior High School Hamady Community High School Willow Run High School

No No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes

Schools NOT on the 2011 PLA List But Still Required to Implement Their Approved Redesign Plans (Based on Appearing on the 2010 PLA List)
District Name Aisha Shule/WEB Dubois Prep. Academy School Bloomingdale Public School District Camden-Frontier Schools Cassopolis Public Schools City of Harper Woods Schools Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Detroit City School District Fitzgerald Public Schools Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Kent City Community Schools Lakeview Community Schools (Montcalm) Marion Public Schools Michigan Health Academy Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools Pontiac Academy for Excellence Roseville Community Schools Roseville Community Schools Saginaw City School District Taylor School District Van Dyke Public Schools Waldron Area Schools Waverly Community Schools School Name Aisha Shule/WEB Dubois Prep. Academy School Bloomingdale Middle and High School Camden-Frontier Middle School Ross Beatty High School Harper Woods High School Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences High School Earhart Middle School* Coffey Elementary/Middle School* Cooley High School* Duffield Elementary School* Farwell Middle School* Fitzgerald Elementary School* Fleming Elementary School* Hutchinson Elementary-Middle School* Lessenger Elementary-Middle School* Schulze Elementary-Middle School* White Elementary School* Beckham, William Academy* Vetal Elementary School* Fitzgerald Senior High School Lee High School Kent City High School Lakeview High School Marion High School Michigan Health Academy E.A. Johnson Memorial H.S. Pontiac Academy for Excellence - High School Eastland Middle School Roseville Middle School Thompson Middle School Truman High School Lincoln Middle School Waldron Middle School Waverly Middle School

*Indicates school is under supervision of an Emergency Manager.