Ann Arbor Times

A program aimed at enhancing the potential of Ypsilanti Community Schools was on the agenda at a recent board meeting.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Carlos Lopez discussed the new district education improvement development and the Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Process (MICIP) Partnership Agreement.

“We have a team here. We're the one district that is at the front of this work, I mean really at the forefront of the work, doing cutting edge.,” said Lopez. “In the process of this, we have been identified as the second district in the state of Michigan that really lives through the MICIP process besides Dearborn public schools we’re the second district. And so, in essence, not to say that other districts are not doing the work, but we are really cutting and doing the work, the deep equity work that needs to be happening and school transformation.”

The three-year partnership involves the Michigan Department of Education, the Ypsilanti Community Schools and the Washtenaw Intermediate school district to better serve and improve the schools identified as needing additional support.

The agreement is designed to bring a stronger alignment between the three entities when it comes to communication and accountability.

The district has two schools labeled as CSI schools (Comprehensive Support and Improvement): Holmes Elementary and the Achieving College & Career Education (ACCE).

The middle school was also labeled as CSI while Estabrook Elementary and YPSI Connected were Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), but were not the targeted schools in the partnership.

The agreement will ensure that the district has a comprehensive improvement plan across all measures including: individual building improvement, academic and social/emotional support for students, development and aid for instructors and district leaders and aligning with state standards and MICIP strategies benchmarks.

The district is in the process of creating their outline for improvement over the next three years.

They are required to create between three and nine goal areas with benchmark goals at the 18-month mark and the 36-month mark.

At least one of the goals has to measure improvement over the whole district within three years. Other  goals must be growth-based on state assessment results and local student data.