Be sure your email address is up-to-date in the Michigan Online Educator Certification System to receive important notifications





View in Browser [ [link removed] ]

Forwarded from a friend? Sign-up [ [link removed] ] to receive this e-newsletter!















Educationally Speaking

Issue 66 | May 2025
________________________________________________________________________

*Be sure your email address is up-to-date in the **Michigan Online Educator Certification System* [ [link removed] ]* to receive important notifications regarding YOUR certificate.*

**Please see the *archived newsletters [ [link removed] ]* for other important information that affects licensure.**

________________________________________________________________________


Noteworthy News
________________________________________________________________________



Teacher Appreciation Video Project

In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, which took place from May 5-9, 2025, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) recognizes the diligent and committed educators throughout the state. As a key component of MDE's strategic initiatives, we are proud to celebrate Michigan teachers throughout the entire month of May.

MDE invited families to submit videos of their students thanking specific teachers for their impact. Parents, guardians, and students delivered! The submitted videos are amazing and are posted on the Teacher Appreciation Month webpage [ [link removed] ] and MDE’s YouTube channel [ [link removed] ]. The Office of Educator Excellence (OEE) Facebook page [ [link removed] ] will be sharing the videos throughout the month of May. Join the celebration by using the hashtag #MITeachAppreesh in your own messages of appreciation!

________________________________________________________________________



2026-27 Michigan Teacher of the Year Nomination Window Opens Tomorrow

MDE will open the 2026-27 Michigan Teacher of the Year nomination window Wednesday, May 21, 2025. This annual program recognizes outstanding teachers in our state. Each year, 10 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 and/or guardians 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.

Please make nominations using the online form [ [link removed] ], which is available until Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 11:59 p.m., eastern standard time (EST).

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 [email protected].

To learn more about the Michigan Teacher of the Year program and MDE's other educator recognition programs, visit the program webpage [ [link removed] ]. Please contact [email protected] with questions regarding the program or nomination process.

________________________________________________________________________


Did You Know
________________________________________________________________________



Update: Availability of State Assessment Student Growth Reports

The fiscal year 2025 (FY25) State School Aid Act did not provide funding for MDE to contract SAS® EVAAS to provide value-added reports to intermediate school districts (ISDs) and local education agencies (LEAs), both traditional public school districts and public school academies. Therefore, reports will not be developed for the state assessments for the 2023-24 academic year. While school district users will find that the login-restricted website will no longer be accessible, the publicly available external website [ [link removed] ] will continue to display reports through the 2022-23 academic year.

For the most updated state assessment student performance information, including for the 2023-24 academic year, Michigan ISDs and LEAs can securely access student growth reports in the dynamic reports section of the MDE Secure Site [ [link removed] ]. Additionally, publicly accessible student growth reports can be found on MISchoolData.org [ [link removed] ]. Please send any questions to [email protected].

________________________________________________________________________



Reminder: Permits Available Soon for the 2025-26 Academic Year! 

Districts must ensure educators hold valid credentials appropriate for their assignment. When a certified individual is not available, temporary credentials are available for districts to assign non-certified or under-certified educators.

Beginning July 1, Michigan schools can apply for staffing flexibilities for educators. These staffing flexibilities include permits, Special Education Approvals, and Annual Career Authorizations (ACA). Permits and ACAs are applied for and issued to the employing school district. As a reminder, the Daily Substitute Permits are intended for intermittent assignments and are valid for 90-consecutive calendar days if the individual remains in a single assignment.

For more information on staffing flexibilities, please visit the Educator Staffing and Placement webpage [ [link removed] ].

________________________________________________________________________



MiEdWorkforce Update

The Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) and MDE are developing a data system called MiEdWorkforce to replace the Registry of Educational Personnel (REP) and the Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOECS).

MiEdWorkforce is expected to go live in summer/fall of 2027.

In preparation for the launch, the MiEdWorkforce team has started critical partner engagement sessions with educators, representatives from PK-12 schools, educator preparation providers, and employment contractors.

The first round of sessions covered features related to employment data and unique identifier assignment. During the discussions, the team shared previews of proposed system functionality and participants provided input and feedback. 


* 92% thought the sessions were worth their time.
* 92% would like to participate in future discussions.
* 83% felt this change would improve their work.
* 100% thought the development of MiEdWorkforce is a needed change.

Future sessions will include educator credentials, educator preparation programs, and professional learning.

For inquiries, please contact the MDE help desk ([email protected] <[email protected]>) and CEPI customer support ([email protected] <[email protected]>).

________________________________________________________________________



Professional Learning Reminders

*Teaching Certificate Renewal*

Teachers are required by rule to accumulate a total of 150 education-related professional learning hours [ [link removed] ] to renew or progress their teaching certificate. These hours may include college credits, State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECHs), and District Provided Professional Development (DPPD) [ [link removed] ]. All DPPD hours accrued after July 1, 2020 must be entered as SCECHs by the district or another SCECH provider. DPPD hours obtained prior to July 1, 2020 must be entered by the educator and then submitted to the district for verification using this process [ [link removed] ]. Educators should check their Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOECS) account to verify their professional learning hours. If an educator finds a discrepancy in SCECH hours, they should contact the SCECH sponsor.

*Professional Learning and Mentoring Laws*

Districts are required by law (MCL 380.1527 [ [link removed] ]) to provide at least 5 days (30 hours) of professional development to all teachers annually. Teachers within their first three years of classroom teaching must be assigned a mentor and receive an additional 15 days (90 hours) of professional development over those three years per MCL 380.1526 [ [link removed] ]. Districts must maintain documentation [ [link removed] ] related to both professional learning laws and enter new teacher professional learning hours into Field 24 of the Registry of Educational Personnel (REP) [ [link removed] ]. In addition, per MCL 380.1249b(1)(o) [ [link removed]. ], districts are required to assign a mentor or coach to each school administrator (excluding superintendents) for the first 3 years in which the school administrator is in a new administrative position.

*School Safety*

As part of MCL 380.1526 [ [link removed] ], districts must provide a MDE approved First Aid/CPR course to teachers in their first year of employment in classroom teaching. Due to this requirement, school safety trainings are accepted as district provided professional development and count toward recertification.

*Helpful resources:  *


* Professional Learning Audit Checklist (PDF) [ [link removed] ]
* Mentoring and Induction FAQ [ [link removed] ]
* District Provided Professional Development (DPPD) Reporting Resources [ [link removed] ]
* Professional Learning Guidelines for MCL 380.1526 and MCL 380.1527 [ [link removed] ]
* SCECH and DPPD webpage [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________


Grants Information Section Header
________________________________________________________________________



FY25 Student Loan Repayment Program Update

The individual application window for the FY25 Student Loan Repayment Program *ended Monday, May 19, 2025*. This year, eligible school staff members applied directly for the program using the updated eligibility requirements, timeline, and instructions on the Student Loan Repayment Program webpage [ [link removed] ].

The end of the individual application window means that the next phase, *employment verification by districts*, can begin. The employment verification window starts *Tuesday, May 27, 2025*, and closes at *5 p.m. EST on Tuesday, June 10, 2025*. A notification about the employment verification phase, including instructions for completing the verifications, will be sent to all authorized Grant Electronic Monitoring System/Michigan Administrative Review System (GEMS/MARS) staff members at the districts where eligible individuals claimed employment on submitted applications. Note that only those districts that have employees submitting individual applications will receive a notification.

It is vitally important that districts receiving notifications complete the employment verification step by the deadline of 5 p.m. EST, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. *An individual educator’s application will not be processed without employment verification.*

For questions about the Student Loan Repayment Program that are not otherwise found on the Student Loan Repayment Program webpage [ [link removed] ] or on its associated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) webpage [ [link removed] ], please contact the 27k team at [email protected].

________________________________________________________________________



The Future Proud Michigan Educator Military Veterans Grant

MDE is still accepting applications for the Future Proud Michigan Educator (PME) Military Veterans grant. This grant can be used to provide a salary for qualifying military veterans for up to two semesters of student teaching and cover additional costs or fees associated with seeking a teaching certificate. This grant targets the goals in Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan [ [link removed] ] by focusing on increasing the percentage of adults with post-secondary credentials and the number of certified teachers in areas of shortage. For more information, please visit the Future PME Military Veterans webpage [ [link removed] ].

________________________________________________________________________


#proudMIeducator
________________________________________________________________________



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: 

*Add your voice!* [ [link removed] ]


________________________________________________________________________



Talent Pool Logo
Talent Pool

The Michigan Talent Pool is a group of elementary and secondary educators nominated by their supervisors that the Michigan Department of Education draws upon throughout the year when opportunities for engagement and recognition become available.

We welcome recommendations of outstanding classroom teachers and/or principals who exhibit strong potential for professional leadership, and demonstrate the following:


* Exceptional educational talent as evidenced by effective instructional practices and student learning results in the classroom and school;
* Exemplary educational accomplishments beyond the classroom;
* Contributions to education that are largely unheralded, yet are worthy of the spotlight; and
* An engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues and the community.

Recommendations to the Talent Pool should be submitted by the nominee's supervisor and can be made via the online recommendation form [ [link removed] ].

The nomination form includes a one-page letter of recommendation explaining how the nominee meets the above criteria. Please note that these recommendations are confidential and should not be discussed with the recommended educator or others in your school or community.

Please direct any questions to Jennifer Robel at [email protected].



________________________________________________________________________


Teacher Discounts [ [link removed] ]
________________________________________________________________________







________________________________________________________________________



"Copyright © 2025 Office of Educator Excellence, All rights reserved."

Michigan Department of Education - Office of Educator Excellence
608 W. Allegan Street, Lansing, MI 48933
(517) 241-5000 | [email protected]






________________________________________________________________________

Michigan Department of Education Logo [ [link removed] ]  Questions?
Contact Us [ [link removed] ]

STAY CONNECTED:   [ [link removed] ]   [ [link removed] ]   [ [link removed] ]   [ [link removed] ]  

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
Manage Preferences [ [link removed] ]  |  Unsubscribe All [ [link removed] ]  |  Help [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Michigan Department of Education · 608 W. Allegan Street, P.O. Box 30008 · Lansing, MI 48909
body .abe-column-block { min-height: 5px; } table.gd_combo_table img {margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px;} table.gd_combo_table div.govd_image_display img, table.gd_combo_table td.gd_combo_image_cell img {margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px;}