Statement by Amber Arellano on bipartisan education deal

Statement by Amber Arellano, Executive Director, The Education Trust-Midwest

“We applaud Governor Whitmer and Michigan’s legislative leadership for their work on a bipartisan package that includes a commitment to quality education data and transparency.  

As an organization committed to ensuring all Michigan students have the opportunity to learn at high levels, we are particularly heartened to see the inclusion of benchmark assessments that are aligned with high standards for teaching and learning. These assessments will provide parents and educators with critical information on how students are progressing and how they need to be supported at this historic moment of COVID-19, regardless of whether learning takes place in person, virtually or through a hybrid model.

Measuring student learning will be particularly important to inform how to address the unfinished learning that followed the necessary but abrupt school closures in the spring, which disproportionately impacted our state’s most vulnerable students and their families.

Given the financial challenges many districts are facing, we especially applaud efforts to ensure that rigorous, standards-aligned benchmark assessments are made available at the State’s expense to every district in the state. 

We hope that the same bipartisan spirit can be brought to the table in the coming weeks as difficult, but more equitable decisions about the state education budget are considered.”