The state has submitted its school-improvement plan to the U.S. Department of Education for approval. Every state is required to do so under the new Every Student Succeeds Act. The law replaced the No Child Left Behind Act.
The idea behind the new law is to give states more flexibility rather than make them stick to federal guidelines.
Michigan's plan keeps with that theme by having the state work with struggling districts to come up with solutions rather than have them dictated. It also takes some of the focus off standardized test scores by evaluating schools on other areas as well. Those include physical education, fine arts, health, safety and early-childhood education.
The federal education department has 120 days to review Michigan's proposal.
