Dearborn Heights board hears high-school presentation on adopting Edmentum platform; moves item to Dec. 18 agenda

The Dearborn Heights School District #7 Board of Education on Dec. 4 heard a presentation from high-school staff about adopting the Edmentum online learning platform and agreed to place the proposal on the board’s Dec. 18 agenda for formal consideration.

Principal Aaron Mallette introduced the presenters and described Edmentum as “a One-Stop shop for a diagnostic piece and a learning path,” saying the district currently relies on multiple vendors and lacks a high-school diagnostic that produces individualized learning pathways. Intervention teacher Katie told the board, “We do not have access to a diagnostic,” and said a common diagnostic for high school would let staff place students into the correct courses and design targeted interventions.

Why it matters: Presenters said Edmentum would consolidate credit-recovery, diagnostic testing, interventions and electives into a single contract, expand access to CTE and AP courses without per-course add-ons, and include translation options for English-language learners. Administrators argued the platform could improve placement accuracy and reduce staff time spent juggling multiple vendors.

What presenters told the board: Staff said Edmentum provides integrated Math and language-arts diagnostics that translate into individualized learning pathways, and supports ESL students by offering content in multiple languages. They also emphasized district control over teacher-of-record roles for online courses, which they said would allow the district to design courses to meet local IEP and accommodation needs rather than relying on an external teacher-of-record.

On costs and timeline: The packet presented comparative figures for current vendors (Edgenuity/E2020 ~ $27,000; Graduation Alliance ~ $62,618; Read 180 ~ $23,000; diagnostics like NWEA/I-Ready ~ $8,500). Presenters also cited a quoted three-year total of about $152,000 for the Edmentum package in the materials, and said the estimate could reduce district annual spending over time—staff called these figures approximate and said finance staff would validate exact numbers before contract approval. The board was told staff expect to train 100% of teachers by the end of May if the board approves the transition now and that a pilot/trial of the diagnostic could be run through June.

Trustee questions and staff responses: Board members asked whether diagnostics could be run for incoming freshmen (presenters: yes, multiple administrations per year are possible), how the system supports IEP modifications (presenters: courses can be tailored and accommodations embedded), and whether Title I funds could be used (staff: Title I currently pays for Read 180 and the proposed contract would come from the general fund). Several trustees pressed on contract length and cancellation: presenters said typical multi-year contracts make mid-term cancellation difficult and emphasized the value of a trial period and careful scheduling.

Next steps: The board did not vote to approve a contract on Dec. 4 but informally agreed to place the Edmentum proposal on the Dec. 18 agenda for formal consideration. Administrators said they would return with validated costs, contract language, and an implementation plan that addresses diagnostics administration, staff training and IEP accommodations.

The board will consider the contract at its Dec. 18 meeting; if approved, staff said a phased rollout and preparatory summer work would be used to have courses and teacher training ready for the following school year.