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ISD consultant: 'School index can seem very, very complicated,' but it helps target supports
Summary
At a Jan. 13 Monroe Public Schools work session, ISD consultant Kathy Berry explained Michigan's School Index and federal ESSA requirements, saying the index identifies schools for targeted supports and that Monroe's administrators have used state and local data to seek improvements.
Kathy Berry, an ISD consultant who worked with Monroe Public Schools, told the school board that the Michigan School Index is designed to identify schools in need of support and to ensure equitable educational opportunities across student subgroups. "School index can seem very, very complicated," she said, and walked members through how the index aggregates growth, proficiency, and school-quality indicators.
Berry said the index is both an accountability and communication tool under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act and that it helps the Michigan Department of Education prioritize technical assistance and some federal Title I funds. She explained that the state sets targets using a percentile-based approach and that growth is weighted heavily in the current formula; when asked who sets those targets she said the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) does.
The ISD representative emphasized that identification is an opportunity for support rather than a punitive designation and noted Monroe administrators' work to use the index and local data sets intentionally. She outlined the three tiers of state identification — Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Additional Targeted Support (ATS), and Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) — and explained timing for future reviews and exits from lists.
Board members asked how the index values are calculated and why results can vary year to year; Berry attributed some movement to changes in subgroup counts, data-cleanup differences, and the norm-referenced nature of the index, where one school's rise can push another down. She recommended that the district continue cross-checking state-index reports with local I Ready and classroom data and use the ISD and other supports to prioritize improvement strategies.
The presentation framed the index as a tool to guide district decisions, not a standalone judgment: Berry said the index "is not a bad thing necessarily as long as the school accepts that opportunity and the resources."
