Session 2 — Michigan Department of Education Update
Presenter: Andrew Middlestead (OEAA) · Day: April 23, 2026
The only session with no accompanying artifact. Scheduled on the agenda for 11:15am.
Spring 2026 testing status
Status quo, with one exception: the new WIN Work Readiness Assessments. WIN will attend the fall TAC meeting, and — at the committee’s expectation — will bring its psychometric team. That commitment is tracked as WIN Work Readiness Assessments at the fall meeting.
State budget
In process. Asked directly whether the MDE budget would be cut, Middlestead’s answer was that this happens every year, that the process is early, and that nothing is final — which is typical.
Benchmark assessments
MDE is still reimbursing districts for benchmark assessment use. Schools are currently required to report the data, but the requirement is not funded in this year’s budget. A reporting mandate without an appropriation is a durable source of compliance risk and is tracked as a standing thread in MDE Assessment Operations.
Department leadership
Michigan is still in the initial period of new State Superintendent Dr. Glenn Malayko, who is focused on gathering feedback from districts. OEAA has had an initial conversation with him about reporting.
That conversation matters more than its one line in the minutes suggests. Three other sessions at this meeting — growth targets, subscore reporting, the concordance table — turn on reporting decisions that a new superintendent’s priorities could reopen.
What the committee advised
Nothing formally. This session is briefing, not consultation.