Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette File Hancock Schools Superintendent Steve Patchin

HANCOCK — School Superintendent Steve Patchin presented to the Hancock School Board at its regular monthly meeting Monday to discuss the impacts of learning loss and opportunities to mitigate its impact through state and federal emergency funding programs.

“There is approximately, for us, a minimum of $26 or $28 per student. That comes out to around $22,000.”

Patchin said if all the school districts in the state applied for 98c funding, each district would receive the same $22,000. However, if only half the districts apply, that amount could double.

It is a competitive grant, he said, but the point is that if not everyone applies for it, those that do will receive more money.

Patchin then referred to the proficiency reports in Mathematics for Barkell Elementary from the Copper Country Intermediate School District because, he said, that will be the focal point for the 98c application.

The district is currently using the Houghton Mifflin Common Core Expressions, he said, but it needs some upgrading, adding that there are some “bells and whistles” that can be added to the program.

Math Expressions is a research-based K-6 program, published by the Houghton Mifflin Company, built to provide instruction on the Common Core Standards, which includes special emphasis on the mathematical practices and learning progressions at every grade level.

Common Core standards have been implemented from kindergarten through high school in 41 states.

Karen Eddy, Title I Teacher at the CCISD, compiled a plan for purchasing the program. Patchin said the total cost of the plan is approximately $45,000.

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund money will pay for part of the cost, and the 98c funds will be used to fill in the gaps.

Under the ESSERS Fund, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) provides local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools, with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19  has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools in Michigan.

According to a report published by Michigan State University on Sept. 1, 2022, nearly all students in third through eighth grades took the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, or M-STEP in the spring of 2022, after two years of disruptions by the COVID-19 pandemic. With 95% of students taking the test in 2022, compared to just 71% in 2021. More students scored below 1252, the state-determined benchmark for one grade level behind in reading, and could be held back under Michigan’s Read by Grade Three law.

According to a Sept. 12, 2022 report published by the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF), states that a report from Michigan State University’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) reveals that in 2021, 41.5% of third graders statewide scored at least proficient in math on the M-STEP, a decline of 5.2 percentage points from 2019, the last time the test was given before COVID-19.

Patchin concluded his presentation by saying that one of the benefits of the Common Core Expressions program is that it includes testing twice per school year that will allow for measuring progress throughout the school year.