Reblogged from MLive

Bob Wood has taught high school social studies in five school districts in three states since graduating from Michigan State University in 1980. He was a Fulbright-Hays scholar in 2006, Michigan’s James Madison scholar in 2009 and National Endowment for the Humanities scholar in 2013. The last 25 years he has taught at Muskegon’s Oakridge High School.

By Bob Wood

GRAND HAVEN, MI — The American dream in Muskegon is dying along with affordable college access.

For poor kids saddled with college debt, what they get instead from Michigan politicians, is a mandatory, self-serving, and expensive M-STEP test, that provides no benefit to the individual student.

The M-STEP will blanket Michigan following Spring Break. Instead of challenging its legitimacy, bullying compliance is the plan.

If students do not participate, they have been threatened by local school boards with loss of their high school diploma. Gov. Rick Snyder has dictated to Michigan families, there is “no allowable way in state or federal law to “opt out” of assessment.”

And on March 26, the state announced a $103 million three-year contract extension for the M-STEP. In doing so Michigan politicians have promised funds, meant to enhance K-12 education and reduce the financial burden of college students, to well lobbied software corporations who have tests to sell and a profit to make. Read more>>