Lydia C. Cadena

Daughter to 2, sis to 5, aunt to 20, cousin to 100+, wife to 1 hilarious dude, mom to 1 guitar playing son, retired teacher, MASSP Dir of Comms & Advocacy

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

MDE Board of Education meeting kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Check out the agenda and watch/listen in: https://t.co/vYIMNXIOwn If you wait until later in the day, you can speed up the listening time or jump ahead to the sections of the agenda that most interest you. @massp

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

The Michigan Board of Education December meeting is underway – you can listen in on YouTube as students present on their experiences in CTE programs – https://t.co/cjhPZtp2lw…. Check out the AGENDA (in photos) to see what's on the lineup. @massp

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

“I can educate any child, but they have to walk through my door,” said Kelley Cusmano, MI Teacher of the Year, in reaction to the Presentation on Student Attendance at the MDE Brd of Ed Mtg, & asked if there’s outreach to employers of students to encourage attendance. @massp

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

Afternoon at the MDE Brd of Ed Mtg kicks off w/ a presentation on Goal 6, Increase the % of Adults w/ Post Secondary Credential, including MiLEAP deputy director talking about the outreach the group is doing to inform students & parents about FAFSA. @massp

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

MI Teacher of the Year Kelley Cusmano, Rochester HS, & Molly Dunham, Reg 2 ToY, Kingsley Elem., presented on the importance of strong mentorship programs to fight the teacher shortage. @massp Cusmano advocates for student leadership as well. @mascmahs https://t.co/WsoeVQyMi1

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

OCT isn’t just Principals Month, it’s Farm to Table Month. MDE Farm to Table Program Work Supports MI Kids & Farmers presentation is enlightening the Board on goals re: increasing scratch cooking, 10 Cents Per Meal grants & more — supporting Goal 3, Top 10 Strategic Plan. @massp

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

Career Zones, Clusters & Pathways, oh, my! Learning vocab at the MDE Brd Mtg during a presentation on the 2,173 CTE programs across the state impacting more than 112,000 students. Awesome stuff! I want to take so many courses they’re describing. @massp

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

1st up on MDE Brd of Ed agenda: Presentation on CTE Ed: Promoting Growth & Diversity Through Partnerships. W/ 20 programs of study, including fire fighter, paramedic & EMT training, students are offered career paths that can literally save a community. @massp

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

Follow me today for updates on the MDE State Board of Ed meeting. @massp
Check out the agenda or listen/watch online: https://t.co/Bx2Ys6m2b1

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

Teacher of the Year presentations are almost always my favorite part of the Board meetings – they're like a wonderful dessert at the end of a meal that has some tasty items and some bitter.

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

MI St Brd Mtg cont: Michigan Teacher of the Year Kelley Cusmano, ELA Rochester HS introduced Reg 1 ToY Michael Powers, Soc Studies, Manistique MS & HS.
They spoke about powerful student service learning. "Students are consistently underestimated." Kelley Cusmano @massp @mascmahs

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

The two shared about community projects led by students that have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years for a variety of student-selected charities. Board members had nothing but praise for what they called inspiring content.

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

MI St Brd of Ed Mtg cont: After a presentation that included a fun video featuring the camp experiences of blind and deaf elementary & MS students, the Board voted unanimously to approve the Camp Tuhsmeheta Spending Plan for Fiscal Year 2024-25 @massp

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

Presenters said they are seeing an increase in Personal Curriculum requests which they believe is helping more students graduate across the state.

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

MI St Brd of Ed Mtg cont: Presentation on MI's Top 10 Strategic Ed Plan Goal 5 – Increase % of All Students Who Graduate from High School: Through Personal Curriculum.

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

are using creating methods that allow students to earn multiple curriculum credits in a single course that combines areas of study. They shared 4 individualized PC types that allow students to have modified MMC plans (including IEPs, Enriched and more).

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

Presenters noted that this was the first year tests were moved entirely from pencil and paper to digital completion. Students who were economically disadvantaged, had extended time in remote learning or were in their reading window presented an overlay of challenges.

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

St of MI Brd Mtg cont: Spring 2024 assessment results, (M-STEP, PSAT & SAT) we discussed. Improvement was seen overall compared to last year's data.

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

Team Nutrition shared A Recipe for Success for MI’s Kids w/an update on the 2-year grant focused on 1) implementing nutrition ed events for students & fams featuring locally grown foods, 2) developing a sustainable connection between local farmers & school food services. @massp

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

Next resolution proposed to be added was from Nikki Snyder to end govt indoctrination, protect parents' rights and the original intent of Title IX. The discussion related mainly to transgender issues and the rights of parents vs students. Both failed to be added @ 10:03 AM.

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

Time for another State of Michigan School Board Meeting – called to order at 9:33 AM, starting with a moment of silence for the victims of the school shooting in Georgia last week. Follow me today for updates related to secondary education. @massp

[Lydia C. Cadena @PutALydiaOnIt]

During the approval of the agenda, Tom McMillin proposed a resolution be added related to MDE's recognizing its failures to provide services to students with 504 plans and IEPs during the COVID pandemic. A discussion about whether it should be added went on for more than 20 min.