Judge issues order blocking accreditation system for schools

LANSING (AP) -- A judge has ruled in favor of a coalition of school districts and temporarily blocked implementation of the new Michigan Accountability and Accreditation System. The coalition said last Thursday that the Michigan Department of Education has disregarded the law by unilaterally implementing the system without getting legislative approval. It says the system forces school districts to divert time and resources away from the classroom in order to comply with an incomplete system. Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Paul Manderfield issued an injunction last Wednesday preventing the department from putting the system in place. Department spokesman Martin Ackley says the new system will give the public better access to information on how individual districts are performing. He says it's going through the legislative approval process now. Published: Mon, Mar 7, 2011