Senator Dayna Polehanki
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Community Update and Resources
Dear Neighbor, As the summer ends and fall begins, there is so much to look forward to — college football games, cider mills and watching the beautiful leaves change colors. After an amazing summer in District 5, I want to provide you with legislative updates and...
Community Update and Resources
Dear Neighbor, I hope you had a fantastic Labor Day weekend, marking the end of summer and the beginning of our fall season. Labor Day is not only a time to relax and enjoy the last bit of summer, but also a day to recognize and appreciate the contributions of...
Community Update and Resources
Dear Neighbor, I hope you are enjoying the last weeks of summer before the crisp, cool autumn air approaches. One of my favorite highlights of the summer has been having the opportunity to spend time knocking on doors in District 5 and engaging with community...
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Sen. Polehanki’s Legislative YouTube Channel
Senator Polehanki March is Reading Month
Sen Polehanki in Support of SB 944
Sen. Polehanki Testifying in Support of Senate Bills 857 and 858
Senator Polehanki Asks Colleagues to Vote Yes on SB 911
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Federal Oversight ... See MoreSee Less
Federal Oversight
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In Michigan, we’re standing firmly against the Trump administration’s blatant attacks on our people and communities0 CommentsComment on Facebook
ICYMI! Happy to be a cosponsor of the bill, now law, that made this happen👇🏼 ... See MoreSee Less
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While, I won't denigrate Mississippi's efforts to improve its academics, the picture that is being painted by at least one Michigan publication that Mississippi is outperforming Michigan on the NAEP reading test ("The Nation's Report Card") is MISLEADING.
While Mississippi has *scored higher than Michigan ONE TIME over the past decade on the Grade 4 NAEP reading test . . .
Michigan has *scored higher than Mississippi EVERY TIME over the past decade on the Grade 8 NAEP reading test.
The assertion in the Michigan publication that Michigan "abandoned" our 3rd grade read-or-flunk law to our detriment is not supported by test score data.
It's not surprising that states that flunk their "worst" 3rd grade readers achieve elevated results ahead of the Grade 4 NAEP reading test, but these elevated test scores tend to flatten over time (by Grade 8 NAEP reading), like they do with Mississippi.
This is borne out in NAEP data from other states as well, like Florida, which also flunks its worst performing 3rd grade readers.
Source: Grade 4 NAEP Reading (toggle through the years) www.nationsreportcard.gov/profiles/stateprofile?sfj=NP&chort=1&sub=RED&sj=&st=MN&year=2015R3
Source: Grade 8 NAEP Reading (toggle through the years) www.nationsreportcard.gov/profiles/stateprofile?sfj=NP&chort=2&sub=RED&sj=&st=MN&year=2015R3
*statistically significantly higher
Note: NAEP only tests Grade 4 in elementary and Grade 8 in middle school. High school Grade 12 is not tested in Michigan and many other states in reading.
In my time in office, I’m proud to have pushed for a DATA-DRIVEN approach to improving Michigan's reading scores by doing the following:
Funding free high-quality preschool, getting closer and closer to making it universal
Making a law that will completely overhaul how our teachers teach reading (going back to phonics, the "science of reading")
Incentivizing the best and brightest of our young people to join our ranks as educators, while paying our veteran teachers closer to what they deserve (reversing the Snyder years 59% decline in teacher candidates)
On my still-need-to-do list:
Make Kindergarten mandatory
Shrink class sizes in K-3 classrooms
Tackle our chronic absenteeism problem
and more to come . . ... See MoreSee Less
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