Prepare Michigan Students with Future-Ready Skills

Are your students prepared for MSTEP? Do they have the digital skills they need for success in not just online tests, but in college and career? The Michigan K-8 Digital Literacy Program can help, and at no cost to you.

Choose your path to digital literacy success for your students below. 

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Watch an informational video going over the qualifications and implementation details for the program.

Schedule a brief call with our regional partnerships manager, Eric Dettman, for a tailored consultation on Learning.com's EasyTech curriculum and the Michigan Digital Readiness Pathway for qualifying schools.

Can't wait to get the free curriculum for your students? Provide some information and we'll get you going!

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Here's the Fine Print about the Program

The Michigan K-8 Digital Literacy Program has operated during the past 4 years through a partnership between Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools and Learning.com. Through a grant provided by the state legislature during the most recent 2023-2024 state budget session, expansion of the program has been approved for the 2023-2024 school year to ensure students have the necessary skills required for state online assessments. 

Who is qualified to participate?
What do districts receive?

Qualifications to participate during the 2023-2024 school year include:

  1. District is receiving funding under Section 21(h) as a Department of Education Partnership District; or
  2. District or charter school participated during the 2022-2023 school year; or 
  3. School(s) within districts or charter schools serving pupils in grades K through 8 with 85% or greater percent of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.  

 

Participating districts and schools receive, at NO COST, access to a comprehensive K-8 online curriculum for the instruction of the 12 essential digital literacy skills, which includes computer fundamentals, keyboarding, digital citizenship and online safety, web browsing, email and online communication, visual mapping, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, computational thinking, and coding fundamentals.

Districts and schools are expected to participate in training to ensure successful classroom implementation of the program.  

Digital literacy skills are required for our students to demonstrate their knowledge in core academic content areas such as math, ELA, science and social studies. Through our partnership with Learning.com, our goal is to ensure all students have the opportunity to acquire transferable digital literacy skills that will improve their success in school, college and career opportunities they may pursue in the future.

Bringing a systematic approach to digital literacy instruction for all Sault Ste. Marie students provides an opportunity to close the digital divide. We are excited to collaborate with Learning.com to promote digital literacy instruction in K-8 schools throughout Michigan.

Sault-St-Marie-Public-Schools-LogoAMY SCOTT-KRONEMEYER
Superintendent of Schools
Sault Ste. Marie Area Public Schools, Michigan

Why digital literacy education?

Digital literacy encompasses the skills required to use technology safely, effectively, and responsibly. As technology continues to become more and more ingrained in daily life, the importance of learning digital literacy skills is becoming increasingly apparent.  

There are five primary reasons Michigan districts and schools participate in the Michigan K-8 Digital Literacy Program:

  1. Support Educational Progress - Students with digital literacy skills are more comfortable and confident using technology to demonstrate their academic knowledge, particularly in core content areas such as math, ELA, science, and social studies. These same skills are critical to ensure student success on standardized state assessments like M-STEP. Equipped with these skills, students have the confidence to focus on the material in question instead of being slowed or distracted by using technology for the assessment. Finally, digital literacy skills are foundational for increasing confidence and capabilities in students for more advanced STEM-related programs. 
  2. Increase Online Safety & Digital Citizenship - Online risks are complex and ever-changing, with nefarious individuals or groups continually discovering and creating new ways to take advantage of others. While digital literacy cannot prevent students from facing safety challenges online, it can empower them with important knowledge, tools, processes, and resources to help protect their safety and privacy as much as possible, while equipping districts and schools to meet the requirements of the Children’s Internet Protection Act associated with E-Rate.
  3. Understand Digital Responsibility - Along with online safety, digital literacy also teaches the importance of digital responsibility, which is the ability to consume and communicate information ethically online. Increased technology dependence exposes students to challenges related to copyright and plagiarism, cyberbullying, vetting informational resources, and interacting responsibly with others. Digital literacy skills help students master their ability to understand and effectively navigate these challenges, making them more responsible digital citizens.
  4. Improve Digital Equity - Digital literacy is important as it helps to bridge the digital divide. Even with the proliferation of technology in households and educational institutions, there remains a disproportionate number of minority workers with limited digital literacy skills. By making digital literacy a priority, schools can help to improve digital literacy among underrepresented groups, helping to upskill these students so they may have increased career opportunities in the future.
  5. Support Lifelong Skills - While technology is ever-changing, digital literacy foundations empower students with base knowledge and skills that can be applied to various types of technology now as well as in the future. 

If you have additional questions please visit our FAQ or contact Learning.com's Michigan State Program Manager, Nettie Briggs at nbriggs@learning.com

Michigan K-8 Digital Literacy Program Enrollment Form

We need to collect some information from you to get you started with Learning.com's digital literacy curriculum. If you have questions, or would like to discuss the program more before enrolling, contact us at nbriggs@learning.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Am I eligible to participate?

Qualifications to participate during the 2023-2024 school year include:

  1. District is receiving funding under Section 21(h) as a Department of Education Partnership District; or
  2. District or charter school participated during the 2022-2023 school year; or 
  3. School(s) within districts or charter schools serving pupils in grades K through 8 with 85% or greater percent of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.  

What if some of my schools qualify and some don't?
We recognize that you may have some schools that qualify for the Department of Education funding and others that may not. To support your desire to ensure digital equity for all students, we have developed a program for your consideration for those schools that will not receive DOE funding for participation. We will share these details as appropriate during our initial implementation call following your registration. Alternatively, please email nbriggs@learning.com

What does the training and implementation look like?
Learning.com will notify each participating district to schedule and deliver training. Access to the Learning.com solution will be made available following enrollment into the program. Learning.com will work to optimize the implementation to the specific instructional objectives and strategy of each participating district.

Is there a cost to participate?
Michigan Department of Education has provided a grant to cover all costs associated with participation. This program will measure the effectiveness of delivering digital literacy instruction to K-8 students and report back to MDE and the Michigan legislative agencies.

How can I get started?
Qualifying districts and schools interested in participating should register through the form above or by contacting Nettie Briggs, Michigan State Program Officer, at nbriggs@learning.com