A decade of data provides plenty to celebrate and plenty of reasons to keep working
HEMLOCK, MI — Hemlock versus the world?
Okay, perhaps that's getting a little carried away.
But Hemlock versus the State of Michigan average?
That's a comparison worth looking at.
As Michigan schools digest another round of statewide assessment results, Hemlock Public School District is taking a longer view. One year of testing can tell you something. A decade of results can tell you considerably more.
Since Michigan introduced M-STEP in 2015, K.C. Ling Elementary has repeatedly demonstrated strong academic performance compared with schools across Michigan.
MDE-sourced historical data show K.C. Ling ranking above the statewide midpoint in overall academic performance in every reported M-STEP year from 2015 through 2025, reaching as high as the 91st percentile among Michigan elementary schools in 2023. There was no statewide M-STEP administration in spring 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (SchoolDigger)
And there are plenty of individual examples behind those rankings.
In mathematics, historical MDE-based data show K.C. Ling exceeding Michigan's statewide proficiency rate year after year, including 52% versus 37% in 2015, 57% versus 38% in 2016, 57% versus 40% in 2019, 52% versus 34% in 2022, and 67% versus 35% in 2023. (Public School Review)
The pattern continues in the most recent Grade 3 results.
In 2025, 44.7% of K.C. Ling third graders scored proficient or advanced in English language arts compared with 38.9% statewide. In mathematics, 57.4% of K.C. Ling third graders were proficient or advanced compared with 42.7% across Michigan. (SchoolDigger)
Those numbers matter.
But what matters even more is the work behind them.
Why Third Grade Matters
Third grade represents an important transition in a child's education.
The early elementary years are heavily focused on developing foundational literacy skills. As students progress through school, they increasingly depend upon those skills to access mathematics, science, social studies, and virtually every other area of their education.
Michigan continues to identify early literacy as an important area for improvement. In 2025, 38.9% of Michigan third graders scored proficient or advanced in ELA, and MDE specifically identified third- and fourth-grade ELA performance as an area of concern. (Michigan.gov)
At Hemlock, that challenge isn't treated as somebody else's problem.
It is the work.
Board of Education President Matt Wesener said the long-term results provide something for the community to celebrate while reinforcing the importance of continued investment in teaching and learning.
“When you look beyond a single year and see our students and schools consistently performing well compared with statewide benchmarks, that says something about our teachers, our students and the systems supporting them. As a Board, we are proud of those results, but we also understand that strong schools never stop looking for ways to improve.”
Over the past several years, Hemlock Public School District has worked intentionally to better align curriculum, instruction, assessment, and intervention from classroom to classroom and grade to grade.
The district has strengthened evidence-based literacy instruction, including the use of UFLI Foundations and SRSD strategies, continued developing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, invested in professional learning, and placed greater emphasis on using student data to determine what students know and what they need next.
Director of Curriculum and Instruction Lindy Beckman said sustained results come from that alignment.
“There isn't one program or initiative responsible for student achievement. It is the collective work of great teachers supported by strong systems. When curriculum, instruction, assessment, and intervention are aligned, we are better able to identify what students need, respond earlier, and continue challenging students who are ready for more.”
There is still work to do.
Not every Hemlock student is proficient. Not every result exceeds the state average. And no responsible school district should look at strong comparative results and declare the job finished.
Instead, Hemlock will continue doing what strong schools do.
Teach. Measure. Adjust. Support. Challenge. Grow.
And then do it again.
Superintendent Don Killingbeck said comparisons are useful, but ultimately Hemlock's competition isn't another school district or the State of Michigan.
“Hemlock versus the world makes a pretty good headline. Hemlock versus the state average gives us some useful data. But the comparison that matters most is Hemlock versus yesterday. Are more students learning? Are we catching kids who need help earlier? Are we challenging students who are ready for more? Are we getting better? That's the scoreboard I'm most interested in.”
Because whether the comparison is Hemlock versus Michigan, Hemlock versus the world, or simply Hemlock versus yesterday, the goal remains the same.
Get better.