September 4, 2014
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Education will release school district letter grades for the 2013-14 school year following the October 17 Board of Education meeting.
This year’s letter grades are based on Mississippi’s new accountability model, which will show how schools and districts performed after implementing the state’s new, more rigorous college- and career-ready standards.
The letter grade release timeline has been extended one month to provide districts adequate time to evaluate their preliminary data to determine whether they will request an internal review. The MDE released preliminary accountability results to districts in August.
“We expect this extension will provide a more accurate and transparent process by which grades are assigned to schools and districts,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education. “As we’ve raised the bar for academic performance, schools have provided significant professional development to teachers since 2010 to help prepare students for the higher standards.”
The 2013-14 year is considered a transitional year for letter grades because it is the first academic year that schools were expected to fully implement Mississippi’s college- and career-ready standards. Because of this transition, the U.S. Department of Education granted Mississippi a one-year waiver from school letter grades for the 2013-14 school year. The waiver will allow a school to retain the letter grade it received in the 2012-13 school year if the 2013-14 grade is lower as a result of assessment results.
The state’s accountability model determines performance classifications for schools and districts from highest to lowest, A-F. The accountability model factors in student growth, achievement, and graduation rates.
Media Contact:
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR
Director of Communications
601-359-3706
Jean Cook, APR
Communications Specialist
601-359-3519