November 4, 2014
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Board of Education announced today that it will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) in early 2015 for state tests aligned to Mississippi’s college- and career-ready standards for the 2015-2016 school year.
The MBE will seek a multi-year contract to secure assessments for grades 3-8 English Language Arts and Math and for high school Algebra I and English II. The assessments will be selected based on the best interest of Mississippi students. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires states to test students on what has been taught.
“We are looking forward to having consistency with our state assessments so that teachers and students will have comparable measures of progress from year to year,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education. “Changing tests each year creates a moving target and doesn’t provide an accurate picture of what students are learning.”
This year, Mississippi students will take new assessments developed by the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). NCS Pearson Inc. will administer the tests. This is the first year students will be measured on tests aligned to the state’s college- and career-ready standards. The new tests will replace the MCT2 for grades 3-8 and the SATP2 for Algebra I and English II. Those tests have been phased out because they are not aligned to the state’s current learning standards.
The MBE will seek new bids for state tests because the Mississippi Department of Education’s contract with NCS Pearson Inc. is an emergency procurement, which is limited to one year. Any assessment vendor may submit a bid for the assessment contract provided they meet the RFP requirements. The RFP process will be open and transparent and will adhere to all Mississippi procurement laws and regulations.
Media Contact:
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR
Director of Communications
601-359-3706
Jean Cook, APR
Communications Specialist
601-359-3519