The original Mississippi Student Information System (MSIS) was created in 2000 to meet the data collection and reporting needs of the state’s public school districts and the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE). (The reporting obligations came from state and federal funding authorities in addition to other legal/regulatory requirements.) In the years following MSIS’s launch, data collection and reporting demands placed on the system outpaced its capacity to handle them. In 2019, the MDE began an effort to document existing and anticipated stakeholder needs to prepare for the development of a modernized student information system: MSIS 2.0.
MSIS 2.0 is designed to provide better and near real-time data to more users in user-friendly ways. Since the project began in 2019, stakeholders have been hearing about the new MSIS 2.0, and many have participated in review and feedback sessions for the system's design. MDE invites schools and districts to join us on the hunt for the new MSIS 2.0 during the 23-24 school year as we discover different features and functionalities of MSIS 2.0 in preparation for the full release in the summer of 2024! Use the links below to keep up with upcoming events and training resources.
The MSIS 2.0 project guided by seven goals:
- 1. Accept school and district data in near real-time to provide stakeholders with timely, actionable information;
- 2. Simplify data submission processes to increase accuracy while decreasing human effort;
- 3. Establish data and data transfer standards (using Common Education Data Standards) allowing the systems to communicate with each other automatically and efficiently;
- 4. Increase transparency by showing districts how their data are used to inform reporting, accountability, and funding processes;
- 5. Automate processes using integrated technologies to increase timeliness, reliability, and consistency in reporting, allowing districts to learn more from their data;
- 6. Support local education decision makers with improved data and analysis available through new, secure dashboards;
- 7. Adapt to changing school environments and future requirements by providing longitudinal data insights
In 2022, World Wide Technology, Inc.(WWT), was selected as the MSIS 2.0 vendor. WWT is working closely with districts’ own vendors (Central Access, PowerSchool, etc.), with district staff (technology directors, MSIS coordinators, etc.), and other partners to help MDE’s Office of Technology and Strategic Services (OTSS) design and build a system that will not only meet today’s data collection and reporting requirements but also be able to embrace yet-unknown opportunities of the future.
Updated September 8, 2023
MSIS 1.0/MSIS 2.0 Parallel Year
Remember, MSIS 2.0 will be running in parallel with MSIS 1.0 until July 2024. Current access to MSIS 2.0 is to give districts time to explore and “see” the new features and functionality of MSIS 2.0 to become comfortable with the system prior to the official launch in July 2024. During the 23-24 school year, districts will still need to complete all scheduled actions in MSIS 1.0, but districts can view the results of those actions in MSIS 2.0.