January 21, 2016
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) voted Thursday to approve final changes to the Mississippi College and Career Ready Standards for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics.
The approval followed a public comment period on proposed revisions to the state’s learning goals for ELA and mathematics that launched Dec. 18. The results from the online forum showed that the majority of participants were teachers, about 69 percent, and most of the responses to the revisions were positive (77 percent overall), about 93 percent approved of the changes in mathematics and 56 percent approved of the changes in ELA.
The comments on ELA and mathematics were much more focused on a smaller number of standards, and in some cases, respondents commented on a sequence of standards across grade levels. Therefore, the approval rate in ELA is not a reflection of disagreement with the standards as a whole.
“We are thankful for all the participants who voiced their comments during this review of our standards for college and careers,” said Dr. John Kelly, SBE chairman. “We are encouraged by the positive responses we received, and I believe that Mississippi is on the right track to improving student achievement by maintaining high standards of learning.”
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) facilitated a 90-day public comment period on the standards from June 15 through September 15, 2015. The forum encouraged stakeholders to read the standards and either submit comments in support of the standards or provide specific, actionable feedback on any standards of concern.
Academic standards define what Mississippi students are expected to learn at each grade level to graduate ready for success in college and career. How the standards are taught – the curriculum or methods and materials used – is decided at the local level, as it was with previous standards.
Results from that comment period showed that more than 90 percent of the participants approved of the learning goals for students. Close to 1,400 people visited the site, providing 8,521 points of feedback. No one suggested removing a standard.
A standards review committee, which included 40 teachers, five administrators, six postsecondary faculty, two parents and seven specialists in ELA and mathematics, evaluated the feedback. The review committee meetings in September, October and November were facilitated by the Mississippi State University Research and Curriculum Unit, Mississippi Department of Education staff, and the Center on Standards & Assessment Implementation (CSAI), which provides state education agencies with research support, technical assistance, tools, and other resources to help inform decisions about standards, assessment, and accountability. CSAI provided assistance to Kentucky, Arizona and Indiana when they reviewed their standards.
The committee focused on three main areas for consideration of changes to the standards that guide instruction from kindergarten to 12th grade. They examined whether the suggested changes aligned to critical content that students should know and be able to do, whether the current standard needed clarity or rewording to promote understanding and whether it was age appropriate for students.
The committee recommended the following changes in mathematics:
The committee also recommended the following changes in ELA:
Before the recommendations were presented to the SBE, they were reviewed by the Southern Regional Education Board, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with 16 member states to improve education. Mississippi is a member of the organization.
Changes to the standards would be implemented in the 2016-17 school year. The MDE will offer educator training opportunities on the standards in the spring and through the summer.
Media Contact:
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR
Director of Communications
601-359-3706
Jean Cook, APR
Communications Specialist
601-359-3519