The Mississippi Department of Education released unofficial school grades Tuesday, with those grades expected to be made official following a vote by the state board on Thursday, Sept. 19.
In addition to performance on state standardized tests, the grading system takes a number of factors into account, including
“We have three-quarters of schools and 70% of districts now reaching a C or better. And we are showing a three-year trend of improvement,” said Dr. Carey Wright during a press availability.
“Our accountability system is working. Overall these gains are statistically significant,” she said. “It shows that our teachers and principals are doing exactly what we need them to do,” she said.
The accountability standards include more than just test performance, according to Wright. Depending on whether the school is elementary or secondary, factors like growth from year-to-year and college and career readiness are considered.
Kosciusko
Although there was fluctuation in grades for individual schools between 2018 and 2019, the Kosciusko School District maintained an overall grade of B. The high school dropped one grade level from a B to a C, while the junior high school rose one grade, from a C to a B. Each of the elementary schools maintained the same grade this year as last.
Superintendent Billy Ellzey noted the growth the district and individual schools showed this year.
“We are excited to see overall growth with our district scores and maintaining the B overall rating. Our district increased by 10 points overall, and we want to continue that growth as we strive to reach the goal of being an A district,” he said.
“We are very proud of the work done at our junior high by teachers and administrators on improving by over 30 points and going to the B rating. This increase was accomplished by a dedication and focus on academic excellence all year long by everyone involved, which included extra tutorial for students and increased rigor by teachers,” Ellzey said. “The high school has many factors that go into forming the overall grade and, while we are not happy with the decrease in grade, we do believe we are on the right track to improving in that area this year.”
Attala County
Overall, the Attala County School District dropped from being a C district to being classified as a D-rated district.
While the Ethel High School rating jumped two levels, from a D to a B, Long Creek Elementary dropped two levels, from an A rating to a C. Greenlee Elementary maintained its B rating and McAdams High School was unable to surpass its 2018 F rating.
Attala County Superintendent Bryan Weaver could not be reached for comment by the paper’s deadline.
