The Kosciusko City School District has been selected by the Mississippi Department of Education to participate in the Mississippi Innovation Lab which encourages a network of A and B rated school districts to work together to identify, test and implement student-centered approaches to learning.
Supt. Billy Ellzey said he is excited for the district being able to collaborate with other schools in the network. “We had our first meeting this week to set a schedule and we will meet again this summer in preparation for the year-long program,” said Ellzey. He said he expects the Innovation Lab Network to be beneficial to the students as well as the district.
The approaches to learning will be shared statewide in an effort to help transform education in Mississippi.
The school districts selected to participate in the network include the Districts of Innovation that will serve as exemplars for other districts. The current
Districts of Innovation are Baldwyn, Booneville, Corinth, Grenada, Gulfport and Vicksburg-Warren.
Other districts chosen to participate in the network in addition to Kosciusko, are Rankin County, Pascagoula-Gautier, Pontotoc County, Hinds County, George County, Jefferson Davis County, Starkville-Oktibbeha County, New Albany, Oxford, South Tippah and Neshoba County.
Districts will collaborate in learning communities to implement policies and improve practices to support underserved students.
Membership in the network has no cost associated with it but does require a commitment from district superintendents, administrators, teachers and local school boards to join and receive support for their work.
“Mississippi’s network provides opportunities for districts to share best practices and to innovate in ways that will better prepare our students for the future,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education. “We look forward to discovering effective approaches to student learning that meets their needs.”
The MS-ILN process also will be used to identify future Districts of Innovation participants. Legislation passed in 2015 allows disricts to apply for District of Innovation status, which enables them to request exemptions from state regulations to achieve performance targets.
A district that wishes to be identified as a District of Innovation will be invited to participate in the MS-ILN one year prior to making application for District of Innovation status. This one-year period allows collaboration with participating Districts of Innovation and the MDE to provide technical assistance to the district and to evaluate the district’s readiness to be titled a District of Innovation.
The networks will participate in innovative strategies and models that have been shown to be effective in other disricts or states or new innovative strategies or models created by the district or school. Innovative stategies may include
• Moving to a competency-based learning system, including the development of alternate methods for delivering curriculum or for measuring mastery of standards and skills;
• Creating multiple pathways to graduation, including rigorous career and technical pathways, apprenticeships, early college high schools, early graduation options,or digital learning opportunities;
• Rethinking the times and places that learning occurs, including lengthening or flexing the school day or school year, moving learning beyond the traditional school building, or incorporating expanded learning opportunities;
• Implementing forms of school governance that include the engagement of teachers, parents, and community members;
• Designing learning environments that include student input in the guidance and career development for K-12 students;
• Creating additional job classifications for certified or classified staff beyond the traditional roles of teacher and instructional assistants and compensating staff on schedules other than single salary schedules.
