September 17, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Board of Education today approved the combined minimum score for the four exams in the Subject Area Test Program (SATP) that are required for graduation. Seniors in the 2015-2016 school year who don’t pass all of the required exams may use the combined minimum score to apply for graduation.
All students are required to take end-of-course exams in Algebra I, Biology I, English II, and U.S. History in order to graduate. If they don’t pass all four tests, students may seek alternative options to graduate as outlined in State Board Policy 3803 and 3804.
The approved combined minimum score for the four required SATP exams is 646. This score is the average passing score of all four SATP exams, adjusted for error. The combined minimum score for seniors who took the PARCC versions of the Algebra I and/or English II tests during the 2014-2015 school year will be available in early 2016.
The combined minimum score option may only be used by seniors in the 2015-2016 school year who fail one or more of the exams required for graduation.
Seniors in the 2015-2016 school year are also offered the option of using their SATP exam score with the applicable course grade to qualify for graduation, as specified in State Board Policy 3803. Students may use this option if their course grade and test score, when evaluated together, demonstrate adequate mastery of course content. A concordance table is used to calculate the SATP test score with the course grade.
Districts will be provided with concordance tables for the PARCC versions of the Algebra I and English II tests in early 2016. Districts may continue to use the 2015 concordance table for students who took the SATP2 version of any of the four exams.
Beginning with school year 2016-2017, students who enroll in Algebra I, Biology I, English II, and U.S. History for the first time will have their end-of-course test scores incorporated into their final course grade. The exams will constitute 25% of the final grade.
For graduation purposes, seniors in the 2015-2016 school year who did not pass a required end-of-course test in 2014-2015 will be eligible to retake the test in the fall.
All graduation options are as follows:
Students may graduate by passing the course and meeting one of the following options:
- Pass the applicable end-of-course Subject Area Test
- Use the end-of-course Subject Area Test score with the overall course grade (Starting in the 2016-2017 school year, SATP scores will constitute 25 percent of the final grade for students enrolled for the first time in the applicable course.)
- Obtain a score of 17 or higher in the specific subject area on the ACT.
- Earn a C or higher in an entry level, credit-bearing dual enrollment/dual credit /college credit course.
- Obtain an Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) AFQT (Armed Forces Qualification Test) score of 36 plus one of the following:
1) Earn a CPAS (Career Planning and Assessment System) score that meets the attainment level assigned by Federal Perkins requirements.
2) Earn an approved Industry Certification as specified in the Career Pathway’s Assessment Blueprint and outlined in Appendix A-5 in the current edition of the Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards.
- Obtain the Silver Level on the ACT WorkKeys plus one of the following:
1) Earn a CPAS (Career Planning and Assessment System) score that meets the attainment level assigned by Federal Perkins requirements.
2) Earn an approved Industry Certification as specified in the Career Pathway’s Assessment Blueprint and in Appendix A-5 in the current edition of the Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards.
Media Contact:
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR
Director of Communications
601-359-3706
Jean Cook, APR
Communications Specialist
601-359-3519