MDE Releases Request for Proposals for the 2015-16 Statewide Assessments
February 12, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) through the Office of Student Assessment is now soliciting competitive written proposals from qualified vendors for administering statewide assessments for the 2015-16 school year.
MDE Prepares Renewal of ESEA Flexibility Waiver That Includes Pause in Accountability Grades
February 18, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Education staff are reviewing and revising the state’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility Request, which will include a pause in assigning letter grades to schools for the current 2014-15 school year.
MDE Updates State Board of Education on Statewide System of Support for Implementation of Literacy-Based Promotion Act
February 19, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – More than 10,400 Kindergarten through 3rd grade teachers and elementary school principals across the state will receive training on the essential elements of reading instruction, according to a report from the Mississippi Department of Education staff to the Mississippi Board of Education on Thursday.
MDE Partners With Construction Industry on Skills Competition
February 20, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – The future construction workers for the Mississippi construction industry will take center stage March 3-4 at the Mississippi Trade Mart as the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation (MCEF) and the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and other construction industry partners host the MCEF/Skills USA State Championship Construction Competition. The competition will be held in conjunction with the “Passport 2 Careers Expo” (P2C) and counselors, directors and superintendent’s workshop.
State Board Approves Hiring of State Literacy Director, Intervention Services Director
February 20, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Board of Education voted today to expand the roles of two Mississippi Department of Education employees who will lead efforts to improve literacy statewide.
Dr. Kymyona Burk will be the state literacy director, and Robin Lemonis will be the director of intervention services. Dr. Kim Benton, MDE chief academic officer, said the expanded roles show the agency’s commitment to advancing literacy and student supports from early childhood education through high school.
MDE Literacy Meeting for Parents in Oxford Postponed
February 24, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – Due to developing hazardous weather conditions, the Mississippi Department of Education has postponed the regional literacy meeting for parents in Oxford. The meeting, originally scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 25, will now be Thursday, March 5 at the Oxford Conference Center at 6 p.m.
The meeting will provide an overview of the Literacy-Based Promotion Act and teach strategies that parents can use at home to help their children improve their reading.
Mississippi Students Begin Statewide Testing on College and Career Readiness Standards
March 2, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – This week, Mississippi students will begin taking the first part of a two-part test that will measure what they know under Mississippi College- and Career-Ready Standards. This is the first year for assessments that align to the new standards.
Mississippi 11th Graders Take ACT Test Today
March 3, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – For the first time, Mississippi public schools are administering the ACT test to all 11th graders to help students determine whether they are equipped to succeed in college. High school juniors across the state are taking the ACT today, with a make-up day scheduled for March 17.
The statewide test administration is possible thanks to the Mississippi Legislature, which during the 2014 Legislative Session provided for the cost of administering the test. The $1.3 million appropriation will pay the cost of testing 35,000 students.
More Mississippi Students to Receive Free, Nutritious School Meals through Automated Process
March 4, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – More Mississippi school children will receive free, nutritious school meals through a new automated direct certification system at the Mississippi Department of Education, and the state could receive up to $19 million in additional federal funds for school breakfasts and lunches and could provide up to 5.8 million school meals annually.
Mississippi KIDS COUNT to Release State’s First-ever Report on Chronic Absenteeism in Public Schools
March 9, 2015
WHO: Dr. Linda Southward, director of Mississippi KIDS COUNT
Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education
Sen. Gray Tollison, Senate Education Committee chairman
WHAT: Presentation of key findings and policy implications of the first-ever statewide report on chronic absenteeism in Mississippi K-12 public schools.
WHEN: Wednesday, March 11, 2015, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Second floor auditorium in the Central High School Building