ESSER-Funded State Projects

The Mississippi Department of Education invested its American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funds in services to support student safety, learning and health. All school districts had the option to opt into the services at no cost. Districts that implement the new services will have free access to them through the end of the ESSER III funding cycle, September 30, 2024. The information below details the progress of services to date.

College and Career Readiness

The College and Career Readiness platform manages college and career readiness goals and automates the Individual Success Plans (ISPs) for each student. More than 40 Mississippi districts currently use MajorClarity for their ISP system. This platform manages college and career readiness goals and plans for students in grades 7-12. The system helps students explore careers, select courses that will help them meet their goals, prepare for work-based learning and coordinate college and other postsecondary applications.

Statewide Update (as of March 1-July 8, 2022):
- 69 districts fully integrated
- 41 districts at onboarding stage
- Student accounts created: 135,000
- Active students this school year: 65,000
- Active staff this school year: 810
- ISPs started this school year: 29,500
- Total students with a digital ISP on file: 50,400
- Number of district Power Users*: 23
District Spotlight: On June 9, 2022, the Jackson Public School (JPS) district hosted an all-day convening for all building level administrators at the Jackson Convention Center. The convening included concurrent sessions specific to each grade band level (elementary, middle, and high school). The Customer Success Manager (CSM), from PAPER, assigned to the region, hosted several sessions to discuss implementation strategies within schools, training with teachers, summer school activities, and how to engage parents. And, as result of increased implementation efforts at the local level in recent months, JPS is now leading the state in the total number of minutes their students have been engaged in tutoring sessions (17,413) and the total number of individual sessions students participated in (1,070); and, they are #2 in the state in individual students classified as “4+ activities, and continuous repeat users” on the platform.

Training for Districts: Website: mississippi.majorclarity.com

MajorClarity's Live Virtual Training Calendar
Additional Mississippi-specific Training Dates (also virtual)

Contact: support@majorclarity.com

Mississippi Connects: Device and App Usage

EdTech Impact Device and App Usage provides districts with powerful data and insights on the use of educational technology applications, as well as their impact on student learning. EdTech Impact enables everyone in the district – from district technology and curriculum leaders to building administrators and classroom teachers – to gain insights into how instructional applications are being used and which are leading to positive student outcomes. Client Thought Partners are available to complete data walk throughs with district and school leaders to develop strategic plans for technology, digital learning professional development, and address digital learning needs.

Additional Information: MS Connects Tech Information

District contact for questions, training and implementation: Glen Zollman, glen@brightbytes.net

Progress: List of District Implementation Status

Spotlight: Recently, our district was considering purchasing an additional instructional technology application for our schools. We used the data available in our EdTech Impact dashboard to examine which applications teachers were using in their classrooms to help us decide whether to buy the new application, invest in the additional paid features of freemium applications already being used, or not buy anything at all.  Thanks to EdTech Impact, we did not have to rely on anecdotal stories, data from other districts, or vendor presentations. We were able to gauge our needs and teacher interests to make a decision without wasting valuable time and dollars on an application that may never be used. - Erin Mason, Technology Director, Jackson Public Schools

On Demand Tutoring

Provides students in grades 3-12 with online access to a live English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics tutors 24 hours a day, seven days a week at no charge. Districts that sign-up for these services are able to connect their students’ courses to the tutoring platform so tutors will have access to the course content and assignments. Teachers and administrators at each school can monitor student progress and schedule one-on-one or small group tutoring sessions during the school day. Parents may also schedule tutorial services for their child(ren) after school hours and on the weekend.

Statewide Update (as of March 1-July 8, 2022):
- Session Length Hours: 3,134
- Essay Counts: 2,145
- Session Count: 10,182
District Spotlight: On June 9, 2022, the Jackson Public School (JPS) district hosted an all-day convening for all building level administrators at the Jackson Convention Center. The convening included concurrent sessions specific to each grade band level (elementary, middle, and high school). The Customer Success Manager (CSM), from PAPER, assigned to the region, hosted several sessions to discuss implementation strategies within schools, training with teachers, summer school activities, and how to engage parents. And, as result of increased implementation efforts at the local level in recent months, JPS is now leading the state in the total number of minutes their students have been engaged in tutoring sessions (17,413) and the total number of individual sessions students participated in (1,070); and, they are #2 in the state in individual students classified as “4+ activities, and continuous repeat users” on the platform.

District Rostering Progress & Resource Hub: Visit the MDE + Paper Landing Page Paper Tutoring in Mississippi | Paper to see district rostering process, schedule a training, access resources, and find the Customer Service Manager (CSM) for each region.

Contact: ms-support@paper.co

Digital Content

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Simmons, esimmons@mdek12.org

These supplemental digital subscriptions offer districts online learning resources for English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and social studies for students in grades K-12. Teachers can assign tasks, or students can use the resources to help with their assignments. Students will be able to use the resources at home for summer learning, in the classroom as part of everyday learning, or during summer school.

K-2 English Language Arts Vendor: Homer Learning

Training: MDE Professional Development Calendar
Additional Information: Homer Welcome Kit Homer + Mississippi Partnership FAQ

Contact: Tess Zaretsky, MDEsupport@homerlearning.com

3-12 English Language Arts Vendor: Newsela

Training: MDE Professional Development Calendar
Additional Information: Discovering Newslea FAQ for Families NEW! January 2023 Newsletter

Contact: Dilcey De La Maza, dilcey.delamaza@newsela.com

K-8 Math Vendor: Imagine Learning

Training: MDE Professional Development Calendar
Additional Information: Mississippi Imagine Learning Padlet Getting Started Newsletter Parent Involvement Newsletter Reports and Data

Contact: Andrea Arthur, andrea.arthur@imaginelearning.com

K-8 Social Studies Vendor: News-O-Matic

Training: MDE Professional Development Calendar NEW! Asynchronous Course

Contact: Brandon Cohen, brandon@newsomatic.org

K-6 Science: Discovery Education

Training: MDE Professional Development Calendar
Additional Information: Discovery Education Microsite Family Resource Site NEW! February 2023 Newsletter