September 25, 2025 board agenda

Mississippi Board of Education
September 25, 2025
10:00 a.m.
4^th Floor Boardroom
Central High School Building
Mississippi Department of Education (MDE)
359 North West Street
Jackson, Mississippi

Agenda

I.         Call to Order

II.        Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and Invocation

III.       Approval of minutes of August 21, 2025 Board Meeting and minutes of September 19, 2025 Special-Called Board Meeting

IV.        Approval of Agenda

V.         Recognition Ceremony

VI.        Report of State Superintendent of Education

VII.       Report of Chair

VIII.      Report of the Student Representatives

IX.        Report on State Board of Education Subcommittee (SBE) Meetings

X.         Discussion and/or Approval of Board Items (All action items require vote)

1. 01. Action: Approval of the 2024-2025 Mississippi Statewide Accountability Results [Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 – MBE Strategic Plan] (Paula Vanderford) Back-up material
2. 02. Information: MDE Administrator Evaluation Form [Goals 1, 2, 4, and 6 – MBE Strategic Plan] (John Ferrell) Back-up material
3. 03. Action: Approval of the MDE Contract [Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 – MBE Strategic Plan] (Kym Wiggins) Back-up material
   1. 03.A. Action: Contract with EMS LINQ, Inc. to provide additional modules, hosting, and maintenance and support to the Mississippi Department of Education relative to the Mississippi Comprehensive Automated Performance-based System (MCAPS) [Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 – MBE Strategic Plan] (Kym Wiggins) Back-up material

4. 04. Action: Approval of the MDE Grant Awards [Goal 4 – MBE Strategic Plan] (Kym Wiggins) Back-up material
   1. 04.A. Action: Award discretionary grants for the Mississippi Teacher Residency (MTR) Program in Elementary Education (K-6) and Special Education Mild/Moderate [Goal 4 – MBE Strategic Plan] (Paula Vanderford) Back-up material

5. 05. Consent Agenda (All consent items are action items which require vote, unless otherwise noted.) Back-up material
   1. A. Approval of monthly expenditures for the Mississippi School of the Arts (Wendy Clemons) Back-up material
   2. B. Approval of monthly expenditures for the Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (Wendy Clemons) Back-up material
   3. C. Approval of non-instructional staff – at will employees for the Mississippi School of the Arts (Wendy Clemons) Back-up material
   4. D. Approval to adopt policies required by state statute for the Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and the Blind to be placed on the District Policy Service website established by the Mississippi School Boards Association (Wendy Clemons) Back-up material
   5. E. Approval to revise Miss. Admin. Code 7-3: 36.5, State Board Policy Chapter 36, Rule 36.5 – Additional Assessment Options for Meeting End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment Requirements
      (Has cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process without public comments) (Wendy Clemons) Back-up material
   6. F. Approval of Miss. Admin. Code 7-269: Bridge-to-Career Course Standards that provide standards and resources for the portfolio and exhibit option for meeting End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment Requirements
      (Has cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process with public comments) (Wendy Clemons) Back-up material
   7. G. Approval to begin the Administrative Procedures Act process: To revise Miss. Admin. Code: 7-24, Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards, 2025, Appendix A-8 and Miss. Admin. Code 7-163: Mississippi Nonpublic School Accountability Standards, 2025, Appendix A-8 (Wendy Clemons) Back-up material
   8. H. Approval to begin the Administrative Procedures Act process: To readopt Miss. Admin. Code 7-169: 2018 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (Wendy Clemons) Back-up material
   9. I. Approval of revised methodology to award grants to local school districts to support high-quality early childhood programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Wendy Clemons) Back-up material
   10. J. Approval to revise Miss. Admin. Code 7 – 4: Part 4: Licensure Guidelines K-12 to establish a supplemental endorsement and licensure criteria for Advanced Placement Computer Science A (Licensure Endorsement Code 612)
       (Has cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process without public comments) (Paula Vanderford) Back-up material
   11. K. Approval to revise Miss. Admin. Code 7-142: Guidelines and Clarification of Requirements for Issuance of Career and Technical Education (Occupational Educator) Licenses: To include a new pathway to licensure in the area of Driver Education (Licensure Endorsement Code 114)
       (Has cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process without public comments) (Paula Vanderford) Back-up material
   12. L. Approval to revise Miss. Admin. Code: 7 – 4: Part 4: Licensure Guidelines K-12 to require all candidates seeking initial licensure in the area of Elementary Education (K-3/K-6/4-6) to earn a passing score on either the Foundations of Reading assessment or Pathways to Proficient Reading following a Foundations of Reading assessment attempt and to establish a Three-Year Entry- Level Elementary Education Non-Renewable License option to allow completion of the Pathways to Proficient Reading while in- service for the purpose of obtaining a standard renewable five- year license
       (Has cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process with public comments) (Paula Vanderford) Back-up material
   13. M. Approval to revise Miss. Admin. Code: 7 – 4: Part 4: Licensure Guidelines K-12 to amend the Foundations of Reading assessment requirement by removing the assessment from being required as one condition for obtaining licensure in the endorsement area of Special Education Mild/Moderate (licensure codes: 221 (K-12) and 223 (K-8))
       (Has cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process without public comments) (Paula Vanderford) Back-up material
   14. N. Approval to revise Miss. Admin. Code 7 – 4: Part 4: Licensure Guidelines K-12 to revise the acceptable degree requirement for Mississippi State Board of Education-approved nontraditional licensure pathways
       (Has cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process without public comments) (Paula Vanderford) Back-up material
   15. O. Approval to begin the Administrative Procedures Act process: To revise Miss. Admin. Code 7-24, Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards, 2025, Process Standard 3.1 (John Ferrell) Back-up material

XI.        Consideration of Executive Session

XII.       State Board of Education

1. 1.  Report on meetings attended
2. 2.  Approval of attendance at meetings

XIII.      Other Business

XIV.      Adjournment

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