Mississippi schools face a higher bar this year
When public school accountability ratings are announced in October, some Mississippi communities might find that their schools and school districts have dropped a letter grade. But that won’t necessarily be cause for concern. Unlike in most years, accountability ratings this year could be lower without a corresponding decline in student academic achievement.
That’s because the accountability bar has been raised. The grades assigned to schools and districts this year will be based on increased standards that require higher accountability scores to be rated A, B, C, or D than were needed in the past.
It’s important for parents and communities to understand that this year’s accountability ratings can’t be compared to past years’ ratings, because they are based on a different standard.
It’s like comparing the grades of students who took the same test at the same school but in different years with different grading scales. Say, in Year One, grades of 90 to 100 were considered an A. In Year Two, grades of 95 to 100 earned an A. If both students answered 94 percent of the test questions correctly, the Year One student would have earned an A and the Year Two student a B. The students’ academic performance was the same, but the grades required for an A were different.
The more rigorous accountability requirement came about because of the impressive performance of Mississippi’s public school teachers and students, and because state law demands that students are given new challenges when their academic progress begins to peak. Specifically, state law requires that state academic standards be raised when 65% of public schools or school districts are rated a B or higher. Mississippi’s public schools crossed that threshold in 2023.
Impressive academic gains are nothing new in Mississippi. In fourth-grade reading, Mississippi students’ achievement growth has consistently outpaced that of most other states in the U.S. Since assessment scores were first compared in 1992. Those gains have been most pronounced following an increase in resources.
In our state, when public school funding improves, student achievement escalates, evidence that Mississippi’s public school teachers – the foremost factor in students’ academic growth – are among the very best investments of our state tax dollars. When we invest in our public schools, they deliver.
It’s also true that, in our state, when public school resources have diminished, such as during the Great Recession, student achievement has taken a hit.
That affects all of us, whether or not we have children in public schools.
Where we have thriving public schools, we have thriving communities – better jobs, higher average salaries, lower crime rates, and less dependence on public assistance.
And where we have struggling public schools, we have struggling communities – fewer job prospects, lower average salaries, higher crime rates, and greater dependence on public assistance.
There is no exception to that in Mississippi.
We all have a role to play in keeping our public schools strong, and public support is among the most important. So this year, when accountability ratings are announced, bear in mind that Mississippi has again raised the bar public schools must meet. The new, higher standard may result in a lower accountability grade for your school or district this year. Give your public schools some grace, celebrate the achievements that led to the more rigorous requirements, and support our teachers and students as they work to meet and exceed the higher bar now in place.
As elected officials look for the next opportunity to move our state forward, they need look no farther than our public schools’ proven commitment to progress. And shrewd politicians will eschew any proposal that would diminish investments in the best thing Mississippi has going: our terrific public schools and the remarkable educators who are giving our children their best shot at a bright future.
Nancy Loome is executive director of The Parents’ Campaign (msparentscampaign.org) and president of The Parents’ Campaign Research & Education Fund (tpcref.org). She and her husband Jim have three grown children, all of whom graduated from Clinton Public Schools.