Mississippi’s public school teachers are ROCK STARS! School and district accountability ratings are out, and the news is good!
Of Mississippi’s 138 traditional public school districts, 96% are rated C or better, and 71% are rated A or B. Of Mississippi’s seven charter schools that received ratings, 14% are rated C; no charter school is rated A or B.
See how your schools and district are rated.
Find detailed accountability data for your school district here.
As Interim State Superintendent Dr. Raymond Morgigno stated, “This year’s school and district grades provide further evidence that Mississippi teachers, school leaders, and staff have done an outstanding job helping students accelerate learning after the disruptions of the pandemic. I am confident our schools will build upon these achievements so that all students are proficient and prepared for success after high school.”
School and district ratings are based largely on assessments that measure how well students have mastered the English Language Arts, math, and science skills that should be achieved at each grade level in order to be considered proficient. These ratings are further evidence that Mississippi’s public school teachers are doing incredible work to ensure that our children are well-prepared for college and career.
The ratings also are important for our cities and towns. Where public schools are thriving, local communities are thriving, with higher property values, strong job growth and economic development, and lower crime rates – all of which increase the quality of life for every local citizen.
Key to the improvement in student achievement, demonstrated on both state and national assessments, is resources. Though Mississippi still has a funding gap to close to get our schools adequate funding, our teachers and students have proven that they provide an incredible bang for the buck. As our investment in public schools has increased, our achievement levels have improved at an impressive rate.
But a considerable portion of the recent uptick in school budgets came from federal pandemic funding. Our schools used those resources well, investing them in programs that have yielded the state’s highest-ever proficiency levels in ELA, math, and science. Those resources will run their course over the next year, and schools will struggle without additional state resources to continue important programs that have contributed to student success.
That’s why it will be more important than ever for the state to meet its obligation to our children and fully fund the MAEP in 2024.
Please remind your legislators and candidates in the upcoming election not to get distracted by voucher scams and other privatization schemes. Insist that they stay focused on what has been proven to work: investments in our public schools.
Thank a public school teacher today – and remind your lawmakers: the public’s funds should go to the public’s schools!
