Already think the school year is too long? Well, this bill would require that schools who have received a D or F accountability grade to stay in school longer.
Standard school years run 180 days. This bill, HB 212, would require that those who do not meet “A, B or C” grade must be kept in session no less than 15 additional days for an “F” rating and no less than eight days for a “D” rating, per school year.
The bill reads:
A school that receives an accountability rating designation of “F” must be kept in session for the number of days required under subsection (1) plus an additional period of not less than fifteen (15) school days per scholastic year, beginning in the next succeeding school year after receiving an accountability rating designation of “F.” A school that receives an accountability rating designation of “D” must be kept in session for the number of days required under subsection (1) plus an additional period of not less than eight (8) school days per scholastic year, beginning in the next succeeding school year after receiving an accountability rating designation of “D.” The school board of a school district in which one or more schools are rated as “D” or “F” shall take such steps as may be necessary to operate those schools for the required number of days exceeding the scholastic year established under subsection (1) of this section.
Schools are graded by the Mississippi Statewide Accountability System which assigns the letter grade for each school and district based on a specific set of criteria. They look at student achievement, individual student growth, graduation rate, and participation rate. Statewide assessments are used to measure proficiency and growth in proficiency for students in grades 3-8 and high school students taking end-of-course subject area assessments in Algebra I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History. Schools and districts are expected to have an assessment participation rate of 95% or greater.
The bill was authored by Rep. Banks and referred to the Education committee.