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- State law requires that accountability standards be revised when 75% of students are proficient or when 65% of schools or districts earn a grade of “B” or higher. That milestone was met in 2023.
Mississippi public schools will be held to a higher standard as revised accountability grading goes into effect.
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) reminded communities and education stakeholders across the state of this on Wednesday, noting that that the new school and district letter grades are in effect for the 2025-26 school year. The grading is expected to be released in the fall of 2026, setting a new baseline for measuring school and district performance.
MDE cautioned that the higher standards may mean that many schools and districts could receive a lower letter grade than they received in 2024-25 school year, “even if their students performed the same or better on state assessments.”
State law requires that accountability standards be revised when 75% of students are proficient or when 65% of schools or districts earn a grade of “B” or higher. Mississippi schools and districts reached that milestone in 2023 when 74% of schools and 71% of districts earned an A or B, up from just 37% for both in 2016.
The U.S. History assessment is being eliminated from the accountability measures while updated annual goals for the English Learner progress component have been revised.
“Mississippi students and schools have made extraordinary progress, and that progress is exactly why state law requires us to raise the bar,” said Dr. Lance Evans, State Superintendent of Education, in a statement. “The 2025-26 grades will set a new starting point from which we will measure the continued growth of our students and schools for years to come.”
MDE also noted that another change that begins with the 2025-26 school year is a new Mississippi Readiness Index, which replaces the prior college and career readiness measures for high schools and districts.
The index awards points for student performance on the ACT, SAT, ACT WorkKeys, and Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) as well as for achievements in Advanced Placement, dual credit and dual enrollment courses, and CTE programs. Industry certifications, diploma endorsements, and on-time and five-year graduation are also factored in.
MDE recently placed 12 school districts on probation over compliance issues and said another two – Hazlehurst and North Bolivar – could face a state takeover as issues linger with their accreditation and audit reporting.
The 12 districts facing corrective action from MDE include Carroll County, Coffeeville, East Tallahatchie, East Jasper, Greenville, Greenwood-Leflore, Hollandale, Jackson, Leland, Natchez-Adams, Sunflower and Vicksburg Warren.
Frank Corder
