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Every student in America deserves a high-quality public education — and every educator wants to help them attain it. But without measuring student outcomes and school performance, it’s impossible to develop systems and strategies to improve.
That’s why the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed in 2015, requires every state to develop and administer an accountability program to keep schools and districts on track. In the state of Mississippi, ESSA compliance built on existing school accountability strategies that had been in place for several decades.
Like in other states, standardized assessments are a major component of Mississippi’s accountability program, providing the primary measure of how well schools educate their students. These assessments offer a wealth of information that can help schools and districts improve — but they can also be stressful for students, educators, and school leaders alike.
And with uneven achievement across student groups in Mississippi and one of the nation’s worst teacher shortages, educators need help to ensure that students and schools are equipped to succeed.
Required Assessments in Mississippi
The Mississippi Department of Education administers a number of standardized assessments each year through the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP). These assessments are a significant factor in the state’s school accountability system.
At the high school level, all students (other than those with documented exemptions) are required to take four state-administered end-of-course (EOC) exams to graduate:
Students take each exam after completing the course it is aligned with; the year in which they do so may vary depending on their academic background and planned pathway to graduation. They are required to pass these four EOC exams or demonstrate subject-matter mastery through alternate pathways to graduate from high school.
Students receive two scores for each EOC assessment: a numerical scale score and a performance level, which is assigned based on predetermined scale score ranges. Performance levels range from 1-5:
High school juniors in Mississippi are also required to take the ACT exam. While a specific score is not required to graduate, students who score above certain benchmarks may be eligible to receive endorsements on their diplomas, and ACT scores contribute to schools’ and districts’ college and career readiness scores under the state accountability system.
Calculating School Accountability Ratings in Mississippi
Since 2013, Mississippi state law has mandated that each school and district receive an annual grade of A-F, and since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the state has also been required to produce annual report cards for each school and district. The state’s ESSA plan includes a detailed description of reporting requirements and school grade calculations. Each school and district’s grade, as well as additional contextual information like student demographics, is available on the state report card website.
School and district grades are assigned based on the total points the school or district earns for its performance in a number of categories. High schools and districts can earn up to 1,000 points, divided across eight indicators:
Reading (285 total points): Measured using English II MAAP EOC scores, with points divided across three categories:
Math (285 total points): Measured using Algebra I MAAP EOC scores, with points divided across three categories
Science proficiency (47.5 points): The percentage of students who score proficient or above on the Biology MAAP EOC exam.
U.S. History proficiency (47.5 points): The percentage of students who score proficient or above on the U.S. MAAP History EOC exam.
Four-year graduation rate (190 points): The percentage of students who graduate in four years or fewer.
Acceleration (47.5 points): The acceleration indicator tracks the number of students involved in advanced or specialized programs, with points divided across two categories:
Participation (23.75 points): The percentage of students enrolled in advanced coursework, dual-enrollment courses, or technical certification programs.
Performance (23.75 points): The percentage of students taking and passing exams or receiving certification in advanced coursework, dual-enrollment courses, or technical certification programs.
College and Career Readiness (47.5 points): The college and career readiness indicator is based on the percentage of students achieving benchmark ACT or ACT WorkKeys scores. For the ACT pathway, points are split between English/reading and math.
ACT English/Reading Scores (23.75 points): The percentage of students who meet or exceed a benchmark score of 18 in English or 22 in reading.
ACT Math Scores (23.75 points): The percentage of students who meet or exceed a benchmark score of 22 in math.
Alternatively, schools can count students who achieve at least a Silver on the ACT WorkKeys assessment and successfully complete an industry certification or career pathway recognized by the state.
English Language Progress (50 points): The percentage of English language learners making expected progress toward proficiency.
Points totals are converted to letter grades using the following cutoffs:
High Schools
Districts
Current State of the School Accountability System in Mississippi
MAAP scores are a key contributor to Mississippi public school and district accountability ratings, meaning that score trends offer an essential indicator of the state’s overall progress.
From 2016-2019, the state saw a clear upward trajectory in MAAP end-of-course scores — but like in most states, scores dropped significantly across subjects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, however, the trend has gone back in the right direction, and in the 2022-2023 school year, the state saw record-high rates of students scoring proficient or advanced across all EOC assessments.
While this progress is a sign that Mississippi’s efforts are paying off, ongoing work remains essential to ensure that all Mississippi students graduate prepared for life after high school.
Statewide data shows that major gaps exist between student groups — for example, in the 2022-2023 school year, 66.5% of white male students scored proficient or advanced in math, while only 35% of black male students achieved those scores. These discrepancies point to the need for equitable access to test-preparation programs, alongside other scaffolded supports.
Further, Mississippi ACT scores suggest significant room for improvement. The 2023 state average score for juniors was 17.5, well below the national average of 19.1. While that gap can partially be attributed to the fact that all Mississippi high school students take the ACT, which is the case in only a few states, it’s still important to note that only 9.3% of Mississippi test-takers achieved benchmark scores across all four ACT subtests.
Nevertheless, accountability grades are trending upwards in the state, and 87% of schools and 91% of districts received a C or above in the 2022-2023 school year.
How Are Grades Used in Mississippi?
Since they are publicly available, Mississippi school and district grades play a significant role in families’ choices about where to enroll their students and even where to live. They also have implications for the schools and districts themselves.
Any school that receives an F is automatically designated a School At-Risk. These schools must complete an interview with the Mississippi Department of Education and present a plan to make changes in several areas, including leadership approach, talent development, and instructional transformation.
On the other hand, a school that receives an A will receive special recognition from the state (for example, in media announcements). Additionally, schools and districts that receive As or Bs are eligible for exemptions from certain state regulations.
Solutions for Improving School Accountability Ratings in Mississippi
To improve school accountability scores — and ensure that all Mississippi students are ready to build successful lives after high school graduation — schools and districts need to offer equitable, accessible test preparation for both MAAP and ACT/ACT WorkKeys exams.
However, in the context of Mississippi’s ongoing teacher shortage, which has particularly negative impacts on economically disadvantaged students, asking already overworked educators to devote additional time and resources to creating and administering test prep is not a realistic solution.
Instead, districts can turn to solutions providers like MasteryPrep for cutting-edge, data-driven mastery-based learning solutions that reduce the burden on educators while helping students master essential content and develop the skills and strategies they need to succeed on standardized assessments.
MasteryPrep’s Programming for MAAP EOC is designed to increase the number of students scoring proficient or advanced on Mississippi assessments. It’s directly aligned with Mississippi’s College and Career Readiness standards, with a focus on the areas that are most likely to come up on the exams.
The MasteryPrep program starts with a diagnostic pre-test at the start of the year, which measures each student’s baseline knowledge and gives teachers valuable insights into their students.
After completing the pretest, students dive into a MAAP EOC SnapCourse that delivers contextual online courses designed to grab and maintain students’ attention with short, interactive videos. The course’s learning pathways adapt to each student’s needs to help them where they need support most and familiarize them with the test format, reducing test-day anxiety and improving accuracy.
MasteryPrep also offers solutions for the ACT and WorkKeys, including digital SnapCourses, classroom-based curricula, and professional development tools for educators.
Learn more about MasteryPrep programs for Mississippi and for the ACT and WorkKeys.
About MasteryPrep:
MasteryPrep provides mastery-based college readiness services and resources for the SAT®, ACT®, TSIA2, EOC, and WorkKeys®. MasteryPrep is the nationally preferred SAT and ACT prep provider of the Council for Opportunity in Education and licensed by ACT to include official ACT test questions in its programs. MasteryPrep partners with schools and districts to help level the standardized assessment playing field. MasteryPrep has ranked among the Inc. 5000 “Fastest Growing Companies” for six years and is a featured “Entrepreneur 360” company.
MasteryPrep is here to bridge the gap in an e-learning environment by providing your students with much needed college readiness preparation.
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