The Mississippi State Department of Education is grading school districts on a curve.
With a new accountability system based on college- and career-readiness standards, the education department released letter grades for all 152 districts in the state. The 15-school Vicksburg Warren School District maintained a D rating, scoring 514 points out of 900.
Superintendent Chad Shealy took the reigns of the district in October after the district had established its curriculum for the year. This year the district has implemented a curriculum in alignment with Common Core Standards.
With the new accountability system the 2013-14 year is considered a transitional year for letter grades. Because of the transition, the U.S. Department of Education granted districts and schools a one-year waiver that allows them to retain the previous year’s grade if the 2013-14 grade is lower. The waiver grades are the official grades for the year.
There were 19 A districts, 43 B districts, 48 C districts, 39 D districts, one F district and one district, Clarksdale Municipal, under investigation for cheating.
“Our superintendents have been working diligently over the past three years to implement college- and career-ready standards in their districts. The waiver has enabled them to continue this important work without having to worry about being sanctioned if their test scores dropped because the tests were not aligned to the state’s higher standards,” State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carey Wright said in a press release.
Without that waiver, 72 districts would have a lower grade this year than last year. The VWSD is not one of those districts. While the letter grade remains the same, the district has seen significant progress in the numerical portion of the grading system.
“We are very pleased to see an increase in our scores despite the wake of decreases in the majority of the rest of the Mississippi school districts,” Shealy said. “Compared to MDE’s impact data from 2012-13, we saw 7 schools increase in letter ratings and 10 grew a staggering 582 points. This is a testament to the diligent efforts of our staff, parents and our fantastic students.”
From 2009-13, the state education department ranked schools based on a numerical score calculated from test results — known as QDI — graduation rates and incremental improvement rates.
The QDI was on a 300-point scale in which schools earned points based on the percentages of students scoring minimal, basic, proficient and advanced on state tests.
The overall district QDI was 145 last year.
“As we continue to raise the bar for academic standards, our students and schools are striving to meet the higher expectations,” Dr. John Kelly, chairman of the State Board of Education said in the press release. “Challenging students to do more will help equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in college, career and life.”
Under the new accountability system, districts are graded on a 900-point scale. The new system places greater emphasis on high school graduation rates and student growth. The grades also follow a revised state law that requires a single “A” through “F” accountability system that meets both state and federal reporting requirements.
There are two particularly key differences in the new assessment. The previous system calculated student growth using a prediction equation. Now, students meet growth if their scores improve from one proficiency level to the next, or move sufficiently within the lower proficiency levels.
The previous system included a “completion index” for the 12th grade score, which gave schools partial credit for GED completers and other types of non-traditional diplomas. These students do not accumulate credit in the new system, per state statute.
The VWSD spent $600,000 last year to educate 33 students in the GED program at a rate of $18,181 per student. Traditional students were educated at a rate of approximately $8,500 per student. The VWSD will see no return on investment for those 33 GED students who do not count in the district’s graduation rate.
The district had a graduation rate of 58.9 percent with Vicksburg High School at a rate of 61.5 percent and Warren Central at 58.1 percent. Dropouts continue to cost the district not only in terms of graduation rate but also in Mississippi Adequate Education Program funds. The dropout rate stands at nearly 22 percent district wide, with GED students now counted as dropouts even upon successful completion of the program.
“We will continue to move forward as we meet the challenge of the most rigorous standards our state has ever seen,” Shealy said. “We know our obstacles and will press forward for growth because as good as we are, we are choosing to be better.”

 

School Districts earning an “A” grade this year include:
* Indicates a district did not require a waiver
• Amory School District
• Biloxi Public School District
• Booneville School District
• Clinton Public School District*
• Corinth School District*
• Oxford School District
• DeSoto County School District
• Enterprise School District
• Kosciusko School District
• Lamar County School District*
• Long Beach School District
• Madison County School District
• Ocean Springs School District
• Pass Christian Public School District
• Petal School District
• Pontotoc City Schools
• Rankin County School District
• Union Public School District
• Webster County School District