NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:  January 3, 2023

JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) 2021-22 Superintendent’s Annual Report has been released detailing how academic progress has been made as MDE designated more than $96 million in federal funds to help students, schools and districts recover from pandemic disruptions to learning. View the report online at mdek12.org/superintendent2022.

Report highlights:

• Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) scores for 2021-22 show student achievement exceeded pre-pandemic levels with the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced reaching an all-time high of 42.2% in English Language Arts (ELA) and 55.9% in science, and reaching 47.3% in mathematics, just shy of the pre-pandemic rate of 47.4%.
• The 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores show Mississippi students are maintaining historic gains in 4th grade reading.
• MDE contracted with a staffing agency for $1.8 million to expand its Licensure Call Center with longer hours and additional customer service representatives to better assist prospective and current educators.
• MDE’s Mississippi Teacher Residency (MTR) program granted $9.8 million to five universities: Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University to cover tuition and expenses for up to 200 individuals seeking a graduate degree in elementary and secondary education.
• A record high of 10,534 public school students took 14,788 Advanced Placement exams with 5,573 exams earning a qualifying score.
• Graduation rate reached an all-time high of 88.4%.
• Dropout rate reached a record low of 8.5%.
• MDE procured tutorial services through PAPER for $10.7 million that provide students in grades 3-12 with online access to ELA and mathematics tutors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• The percentage of students participating in dual credit courses rose from 6.6% in 2016 to 13.8% in 2022.
• The total number of Early Learning Collaboratives (ELC), which provide high-quality early childhood education pre-K programs to 4-year-old students, increased to 35 through August 2022.
• MDE partnered with the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) to create a telehealth delivery system within K-12 schools to provide remote healthcare and healthcare provider access to students.
• MDE piloted Mississippi Beginnings: Pre-K curriculum to support any preschool teacher in providing rich, play-based, intentional developmentally appropriate instructions.
• MDE used $12.7 million of federal funds to begin modernizing the Mississippi Student Information System (MSIS) that was created in 2000.
• Four schools were named 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

Mississippi schools and districts earned new accountability A-F grades for the first time since 2019. Accountability grades help teachers, school leaders, parents and communities know how well local schools and districts are serving students. Though the 2021-22 grades should always be viewed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 81% of schools and 87% of districts are now rated C or higher.

Find all MDE news releases at mdek12.org/news.