NEWS RELEASE
Release Date: October 29, 2009
Contact: Pete Smith Director of Communications, 601.359.1336
Mississippi Board of Education meets in Jackson
The Mississippi Board of Education met recently in Jackson and approved the following:
Approved:
• The modification of the 2009 Qualified School Construction Bond (QSCB) application to extend the deadline for issuance of the QSCB and approval of the QSCB process for calendar year 2010. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 created a new category of tax credit bonds to finance the construction, rehabilitation or repair of a public school or facility.
• The growth component of the new State Accountability Model. Implementation of the new accountability system for school and district classifications required the development and implementation of a growth component. The Commission on School Accreditation met September 22, 2009 to review and finalize a recommended growth component to present to the State Board of Education.
• To revise the Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards 2009. Legislative changes made during the 2009 session and the implementation of the new accountability standards be reviewed and updated.
• A three-year Interagency Agreement with the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) to provide a school program for children with autism. The University will design a school program to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for children with autism. The University duties will include, but not limited to the following:
• Provide training in autism to local education agencies (LEA)
• Provide support and training to parents in behavioral management and educational interventions
• Provide assessments as needed
• Provide coordination of services between the child's LEA, USM and the parents or guardians.
• A policy to prescribe the information and format required to be included in the development and publication of an annual report as required by Senate Bill 2628, the Children First Act of 2009. The proposed report card and guidelines as revised are intended to provide communities with sufficient transparency to hold their schools accountable to deliver the quality of education to which children are entitled.
• The revised Student Performance Level Descriptors for the Mississippi Extended Curriculum Frameworks and the Mississippi Alternate Assessment of Extended Curriculum Frameworks for Language Arts, Mathematics and Science. Under the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, all states must develop descriptions of the knowledge and skills necessary for students to achieve specific performance levels on their state assessments. The Mississippi Extended Curriculum Frameworks for Language Arts, Mathematics and Science, which provide the learning standards for students with significant cognitive disabilities, are the basis on which the performance level descriptors and the Mississippi Alternate Assessment of Extended Curriculum Frameworks (MAAECF) are developed.
• The Carnegie unit credit for Allied Health I/Health Science I to meet the Health requirement for high school graduation.
• To begin the Administrative Procedures Act process: To approve Carnegie unit credit for Management, Year I (Vocational) and Marketing and Economics, Year I (Vocational) to meet the Economics (Academic) and Personal Finance (Academic) requirements for high school graduation.
• To begin the Administrative Procedures Act process: To adopt a State Board policy defining “inordinately large” as that term used in Section 37-151-103(3) to determine average daily attendance as a result of epidemic, natural disaster or any concerted activity discouraging school attendance under the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.
• A new school site for the East Jasper School District . Pursuant to Section 37-7-315, Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated, East Jasper County School District request approval of a site for the construction of a new elementary school (kindergarten through sixth grade with an enrollment of approximately 600 students) located on approximately 13 acres at the intersection of County Road 8 and County Road 35, Jasper County , Mississippi .
Dr. Leigh Warren (left) is pictured with Dr. Sandra Edwards, Superintendent of the Mississippi School for the Deaf. Dr. Warren was recently approved as the Principal for the Mississippi School for the Deaf.
Recognized:
Mississippi Board of Education Chair Bill Jones (left) and Interim State Superintendent of Education Dr. John W. Jordan (right) congratulate Dr. Judy Dalgo of Elizabeth Hayes Technology Center for being named the 2009 Mississippi Exemplary Teacher of the Year.
Mississippi Board of Education Chair Bill Jones (back right) and Interim Superintendent of Education Dr. John W. Jordan (back center) congratulate the students and staff members of the Tupelo School District for placing first in the National Bridge Building Contest held in Pennsylvania . Pictured from left: Dr. Fred Hill, Carleigh Ballard, Matt Dunn, Mikhail Garlean, Serena Khiantiani, Connie Gusmus and Talina Knight.
Mississippi Board of Education Chairman Bill Jones (left) and Interim State Superintendent of Education Dr. John W. Jordan congratulate Terissa Williams for being named MDE's Employee of the Month.
Next Meeting:
The next meeting of the Mississippi Board of Education (MBE) will be November 19, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. in the Board Room on the 4 th Floor of the Central High School Building, 359 North West Street , Jackson , MS . The MBE will also meet on Friday, November 20, 2009 beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Board Room.
