MS Board of Education releases school district accountability grades

PINE BELT (WDAM) - The Mississippi State Board of Education approved accountability letter grades for schools and districts in the 2017-18 school year, which was released on Thursday.

The A-F accountability system evaluates school performances, in part, by how well students perform and progress from year to year on the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program tests for English language arts and mathematics, according to a Mississippi Department of Education news release.

Two Pine Belt school districts, the Lamar County School District and the Petal School District, received A grades. Two more, the Jones County School District and Forrest County Agriculture, received B grades.

Other Pine Belt school district grades can be found below:

Forrest County School District: C
Marion County School District: C
Covington County School District: D
Wayne County School District: D
Hattiesburg Public School District: D
East Jasper Consolidated School District: D
Perry County School District: D
Laurel School District: F

Statewide, the number of districts receiving an A increased from 15 to 18 from the 2016-17 to 2017-18 school year, and the number of districts receiving an F jumped from nine to 21 due to a change in the grading scale, according to MDE.

For a full breakdown of each school’s performance in the latest accountability report, visit MDE’s new Mississippi Succeeds Report Card, which is an interactive tool designed to help parents and communities evaluate schools.