Miss. Code. tit. 7, pt. 109, ch. 4, app 7-109-4-A
| MS Policy Code | Policy Summary, Policy Reference or Contact Information |
| MS Code 3600, Formerly IHF1Adopted 7/15/88 Revised 2/20/2004 | [Excerpt] " Students who begin 9th grade in 2003-2004 and each year thereafter (anticipated graduation in 2007 and later) must pass all required Subject Area Tests in U.S. History from 1877, English II (with a writing component), Biology I, and Algebra I even if they take the course(s) prior to their 9th grade year." |
| Code 3800 Formerly IHF2Adopted 2/23/2001 Revised 12/13/2002 | [Excerpt] "Any Mississippi public school student shall not be awarded Carnegie unit credit unless the core objectives identified in the Mississippi Curriculum Framework have been mastered. Passage of the required Subject Area Test is a separate requirement towards graduation and shall not be criteria for awarding Carnegie unit credit. |
| Code 3801 Adopted December 13, 2002 Revised December 19, 2012 | MS State Board Policy for Subject Area Testinghttp://www.mde.k12.ms.us/mississippi-board-of-education/board-of-education-policy-manual/policy-3800-graduation-requirements/policy-3801-policies-for-subject-area-testing [File Link Not Available] |
| Code 3802 Adopted February 23, 2001 Revised December 19, 2012 | MS State Board Policy for Carnegie Unit Credithttp://www.mde.k12.ms.us/mississippi-board-of-education/board-of-education-policy-manual/policy-3800-graduation-requirements/policy-3802-policies-for-carnegie-unit-credit [File Link Not Available] |
| Code 3803Adopted July 5, 1988Last Revised May 18, 2012 | MS State Board Policy Assessments Required for Graduationhttp://www.mde.k12.ms.us/mississippi-board-of-education/board-of-education-policy-manual/policy-3800-graduation-requirements/policy-3803-assessments-required-for-graduation [File Link Not Available] |
| StudentAssessmentCalendar | https://districtaccess.mde.k12.ms.us/studentassessment/Public[CENT]20Access/ Calendars/Testing Calendar 2012-2013.pdf |
| Standard 20.4Participation inGraduationExercisesEmergency Assessment | 2012 MS Public Schools Accountability Standards, page 23 http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/docs/accreditation-library/revised-10-9-12-2012-stds.pdf?sfvrsn=2Contact your local Counselor or District Test Coordinator |
| MS Policy Code | Policy Summary, Policy Reference or Contact Information |
| Code 7601Assessment of Special [File Link Not Available]Populations [File Link Not Available] | Testing Students with Disabilities Regulations http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/docs/student-assessment/testing-20students-20with-20disabilities-20regulations-final.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Mississippi Testing Accommodations Manual http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/docs/student-assessment/mississippi-testing-accomodations-manual.pdf?sfvrsn=0 Guidelines for English Language Learners http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/docs/student-assessment/ell-guidelines-january-2011-final.pdf?sfvrsn=2 |
| Code 7610SATP AppealsProcessRescoringAlternative | Appeals for rescoring tests, and or appeals for the administration of the Alternative Assessmenthttp://www.mde.k12.ms.us/mississippi-board-of-education/board-of-education-policy-manual/policy-7600-testing/policy-7610-subject-area-testing-program-appeals-process [File Link Not Available] |
| Test Security | MS Public Schools Accountability Standards, Appendix F http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/docs/accreditation-library/revised-10-9-12-2012-stds.pdf?sfvrsn=2 |
DESCRIPTOR TERM: Graduation Requirements-Policies for Subject Area Testing CODE: 3801
ADOPTION DATE: December 13, 2002
REVISION: December 19, 2012
Enrollment in a non-public school/program (to include, but not limited to: private schools, parochial schools, home schools, virtual schools, summer schools, independent study / correspondence programs, etc.) shall not be used to circumvent participation in the Mississippi Statewide Assessment System or students meeting the graduation requirements outlined in this policy.
1. Students will not be required to pass any end-of-course Subject Area Test in a course for which the student earns or receives credit (i.e. course completed as recorded on an official transcript) in a Mississippi public school prior to the 2001-2002 school year. (MS Code 37-16-7)
2. Any student enrolled in a Mississippi public school who concurrently earns a Carnegie unit for any course which includes a required end-of-course Subject Area Testing Program (SATP) exam from a non-public school (to include, but not limited to: private school, parochial school, home school, virtual school, summer school, or independent study / correspondence program, etc.) must take and pass the SATP exam in order to earn a standard diploma.
3.
a. Students entering a Mississippi public school will not be required to pass any end-of-course Subject Area Test in a course for which the school accepts credit earned by the student in a public school of another state as fulfilling the requirements for a Mississippi high school diploma.
b. Effective with the 2011-2012 school year, students entering or enrolled in a Mississippi public school implementing an innovative program authorized by the State Board of Education who have earned credits in the Required Subjects for a diploma in the state of Mississippi and will have completed an end of course assessment or end of domain assessment, will be exempt from State Board Policy 3803 until the State Board of Education has adopted standards and cut-scores for the corresponding assessments.
4. Students entering a Mississippi public school will not be required to pass any end-of-course Subject Area Test in a course for which the school accepts credit earned by the student in a private school as fulfilling the requirements for a Mississippi high school diploma, provided the private school is accredited regionally or by the state of Mississippi.
5. Students entering a Mississippi public school will be required to pass any end-of-course Subject Area Test in a course for which the school accepts credit earned by the student in a private school as fulfilling the requirements for a Mississippi high school diploma if the private school is not accredited regionally or by the state of Mississippi.
6. Students entering a Mississippi public school will be required to pass any end-of-course Subject Area Test in a course for which the school accepts credit earned by the student through home schooling as fulfilling the requirements for a Mississippi high school diploma.
7. Any Mississippi public school student who fails to pass a required Subject Area Test will be offered a chance to retake the test three times each year until a passing score is achieved:
a. At or near the end of the fall semester,
b. At or near the end of the spring semester, and
c. At or near the end of summer school.
8. Any course that is required for subject area testing as a requirement for graduation from a public school in Mississippi is not eligible for dual credit. (MS Code 37-15-38(11)). Refer to Section 37-15-38(19) of the MS Code for exemptions.
9. Passage of the required Subject Area Test (High School End of Course Assessment or End of Domain Assessments as appropriate) is a separate requirement for graduation. In accordance with Section 37-16-5 of the MS Code, innovative programs authorized by the State Board of Education, shall periodically assess student performance and achievement in each school. Such assessment programs shall be based upon local goals and objectives which are compatible with the state's plan for education and which supplement the minimum performance standards approved by the State Board of Education. Data from district assessment programs shall be provided to the State Department of Education when such data is required in order to evaluate specific instructional programs or processes or when the data is needed for other research or evaluation projects. Each district may provide acceptable, compatible district assessment data to substitute for any assessment data needed at the state level when the State Department of Education certifies that such data is acceptable for the purposes of Section 37-16-3.
DESCRIPTOR TERM: Policies for Carnegie Unit Credit CODE: 3802
ADOPTION DATE: February 23, 2001
REVISION: December 19, 2012
Enrollment in a non-public school/program (to include, but not limited to: private schools, parochial schools, home schools, virtual schools, summer schools, independent study / correspondence programs, etc.) shall not be used to circumvent participation in the Mississippi Statewide Assessment System or students meeting the graduation requirements outlined in this policy.
1. Any Mississippi public school student shall not be awarded Carnegie unit credit unless the core objectives identified in the Mississippi Curriculum Framework and innovative programs authorized by the State Board of Education have been mastered.
2. For students entering a Mississippi public school from a public school in another state for which the school did not award a credit for the successful completion of a course, the district may accept the course as meeting the requirement for the Required Subjects for a diploma in the state of Mississippi provided the district determines that the content of the course taken is comparable. However, the total Carnegie Unit requirement for the Curriculum Area remains the same.
3. For students entering a Mississippi public school from a regionally accredited private school for which the school did not award credit for the successful completion of a course, the district may accept the course as meeting the requirement for the Required Subjects for a diploma in the state of Mississippi provided the district determines that the content of the course taken is comparable. However, the total Carnegie Unit requirement for the Curriculum Area remains the same.
4. Students entering a public school in Mississippi from any regionally accredited public or private school that awarded a Carnegie Unit for the successful completion of a course, the district may accept the course as meeting the requirement for the "Required Subject" in Appendix A of the Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards.
5. Any student previously enrolled in a Mississippi public school that failed a SATP exam and later transfers credit for the same SATP course from either a private school that is accredited regionally or by the state of Mississippi or an out-of-state public school must take and pass the exam in order to earn a standard diploma.
6. Any course that is required for subject area testing as a requirement for graduation from a public school in Mississippi is not eligible for dual credit. (MS Code 37-15-38(11)) Refer to Section 35-15-38(19) of the MS Code for exemptions.
DESCRIPTOR TERM: Assessments Required for Graduation CODE: 3803
ADOPTION DATE: July 15, 1988
REVISION: September 15, 2000, July 18, 2003, February 20, 2004, May 18, 2012
Academic end-of-course tests were phased in during the 2001-200 2 school year to replace the (FLE) as a requirement for graduation.
1. Students who began 9th grade PRIOR to 1999-2000 must pass the Functional Literacy Examination (FLE).
2. Students who began 9th grade in school year 1999-2000 must pass the Functional Literacy Examination (FLE) plus the Subject Area Test in U.S. History.
3. Students who began 9th grade in school year 2000-2001 must pass the mathematics section of the FLE plus the Subject Area Tests in U.S. History and English II.
4. Students who began 9th grade in 2001-2002 must pass the mathematics section of the FLE plus the Subject Area Tests in U.S. History, English II, and Biology I.
5. Students who began 9th grade in 2002-2003 must pass the Subject Area Tests in U.S. History, English II, Biology I and Algebra I. Students who began 9th grade in 2003-2004 and each year thereafter must pass all required Subject Area Tests in U.S. History, English II, Biology I, and Algebra I
DESCRIPTOR TERM: Subject Area Testing Program Appeals Process CODE: 7610
ADOPTION DATE: October 23, 2009
REVISION: November 22, 2009
I. Appeal for Rescoring
When a student, parent, or district personnel has reason to believe that, due to a scoring error, a student who did not pass a Subject Area Test should have passed the test, an appeal for rescoring may be made.
Process:
1. The student, parent or district personnel must submit a written statement with supporting information outlining why the applicant thinks he/she should have passed the test.
2. The initial appeal is submitted at the local level for determination of merit.
3. A local decision is made to forward the appeal to the state level for consideration or to deny the appeal.
4. If the appeal is denied at the local level, the appeal can be submitted directly to the state level for consideration.
5. Direct appeals and appeals forwarded from the local level are considered at the state level, and a decision is made to grant the appeal or to deny it.
6. Any request for rescoring must be submitted no later than one calendar year from the time of the receipt of score reports in the district.
7. If the rescoring determines that a scoring error occurred that results in the student passing the test, the testing company will bear the cost of the rescoring. If the rescoring does not determine that a scoring error occurred, the costs associated with rescoring will be borne by the school district in which the student took the test in question.
II. Appeal for an Alternative Assessment as a Substitute Evaluation
Appeals Process:
* The Appeal for an Alternative Assessment as a Substitute Evaluation may not begin until a student has scored within one scale score point of the passing cut score on the same subject area content test on any three separate occasions (i.e., initial test, first retest, second retest, or any other combination) and has participated in remediation designed to assist students in passing the appropriate subject area test.
* The student or parent may request an appeal to be initiated by a teacher, or a teacher may initiate an appeal. The teacher may deny a request from a student or parent if, in the teacher's professional opinion, there is no basis for the appeal. The student's teacher for the specific subject area course or a course in the same content at a higher level must be the teacher involved in the appeal process. To initiate an appeal the teacher must confirm the student has met the testing criteria outlined above and then submit a portfolio of student work that demonstrates the student's mastery of the course content accompanied by a letter of recommendation to the principal of the student's school.
* This portfolio will consist of documentation that supports student mastery at the expectation defined by the curriculum framework and will be submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Alternative Assessment for Subject Area Tests, a process available only to students with an IEP. The composition of the evidence portfolio must address the course-specific framework competencies and objectives for the relevant subject area test.
* The teacher must sign the Ethics in Data Collection Form for the Appeal for an Alternative Assessment as a Substitute Evaluation to accompany the portfolio.
* The teacher's letter of recommendation, the portfolio, and the Ethics in Data Collection Form must be reviewed and agreed to as accurate by the school principal and district superintendent. If the portfolio is found not to substantiate the appeal, the appeal may be denied by the principal and/or district superintendent. If the principal and superintendent support the appeal, they must also sign the Ethics in Data Collection Form.
* If the appeal is approved by the superintendent, the district test coordinator will then review the appeal and verify that all requirements of the Appeal for an Alternative Assessment as a Substitute Evaluation have been met. The district test coordinator will submit the student portfolio including the teacher's letter of recommendation and the Ethics in Data Collection Form, which the district test coordinator must also sign, to the Office of Student Assessment by March 30 in the year that the student is anticipated to graduate or at any time following the student's meeting criterion (a).
* If the results of the review of the portfolio determine that the student has demonstrated mastery of the curriculum, a passing score will be substituted for a failing score on the standard statewide subject area test, and the Mississippi Department of Education will bear the cost associated with the review.
* If the results of the review of the portfolio do not determine that the student has demonstrated mastery of the curriculum, the student must continue participating in subsequent standard statewide assessment administrations. In this case, the costs associated with the review of the portfolio will be borne by the school district that submitted the appeal.
* If the Appeal for an Alternative Assessment as a Substitute Evaluation is denied and the student continues to participate in subsequent standard statewide assessment administrations, the teacher may again initiate an appeal, or a student or parent may request another appeal, following any subsequent retest opportunity that results in the student's again scoring within one scale score point of the passing cut score.
Miss. Code. tit. 7, pt. 109, ch. 4, app 7-109-4-A