Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 7 - Education K-12 › Part 3 - Board Policies › Chapter 7 - Alternate Education Programs › Rule 7-3-7.2 - GED Standards Introduction

Current through June 25, 2024
Introduction.
Section
				  37-13-92
				  of The Mississippi Code of 1972 Annotated authorized school districts in
				  Mississippi to provide a program of General Education Development (GED)
				  preparatory instruction as a part of the Alternative Education Program. Section
				  37-35-3
				  mandates that students who are enrolled in an approved GED program shall not be
				  classified as dropouts and that the school district will continue to receive
				  State funding for the students while they are enrolled in the GED Program.
				  Students placed in the GED Program shall not be eligible to participate in
				  regular academic courses or other programmatic activities within the school
				  district, including athletics, choir, band, or any other extracurricular
				  activities, except that a GED student may participate in existing job and skill
				  development programs or in programs developed in conjunction with the GED
				  Program and the Vocational Education Director. Local school districts are also
				  authorized to contract with a Community College for the purpose of preparing
				  students for the GED testing process. If a school district contracts with a
				  Community College to provide a GED Program, the students placed in the program
				  will be reported on the monthly attendance report of the public school district
				  of origin and counted in the average daily attendance.
Minimum Guidelines for Implementing a GED Program in
				  Mississippi School Districts
1. The
				GED Program is defined through written policies approved by the local school
				board. Approved policies and procedures for the GED Program are published and
				available to the public for review. All policies and procedures for the
				operation of the GED Program must meet minimum requirements specified in
				Section
				37-13-92.
				Further, the program must meet the requirements and applicable policies of the
				State Board for Community and Junior Colleges as stated in Section
				37-35-1.
2. Selection procedures shall
				ensure that students who enroll in the GED Option will not graduate with their
				class because of credit deficiency and are otherwise capable of completing
				graduation requirements. Recommendation for student participation in the GED
				Program will be made by a committee of school staff consisting of campus
				administrators, counselors, classroom teachers, and support staff. Written
				documentation of the committee recommendation shall be maintained for each
				student. The criteria for student participation in the GED Option Program as
				outlined in Section
				37-35-3
				will consist of the following:
a. The student
				must be at least 16 years of age;
b. The student must be at least one (1) full
				grade level behind his or her ninth grade cohort or must have acquired less
				than four (4) Carnegie units;
c.
				The student must have taken every opportunity to continue to participate in
				course work leading to a regular diploma; and
d. The student must be certified to be
				eligible to participate in the GED course by the school district
				superintendent, based on the developed criteria.
Additionally, according to the American Council on Education
				  (ACE), students that have been referred to the Alternative Education Program
				  for disciplinary reasons shall not be eligible for placement in the GED Option
				  Program until behavioral modification goals for exiting the Alternative
				  Education Program have been attained.