Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 7 - Education K-12 › Part 109 - Student Assessment Handbook › Chapter 4 - Testing Irregularities and Consequences › Appendix 7-109-4-A - Board Policies Regarding Assessments

Current through June 25, 2024
MS Policy Code
Policy Summary, Policy Reference or
						  Contact Information
MS Code 3600, Formerly
						  IHF1
Adopted 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 IHF2
Adopted 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
						  Testing
http://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
						  Credit
http://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 3803
Adopted July 5, 1988
Last Revised May 18, 2012
MS State Board Policy Assessments Required
						  for
						  Graduation
http://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]
Student
Assessment
Calendar
https://districtaccess.mde.k12.ms.us/studentassessment/Public[CENT]20Access/
						  Calendars/Testing Calendar 2012-2013.pdf
Standard 20.4
Participation in
Graduation
Exercises
Emergency 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=2
Contact your local Counselor or District Test
						  Coordinator
MS Policy Code
Policy Summary, Policy Reference or
						  Contact Information
Code 7601
Assessment 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 7610
SATP Appeals
Process
Rescoring
Alternative
Appeals for rescoring tests, and or
						  appeals for the administration of the Alternative
						  Assessment
http://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.