Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 7 - Education K-12 › Part 3 - Board Policies › Chapter 28 - Curriculum › Rule 7-3-28.7 - Districts of Innovation and Schools of Innovation

Current through June 25, 2024
In order to participate in the District of Innovation and
				  School of Innovation program established by Miss. Code Ann. §
									37-179-1,
				  et seq., local education agencies shall apply through the procedures
				  established by the Mississippi Department of Education. Districts and schools
				  selected through that process and approved by the State Board of Education
				  shall be designated District of Innovation or School of Innovation status for
				  five (5) years, which will be available for renewal according to the rules and
				  guidelines. Each renewal shall not exceed five (5) years. Because there are no
				  funds associated or granted with District of Innovation or School of Innovation
				  designation, local education agencies must plan carefully for inclusion of
				  at-risk students and may use their local and Federal funding to support
				  programs.
1. Purpose of a District of
				Innovation or School of Innovation
Innovative programs are intended to better prepare students
				  for success in life and work. Innovative programs shall focus on reducing
				  achievement gaps by expanding learning experiences for students; increasing
				  participation of subgroups of students in innovative instructional components
				  to enhance student achievement; increasing the number of students who are
				  college- and career-ready; reducing the number of students that exit high
				  school in need of remediation; and motivating students by expanding curriculum
				  choices and learning opportunities for students.
2. Definitions
a. District of Innovation: A District of
				Innovation is a district that has developed a plan of innovation in compliance
				with this policy and has been approved by the State Board of Education to be
				exempted from certain administrative regulations and statutory provisions to
				improve the educational performance of students within the district.
b. School of Innovation:
1. A School of Innovation is a school that
				voluntarily participates in a district of innovation plan to improve
				instruction, including waivers and exemptions from local school board policies,
				selected provisions of rules and regulations promulgated by the State Board of
				Education, and selected sections of Miss. Code Ann. §§
											37-179-1
				and
				37-179-3.
2. A School of Innovation, independent of a
				designated District of Innovation, is also defined as a school that voluntarily
				participates in a School of Innovation plan to improve instruction, including
				waivers and exemptions from local school board policies, selected provisions of
				rules and regulations promulgated by the State Board of Education, and selected
				sections of Miss. Code Ann. §§
											37-179-1
				and
				37-179-3
				for only one school in the district. Current models are high schools
				participating in an Early College High School program (ECHSP) or high schools
				with a Middle College Program (MCP) approved by the district superintendent and
				the State Board of Education. Both models are designed to target underserved
				public-school student populations that are at-risk of dropping out of high
				school or of not continuing in postsecondary school. Underserved students are
				students that come from households in poverty, students that are
				first-generation college-goers, or students of color.
c. An ECHSP is a small high school program
				located on a partnering college campus or a location other than a traditional
				high school campus with a dedicated principal, counselor, and four (4) to six
				(6) certified teaching staff in core subjects only. The students must complete
				an application process to enter as freshmen and continue through the ECHSP as a
				cohort. All eligible students are selected by random lottery if the application
				pool is larger than the defined cohort. The goal of an ECHSP is for students to
				graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate degree from a
				partnering postsecondary institution. At a minimum, all members of the cohort
				should graduate from high school meeting the ACT or SAT Mississippi benchmarks
				for admission to college without remediation and earn college credits while in
				high school.
Beginning in July 2019, new students participating in an ECHS
				  program will not be considered transfer students and are not prohibited by the
				  MDE from participating in after-school activities at their high school of
				  residence. Students must meet full academic day requirements at the ECHS
				  program to be eligible to participate in activities.
For accountability purposes, student academic performance
				  results shall be included in the students' high school of residence beginning
				  in academic year 2018-2019 (results reported in the fall of 2019).
				  Additionally, unofficial accountability results for the ECHSPs shall be
				  reported on the MDE District and School Report Card webpage, and other annual
				  performance measures shall be publicly reported each year in the
				  Superintendent's report. ECHSPs must adhere to all applicable
Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards
.
1. For regional, multi-district ECHS models,
				one district or the partnering postsecondary institution shall serve as the
				fiscal agent and other districts shall participate through a Memorandum of
				Understanding. The lead district shall represent the secondary agency
				considerations to the partnering postsecondary institution. All MOUs must
				include the lead secondary, the postsecondary, and the participating secondary
				agencies. The MOU shall include financial considerations such as
				transportation, child nutrition, and the mutually agreed upon cost for students
				enrolling from another district to attend the program. The MOU shall also
				include a data sharing agreement, fixed asset management, and revocation
				procedures.
d. An MCP is
				a dual credit/dual enrollment (DCDE) program run by a school district (or an
				individual high school) and a partnering postsecondary institution that offers
				high school students a wide range of dual credit and dual enrollment classes.
				The 11th and 12th grade
				students in the cohort spend a portion of the academic day at the high school
				and a portion at the partnering postsecondary institution where the classes are
				taught. Participating students are encouraged to take as many DCDE classes at
				the postsecondary partner institution as possible, specifically in courses
				articulated in the Mississippi Articulation Transfer Tool (MATT) or a
				career-oriented program of study. These students should be supported by a high
				school/transitional counselor and are monitored closely to ensure that they are
				meeting college academic expectations. The goal of an MCP is for students to
				earn an associate degree or advanced national certification, as well as a
				diploma from their traditional high school. These programs are set up in a
				cohort model with student entry at the end of the
				10th grade year. No waivers are granted for MCPs;
				however, high schools with MCPs must apply through the School of Innovation
				application to ensure they meet the approved definition.