State board approves two new Schools of Innovation, revises plans for two others
March 07, 2024 | Department of Education, Agencies, Organizations, Executive, Mississippi
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The Mississippi State Board of Education voted to approve two new Schools of Innovation and accept revisions to two existing innovation plans during its March 2024 meeting in Jackson.
Miss Clemens of the Office of Secondary Education presented the applications and said the statutory framework (state policy chapter 28.7 and the relevant Mississippi code) gives districts autonomy to pilot alternatives to traditional schedules and expand college and career pathways. She described Western Line Collegiate Academy as a middle-college partnership with Mississippi Delta Community College that will enroll 11th- and 12th-grade cohorts with an 85 percent goal for students to earn an associate degree, compared with a nationwide average of about 70 percent. New Albany Middle School seeks approval to institute a 5-by-5 block schedule to increase remediation and enrichment opportunities and track growth for the bottom 25 percent of students.
Clemens said the revisions requested by Hattiesburg High School and Oxford School District would extend 5-by-5 scheduling to allow greater internship and CTE options for secondary students. "The sky's the limit," Clemens said, describing the flexibility the innovation designation provides to districts.
Board members asked whether 5-by-5 courses must be semester-long; staff responded that the Department does not mandate course length and that districts may structure schedules as semester or year-long offerings. After discussion, Chair Mr. East moved the item under the chief academic officer; Mr. McGehee moved, Ms. Warner seconded, and the board approved the item by voice vote.
The action authorizes Western Line School District and New Albany Middle School to proceed under the Schools of Innovation framework and accepts the proposed revisions from Hattiesburg and Oxford. The board did not record a roll-call tally in the minutes; the item passed on a voice vote. The board will review progress and goal attainment during the innovation terms and monitor any requested waivers or policy exceptions.
Miss Clemens of the Office of Secondary Education presented the applications and said the statutory framework (state policy chapter 28.7 and the relevant Mississippi code) gives districts autonomy to pilot alternatives to traditional schedules and expand college and career pathways. She described Western Line Collegiate Academy as a middle-college partnership with Mississippi Delta Community College that will enroll 11th- and 12th-grade cohorts with an 85 percent goal for students to earn an associate degree, compared with a nationwide average of about 70 percent. New Albany Middle School seeks approval to institute a 5-by-5 block schedule to increase remediation and enrichment opportunities and track growth for the bottom 25 percent of students.
Clemens said the revisions requested by Hattiesburg High School and Oxford School District would extend 5-by-5 scheduling to allow greater internship and CTE options for secondary students. "The sky's the limit," Clemens said, describing the flexibility the innovation designation provides to districts.
Board members asked whether 5-by-5 courses must be semester-long; staff responded that the Department does not mandate course length and that districts may structure schedules as semester or year-long offerings. After discussion, Chair Mr. East moved the item under the chief academic officer; Mr. McGehee moved, Ms. Warner seconded, and the board approved the item by voice vote.
The action authorizes Western Line School District and New Albany Middle School to proceed under the Schools of Innovation framework and accepts the proposed revisions from Hattiesburg and Oxford. The board did not record a roll-call tally in the minutes; the item passed on a voice vote. The board will review progress and goal attainment during the innovation terms and monitor any requested waivers or policy exceptions.
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