We need change, and I can’t do this alone! 

It’s wonderful to focus on this positive, which is growth, but we can’t ignore the negative, which is our percentage of students who are not proficient in English Language Arts, Math, and College and Career Ready Standards. 

According to published data, for the 22-23 Academic Year, only 51% of students in the state are proficient in Math, 46.6% of students are proficient in ELA, and only 48% are proficient in College and Career Ready Standards. The stats are even more atrocious for our our subgroups e.g. 37% and 33% proficiency rate among African Americans  in Math and ELA respectively. Only 24% and 19%  of students with disabilities having a  proficiency mastery of same subjects. 

We can’t continue to ignore this, the problems it creates, and the reason for these problems. 

We are placing students who are WELL below grade level in classes where grade level content is being taught from a curriculum that is not appropriate for their present level. This creates so many problems that have overwhelmed our students and teachers. Placing a student in class who is several grade levels behind in a class where only grade level content that is already “rigorous” is being taught is a disaster for all. That is when we see outbursts, verbal and physical disruptions, and shutdowns. What are we doing to these students emotionally/mentally by doing this? How do we expect teachers to differentiate to that degree? How did we expect teachers to handle the behavior issues, the amount of differentiation needed, and the pressure for students to meet proficiency? 

We have to address these problems. 

We need funding to have remedial teachers to work with students who do not have an IEP. We need a plan on how effectively and legally implement remedial practices. This can not fall on the general education teachers. This cannot take away from the grade level and advance level students learning in class. With the gaps we have- it cannot be done in within the same class by the same teacher in charge of teaching grade level content. 

We need a new diploma option to replace Mississippi Occupational Diploma (MOD). Having only Traditional and Alternate is exclusionary at best for our students who can not meet traditional diploma requirements, but do  not have aSignificant Cognitive Disability. We need a diploma option for our students who are able to learn and grow given smaller classroom environment with correct pacing and instruction. When we removed the MOD, we did not remove the need for it. We did remove Resource Classes in high school where our students flourished, for how do we have classes designed for a these students when this makes them ineligible for a Traditional Diploma. 

We need to revisit Career Tech / Vo Tech and make sure our requirements are not exclusionary to students who are academically challenged. 

Please, take action.