South Panola School District maintained its B rating in the annual accountability report issued by the Mississippi Department of Education last week. North Panola School District also maintained its 2021-22 grade of C.

(MDE) released accountability grades for all state school districts and schools, showing 87 percent  of schools and 91 percent  of districts earned a grade of C or higher.

The grades are an improvement over 2021-22, when approximately 81 percent of schools and 87 percent of districts were rated C or higher. 

In 2016, when the Mississippi State Board of Education set a goal that all schools and districts be rated C or higher, the percentage of schools and districts meeting this goal were both 62 percent.

Statewide student assessment data make up a large part of accountability grades. In 2022-23, the overall percentage of students scoring proficient and advanced reached an all-time high in mathematics, English Language Arts (ELA), science and U.S. History.  

Since 2020, school districts and the state have invested federal pandemic-relief funds in programs and services to overcome pandemic disruptions and accelerate student learning. The additional funds enabled districts to pay for extended learning days, tutorial services and intensive interventions, among other supports. 

In the South Panola School District, Batesville Elementary and Batesville Intermediate maintained their A rating. South Panola High School improved from B to an A grade for the 2023 year. 

Batesville Middle School and Pope Elementary kept their B scores from last year, and Batesville Junior School improved from a D grade to C.

In the North Panola School District, North Panola High School improved from a D to a B school and Greenhill and Como Primary have a score of C. North Panola Middle School has a D grade.

Mississippi’s accountability grades help teachers, school leaders, parents and communities know how well their local schools and districts are serving their students. The components of the state’s accountability system are based on state and federal law and State Board policy. They include:

• Student proficiency and growth rates in ELA and Mathematics in grades 3-8
• Growth of the lowest performing 25% of students in ELA and Mathematics
• Science proficiency in grades 5 and 8
• English Learner progress toward becoming proficient in the English language
• Performance on the ACT and high school Algebra I, English II, Biology and U.S. History assessments
• Student participation and performance in advanced coursework such as Advanced Placement and dual credit/dual enrollment courses
• Four-year graduation rate.