MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2016 Regular Session
To: Education; Appropriations
By: Senator(s) Carmichael
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-151-9 AND 37-3-53, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO TRANSFER THE OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR AND AUTHORIZE THIS OFFICE TO MAKE AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATION OF STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 37-151-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-151-9. (1) * * *
Effective July 1, 2016, the Office of Educational Accountability in the
State Department of Education shall be transferred to the Office of the
Governor. All personnel, records, assets and unexpended funds allocated to the
Office of Educational Accountability shall be transferred to the newly
established Office of Educational Accountability in the Office of the
Governor. The Office of Educational Accountability in the Office of the
Governor shall be administered by an executive director appointed by the
Governor * * * with the advice and consent of the Senate. He shall
serve at the will and pleasure of the * * * Governor and
may employ necessary professional, administrative and clerical staff. The
executive director shall be authorized to combine or abolish employee positions
as necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. The Director of
the Office of Educational Accountability shall be responsible for (a)
evaluating the cost and educational impact of all programs administered by the
State Department of Education; (b) developing the annual Mississippi Report
Card as provided in Section 37-3-53; and (c) provide all reports relating
to the performance of the State Department of Education to the Legislature,
the PEER Committee, the Governor, * * *
and the State Board of Education and respond to any inquiries for
information regarding such reports.
(2) In addition to the
responsibilities prescribed in subsection (1) of this section the Office of
Educational Accountability is also responsible for monitoring and
reviewing programs developed under the Education Reform Act, the Mississippi
Adequate Education Program Act of 1994, the Education Enhancement Fund, and
subsequent education initiatives, and shall provide information,
recommendations and an annual assessment to the Legislature, the PEER
Committee, the Governor, * * *
and the State Board of Education. Commencing in * * * 2016, the annual assessment of the
State Department of Education and the education reform programs shall be
performed by the Office of Educational Accountability by December 1 of each
year. The Office of Educational Accountability shall specifically monitor the
implementation of Levels I, II and III accreditation in all school
districts, and shall make an assessment with recommendations to the * * * 2017 Regular Session of the
Legislature.
(3) In addition, the Office of Educational Accountability shall have the following specific duties and responsibilities:
(a) Developing and maintaining a system of communication with school district personnel;
(b) Provide opportunities for public comment on the current functions of the State Department of Education's programs, needed public education services and innovative suggestions;
(c) Assess both positive and negative impact on school districts of new education programs, including but not limited to The Mississippi Report Card and alternative school programs.
SECTION 2. Section 37-3-53, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-3-53. (1) (a) Each
school year, the * * * Office of Educational
Accountability * * *
in the Office of the Governor shall develop a public school reporting
system, or "Mississippi Report Card," on the performance of students
and public schools, including charter schools, at the local, district and state
level. In developing the report card, the Office of Educational Accountability
shall collect school, district and state level student achievement data in the
appropriate grades * * * in all core subjects, and
compare the data with national standards to identify students' strengths and
weaknesses. The Mississippi Report Card shall provide more than reports to
parents on the level at which their children are performing; the report shall
provide clear and comparable public information on the level at which schools,
school districts and the state public education system are performing. The
Office of Educational Accountability shall encourage local school districts
and the general public to use Mississippi Report Card information along with
local individual student data to assess the quality of instructional programs
and the performance of schools and to plan and implement programs of
instructional improvement.
(b) Beginning with the 1998-1999 school year, the Mississippi Report Card shall include information, as compiled by the Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement, which demonstrates clearly the absenteeism and dropout rates in each school district, charter school and the state as a whole and whether those rates reflect a positive or negative change from the same information as reported in the previous year's Mississippi Report Card.
(c) Each local school
district shall be required to develop and publish an annual report as
prescribed by the State Board of Education. By November 1 of each year, * * *
the report shall be published in a newspaper having general circulation in the
county and posted on the school district's website in a printable format. The
public notice shall include information on the report's availability on the
district's website, with the website address, and the location(s) in the school
district where a copy of the report can be obtained.
(2) The State Department of Education may benefit from the use of performance data from the Mississippi Report Card in making evaluations under Section 37-19-9.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2016.