Southaven School District Director of English Learners Stephanie Harley told the board Sept. 4 that the district began the school year fully staffed and reported stronger student outcomes.

Harley said the district is "starting the year off fully staffed" at a time when many districts report shortages and that the district serves "a little over 2,000 English learners" across 45 languages. She said the district exited close to 500 students from the EL program this year after they "obtained proficiency in all 4 domains.""The reason this is such a big deal this year is because the state department changed our assessment, made it a little bit more difficult," Harley said.

Harley told the board the district has revised hiring and training expectations so EL teachers also have literacy credentials: "over 85% of our teachers hold both of those certifications along with ESL endorsement," she said, adding the district raised expectations so EL teachers are also literacy experts. She said the remaining teachers bring subject‑matter expertise such as math or science to support language instruction across content areas.

The director also announced administrative approval to offer the Global Seal of Biliteracy beginning next spring, meaning students may earn either the Mississippi Seal of Biliteracy, the Global Seal, or both. "We got approved in the spring to be a Global Seal District," Harley said. She said district students will be able to receive the Global Seal or the Mississippi Seal in the coming year.

Superintendent Russell thanked Harley and district staff for the update during the superintendent''s report and the board expressed appreciation for the department''s staffing and student progress.

Why it matters: staffing stability in EL programs affects classroom placement and services, and approval to offer a Global Seal can affect students' credentials for colleges and employers. District officials characterized the exit numbers and certification gains as evidence the district's instructional changes are producing results.

Details and supporting points: Harley said the state raised the assessment bar to require proficiency in four language domains; despite that, the district exited more students than in the previous decade. She described programmatic changes: requiring EL teachers to hold a Mississippi license and ESL endorsement plus literacy endorsements or reading credentials, participation in state training and additional local professional development. Harley said the district has also increased monitored students this year and is aligning EL materials with district initiatives.

Board context and next steps: Harley asked for continued board support for staffing and training. The board did not take formal action on the presentation; the update was informational.