Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ap Computer Science Endorsement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission moves to revise administrative code to create AP Computer Science A supplemental endorsement
Summary
The commission voted March 7, 2025 to begin the Administrative Procedures Act process to add a supplemental AP Computer Science A endorsement (code 612) to Mississippi Administrative Code 7‑4 Part 4; the endorsement would require a content endorsement in math, biology, chemistry or physics and take effect in the 2026‑27 school year.
At the March 7, 2025 meeting in Jackson, the Office of Secondary Education asked the commission to begin Administrative Procedures Act rulemaking to establish a supplemental endorsement for Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science A, endorsement code 612. The commission voted to begin the APA process.
Ms. Clemens, representing the Office of Secondary Education, told commissioners that AP Computer Science A requires a more rigorous content background than some existing computer science endorsements. The proposal would require teachers of AP Computer Science A to hold, in addition to the 6‑12 AP endorsement, one of these content endorsements: secondary mathematics, secondary biology, secondary chemistry or secondary physics. The department said the endorsement can be earned through an approved Advanced Placement Summer Institute (APSI) or other NDE‑approved provider.
Nut graf: The rulemaking aims to ensure AP Computer Science A is taught by teachers with a strong content background and to create training pathways for current teachers. The Office of Secondary Education presented data showing limited current coverage and student testing results in the state.
Clemens said 10 school districts currently offer AP Computer Science A with roughly 10 teachers and approximately 114 students. Of those 10 teachers, one already holds the 6‑12 AP endorsement, five hold a secondary mathematics endorsement and four are teaching out of area without one of the listed content endorsements. She said only three of the 10 schools tested students in the 2024 AP administration and only two sites had AP scores of 3 or higher.
To ease the transition, Clemens said Mississippi State University's Center for Cyber Education director Shelley Hollis has agreed to help train current teachers; the department proposed the endorsement would take effect in the 2026‑27 school year to give current teachers time to meet requirements without paying out of pocket.
The motion to initiate APA rulemaking was made by Mary Hill Taylor and seconded by Dylan Baldwin; the motion carried by voice vote.
Ending: If the APA process proceeds, the department will publish a notice and timeline; the commission approved beginning rulemaking to amend Mississippi Administrative Code 7‑4 Part 4 to add the AP Computer Science A supplemental endorsement code 612.
