MDE outlines strategic gains and new initiatives as superintendent cites rising graduation, literacy rates
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Evans told the State Board of Education that Mississippi has made measurable progress on multiple education outcomes — including a reported 89.2% graduation rate for the 2024 academic year and a 77.3% third-grade pass rate on first administration — while rolling out programs aimed at teacher pipelines, remote learning and district turnaround.
Superintendent Dr. Evans presented the Mississippi Department of Educationannual strategic update on Jan. 15, detailing progress on six statewide goals and several initiatives intended to sustain gains in student achievement and grow teacher capacity.
Dr. Evans highlighted improvements on key indicators: "we did break our previous record...we had 77.3 percent of our third graders that passed the third grade" on their first assessment and the state graduation rate was "89.2 percent for the 24 academic year." He said those numbers reflect classroom-level work by teachers and districts and attributed them to a combination of policy, partnerships and on-the-ground instruction.
The presentation named priorities and programs the department is expanding: Mississippi Reach, a remote synchronous learning platform launched with a $2.2 million legislative appropriation and currently serving 10 districts and over 500 students; a "Bridge to Careers" course intended to help seniors who otherwise might not graduate; Mississippi Teacher Residency (MTR), now funded legislatively with $2.9 million to support tuition reimbursements at participating institutions; and the Mississippi Superintendents Institute, a leadership training partnership with the National Center on Education and the Economy intended to grow superintendent capacity.
Evans also described operational and technology improvements. He said the MSIS (student information system) modernization is about "98% complete," and that MECA licensure and PGS portals have cut customer wait times and automated many renewals. "The licensure call center received 27,000 calls this past year, and there was an average of a 2 minute wait time," he said, noting that earlier wait times had been considerably longer.
On accountability, the department previewed changes to cut scores tied to updated standards and said ratings released in 2026 will reflect those new thresholds. Evans acknowledged mixed year-to-year changes in subject areas (for example, math declines in some grades following pandemic-era growth) and emphasized sustained investments in literacy coaching, math instructional coaching and principal support.
Why this matters: the superintendent framed the measures as evidence the stateis moving from historic low rankings toward sustained improvement, while cautioning that continued progress depends on funding, effective implementation and partnerships with districts. He told the board that the department will continue monitoring outcomes and making targeted investments — for example, expanding literacy coaches from 57 to 81 and sustaining workforce-connected coursework — while acknowledging that some issues, such as ACT performance, require longer-term effort.
What comes next: the presentation provided board members with backup data and spreadsheets and set the agenda for follow-up discussion on strategic-plan revisions, funding requests in the legislative session and further implementation planning for Reach and MTR. Dr. Evans said staff would provide additional data in future meetings as the department refines its strategic plan.