JACKSON, MS (Ben Caxton) — Mississippi’s high school graduation rates hit an all-time high of 85% for the 2018-19 school year. The graduation rate for students with disabilities nearly doubled from 23.2% in 2014 to 42.2% while the state’s drop-out rate fell to a historic low of 9.7%, down from 13.9% in 2014. Figures for the 2019-20 school year will be released later this month. At the same time, the state board of education has voted unanimously to keep the U.S. History end-of-course assessment. Although many Mississippi teachers wanted to eliminate the exam, which is not required by state or federal law, the board expressed concern removing the assessment could lessen the importance of U.S. History in schools. The U.S. History assessment is the only statewide accountability measure of the academic standards for social studies. Other required assessments, the MAAP and the ACT, only measure student learning in English Language Arts, mathematics and science.
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