Oxford, Mississippi (September 28, 2023) — The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) released accountability grades for the 2022-2023 school year, naming Oxford School District an “A” school district – a rating that has been in place since the inception of the state accountability model in 2016. The most notable of the district’s accolades are the 2nd highest College and Career Readiness ranking and 4th highest in acceleration.

The Oxford School District increased the percentage of students who are proficient in math and reading from the 2022 accountability results. In addition, the district increased in the percentage of students who showed growth in reading and math from the 2022 accountability results. Della Davidson Elementary School ranked 4th in Mississippi out of 633 schools. Oxford High School regained its grade of an A and demonstrated the 5th highest acceleration rate out of 235 schools.

“While we are always pleased with an A rating, the data does not show an accurate depiction for our 2022-2023 school year due to our grade span realignment that took place. The 2021-2022 data does not align with the same students represented in the 2022-2023 data; therefore, the accountability totals are skewed for us this year,” said Superintendent Bradley Roberson.  Mississippi policy states: The calculations are applied to the school the following year, regardless of any reconfigurations or redistricting that takes place during the summer after testing or during the school year before testing.

Mississippi’s accountability grades help teachers, school leaders, parents, and communities know how well their local schools and districts serve their students. The components of the state’s accountability system are based on state and federal law and State Board policy. They include:

• Student proficiency and growth rates in ELA and Mathematics in grades 3-8
• Growth of the lowest performing 25% of students in ELA and Mathematics
• Science proficiency in grades 5 and 8
• English Learner progress toward becoming proficient in the English language
• Performance on the ACT and high school Algebra I1, English II2, Biology and U.S. History assessments
• Student participation and performance in advanced coursework such as Advanced Placement and dual credit/dual enrollment courses
• Four-year graduation rate

Resources:

• Understanding the Mississippi Accountability Grading System for Schools and Districts
• School- and district-level accountability results
• The Mississippi Succeeds Report Card, which includes additional information about the performance of schools and districts, will display official accountability results after Mississippi State Board of Education approval on Sept. 28, 2023.