Everything a principal needs to understand the MDE 2025 Accountability Standards — models, components, FAY rules, formulas, growth weights, and letter grades. All facts tied directly to the document.
Source: Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards 2025 · Revised January 13, 2026 · Business Rules §1–§28 · Policy §2–§3
Mississippi uses two point-based models. The model depends on whether your school serves students in 12th grade. Both share the same growth and proficiency components — the key difference is the addition of Graduation Rate and Readiness for schools with 12th grade.
Applies to elementary, middle, and K–8 schools. Scored on 7 components, each worth 100 points (700 total). Reading and Math each have two growth components: one for all students, one for the Lowest Performing 25% subgroup.
Applies to high schools and K–12 schools. Scored on 9 components. Graduation Rate is worth 200 points (×2.0 multiplier). Readiness is worth 150 points total (three 50-pt sub-components).
Click any component card to open the formula — numerator, denominator, multiplier, worked example, and key rules. All formulas match the 2025 MDE Business Rules exactly.
Growth in Mississippi is not a percentile ranking — it is a binary determination of whether each student moved up in proficiency level from one year to the next. Understanding this distinction is critical for school leaders.
A student is counted as meeting growth if they meet ANY of the following criteria from one year to the next:
Additional weight of 1.25 is applied in the numerator for individual students who demonstrate exceptional growth. This is a per-student calculation, not a school-level designation.
Note: Although the 1.25 weight can increase the numerator, no accountability component may exceed its allocated maximum points (§6.2 note).
The Full Academic Year rule determines which students are included in accountability calculations. Per §2.1: enrollment is regardless of attendance — a student who is enrolled but absent still counts toward FAY days.
*Exact date published yearly by MDE. §2.1 Note: 74.5% will NOT be rounded up to 75%. §2.3: Weekends and holidays are included in the calculation.
Enrollment is measured regardless of attendance. A student who is enrolled but chronically absent still counts toward FAY calendar days. Days are calendar days — weekends and holidays count. 74.5% does NOT round up to 75%.
For 4×4 block-scheduled courses, Fall semester FAY = Sept 1 → first day of Fall primary testing. Spring semester FAY = Feb 1 → first day of Spring testing. MDE publishes these dates annually.
If a student meets FAY at School A but is enrolled at School B at time of testing, the score is attributed to School A. The school where FAY was met receives the accountability impact — positive or negative.
If a student does not meet FAY at any school, that student's assessment score is excluded from all school accountability calculations for that year.
FAY is calculated at both the school and district level. A student who transfers within a district may meet FAY for the district (combined days) but not for either individual school. District scores are separate from school scores.
If a student enrolls and withdraws from the same (or different) school on the same day, that student is counted as having been enrolled for one (1) calendar day at the receiving school.
If a student drops out and re-enrolls within the same school year, the re-entry date becomes the next enrollment date. Days accumulated before the dropout are not carried forward. The FAY calculation restarts.
If a student has concurrent enrollment in more than one school or district, the period of concurrent enrollment is included in FAY calculations at both locations. This is a unique provision for dual-enrollment situations.
A student without a prior-year Mississippi assessment score is excluded from all growth calculations — including both the All Students and LP25% growth components. They may still count toward proficiency if FAY is met. There is no prior-state-score substitution.
A student moves from Alabama to Mississippi in October and enrolls at your school. They have never taken a Mississippi state assessment. MDE publishes the first-day-of-testing date annually — use your FAY calculator below to determine if enrollment by a specific date meets the 75% threshold.
Proficiency (§2.1): If the student is enrolled early enough to accumulate ≥75% of calendar days from Sept 1 to the first day of testing, their proficiency score COUNTS toward your school's Reading and Math Proficiency components.
Growth (§6.8): No Growth score can be calculated — ever — in the first year of enrollment. There is no prior-year Mississippi baseline. The student is excluded from ALL four growth components (Reading-All, Reading-LP25%, Math-All, Math-LP25%) in their first year. A prior-state score is not accepted as a substitute.
A student transfers in January from School A to School B within the same district. School A enrolled them Sept 1; School B enrolled them January 15. Assume the testing window opens April 15 (~226 calendar days from Sept 1).
School-Level FAY: School A had the student ~136 days (Sept 1–Jan 14). School B has them ~90 days (Jan 15–Apr 15). The 75% threshold for a 226-day window = 170 days. Neither school alone reaches 170 days. The student does NOT meet school-level FAY at either school.
District-Level FAY (§2.6): The district combines both schools' days: 136 + 90 = 226 days = 100% of the window. The student meets DISTRICT-level FAY and is included in the district's accountability data.
Score attribution (§2.4): Since the student met FAY at no individual school, the score is not attributed to either School A or School B for school-level accountability. It counts only at the district level.
A student was enrolled at School A (District 1) from September 1 through March 1 — approximately 181 calendar days of a 226-day window (80.1%). On March 2 they transfer to School B (District 2) and sit for the state exam there.
FAY determination: 181 ÷ 226 = 80.1% at School A. This exceeds the 75% threshold. FAY is met at School A.
Score attribution (§2.4): Even though the student physically tests at School B, the score is attributed to School A — the school where FAY was met. School A receives both the proficiency and growth accountability impact. School B does not receive this student's data.
A student enrolled September 1 at School A and accumulated 75%+ of calendar days before the testing window — FAY is established. In March (before testing), they transfer to School B in a different district and sit for the test there.
FAY cannot be "un-met." Once the 75% threshold is reached, the accountability designation is locked in. The subsequent transfer does not change the FAY determination at School A.
Result (§2.4): The score goes back to School A regardless of where the student tests. School A retains accountability for this student's performance even after they have physically departed the school.
A student enrolled September 1 at School A, attended through November 30 (91 calendar days), then dropped out. They re-enrolled at School A on February 1 and remained through the testing window (assume April 15 = 73 days from Feb 1).
§2.10 — Clock Resets at Re-Entry: The 91 days before the dropout are forfeited. The FAY calculation begins from the re-enrollment date of February 1. Days accumulated = 73 days. Window = 226 days. Percentage = 73 ÷ 226 = 32.3%.
Result: FAY is NOT met. The student's score is excluded from School A's proficiency and growth data. This is a distinct outcome from a voluntary transfer — the dropout event itself resets the clock.
Enter the student's enrollment date and the MDE-published first day of testing to instantly determine FAY status. Per §2.1, 74.5% will NOT round up to 75%.
The cut scores below are taken directly from the MDE 2025 document. These have not changed with the 2025-2026 component restructuring. Note the scales reflect 700 and 1,000 point totals respectively.
| Grade | Cut Score | Range |
|---|---|---|
| A | ≥ 457 | 457–700 |
| B | 402 ≤ < 457 | 402–456 |
| C | 352 ≤ < 402 | 352–401 |
| D | 277 ≤ < 352 | 277–351 |
| F | < 277 | 0–276 |
| Grade | Cut Score | Range |
|---|---|---|
| A | ≥ 769 | 769–1,000 |
| B | 689 ≤ < 769 | 689–768 |
| C | 627 ≤ < 689 | 627–688 |
| D | 567 ≤ < 627 | 567–626 |
| F | < 567 | 0–566 |
| Grade | Cut Score | Range |
|---|---|---|
| A | ≥ 694 | 694–1,000 |
| B | 642 ≤ < 694 | 642–693 |
| C | 572 ≤ < 642 | 572–641 |
| D | 519 ≤ < 572 | 519–571 |
| F | < 519 | 0–518 |
Districts are calculated as one K–12 school (§1.5). District performance classification is separate from district accreditation status (§2.3).
The Readiness Indicator applies only to schools with 12th grade and is worth 150 total points — three sub-components of 50 points each. Each sub-component is scored as: numerator ÷ denominator × 50.
Percentage of eligible students taking AND passing accelerated courses. Numerator = students taking & passing; Denominator = all students whose MSIS grade is 11th or 12th (§9.4.2). Score = (num ÷ den) × 50.
| Qualifying Course/Credential |
|---|
| Advanced Placement (AP) — must score ≥3 on AP exam (§9.2) |
| International Baccalaureate (IB) — must score ≥4 |
| AICE — must pass the exam |
| Dual Credit — grade of C or above (§9.2) |
| SBE-approved Industry Certification |
Based on the ACT Superscore, ACT NCRC, SAT, or ASVAB scores at end of month 9. Each student receives a value between 0 and 1 per the table below. Denominator = all Senior Snapshot students (§25.5).
| Score | ACT | SAT | NCRC | ASVAB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | <15 | <850 | None | <31 |
| .25 | 15–16 | 850–929 | Bronze | 31–49 |
| .50 | 17–19 | 930–1039 | Silver | 50–64 |
| .75 | 20–24 | 1040–1209 | Gold | 65–92 |
| 1.0 | ≥25 | ≥1210 | Platinum | ≥93 |
Based on withdrawal/completion status by June 30 of the senior year. Each student receives a value between 0 and 1 based on diploma type and endorsements. Denominator = all Senior Snapshot students (§26.1).
| Score | Student Status |
|---|---|
| 0 | No qualifying completion |
| .25 | Diploma equivalency or Traditional diploma in 5th year |
| .50 | Traditional diploma or Alternate diploma (4 yr) |
| .75 | Diploma with Academic, CTE, or JROTC endorsement |
| 1.0 | Distinguished Diploma (§26.5) |
Schools identified as At-Risk include those earning an F under state accountability AND those identified under federal ESSA requirements for CSI, TSI, or ATSI status.
A school earning an F under the SBE accountability system is automatically designated a School At-Risk and in need of assistance per Miss. Code Ann. §§37-18-3 and 37-18-5. State intervention follows.
Method 1: Graduation rate ≤67% (3-year cycle). Method 2: Title IA school in bottom 5% of overall accountability index (3-year cycle). Method 3: Previously ATSI school failing to exit after 3 years with 3 consecutive years of subgroup scores at or below the bottom 5% of Title IA schools (§11.3).
A school with a subgroup composite score in the lowest 50% of overall accountability AND in the lowest quartile of 3-year average gap-to-goal AND in the lowest quartile of 3-year improvement toward gap-to-goal closure. Schools meeting all three criteria are rank-ordered; bottom 5% not already identified for CSI are identified for TSI (§12.2).
A school where a subgroup's 3-year average performance is at or below the performance of all students in the lowest-performing 5% of Title IA schools statewide. Applies to any school — Title I or non-Title I. Identified on a 3-year cycle (§13.1).
District accreditation is separate from school performance classifications. Districts are accredited based on compliance with Process Standards and Accreditation Policies — not solely on school grades.
Assigned to a district that complies with Accreditation Policies and 100% of Process Standards. Local board retains full governance authority. (See exceptions in Appendices F and H of the MDE document.)
Assigned when a district fails to comply with 100% of Accreditation Policies and Process Standards. The district must develop and implement a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) with defined timelines submitted within 60 calendar days of notification (§2.8.1).
Assigned to a district previously on Probation that failed to comply with its CAP within approved timelines — or placed in a District of Transformation. Status is listed as WITHDRAWN NOT ACCREDITED. District may petition for reinstatement on January 1 or July 1 (§2.8.2.5).
Adjust each component to project your point total and likely letter grade. This tool uses the correct MDE component structure and the official cut scores from §1.2 and §1.3.