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Only two districts in the state achieved star status, while eight are failing. The majority of the state's 152 school districts are on academic watch or at risk of failing.
"In some courses and some grades, we need to put more things in place to challenge our children," said Brookhaven School District Superintendent Lea Barrett. "You always have to improve, or there's no growth."
Both Barrett and Lincoln County School District Superintendent Terry Brister said their districts achieved some growth, just not enough to satisfy the accountability standards.
"We scored well, but we didn't grow enough," Brister said. "We've got to put on these new gloves and learn how to hit these new standards."
By the numbers, Lincoln County scored 157 on the Quality Distribution Index, a formula that measures the amount of students considered advanced, proficient, basic and so on. Brookhaven's QDI was 150.
Pass Christian, one of the two star districts, recorded the state's highest QDI at 203. The Drew School District, one of the state's eight failing districts, recorded a state low QDI of 85. The state average is 149.
Brookhaven scored 251.8 HSCI - the High School Completer Index, which tracks the amount of students in the model's five-year snapshot who stayed the course and completed high school - one of the top 10 scores in the state. Lincoln County's HSCI was at 190.6.
Brookhaven's graduation rate was 83.9 percent, while Lincoln County's was 81.8 percent.
In school-by-school numbers, each district experienced highs and lows.
Brookhaven Elementary School was the most successful city school, earning a rating of high performing with a QDI of 174. Brookhaven High School was listed as successful, with a QDI of 164. Both schools met growth requirements.
Alexander Junior High School was the district's lowest performer and is at risk of failing, with a district-low QDI of 129. Lipsey School is on academic watch, with a QDI of 141. Neither school met growth requirements.
"I was very pleased with BES and BHS - BHS only missed being high performing by two points," Barrett said. "I was very disappointed with the score at AJHS. We're teaching the same children, and somehow in the seventh and eighth grades, we're not doing a good job of focusing on the curriculum."
Barrett said it was apparent that some AJHS classes "got away" from the Mississippi curriculum. She said AJHS and Lipsey would refocus on the curriculum's question format and the district would invest in more professional development for teachers.
The four county schools split accountability results, with West Lincoln Attendance Center leading the way and Bogue Chitto Attendance Center bringing up the rear. No county schools are at risk of failing.
West Lincoln is ranked as high performing, scoring a district-high QDI of 202 and meeting its growth requirement. Its HSCI and graduation rates were district lows, however, standing at 158.8 and 76.5 percent, respectively.
Enterprise Attendance Center is ranked successful, with a QDI of 155 and an HSCI of 196.3. The school's graduation rate is 82.7 percent, and growth requirements were met.
Both Loyd Star and Bogue Chitto attendance centers are on academic watch.
Loyd Star scored a QDI of 143 and an HSCI of 190.9, with a graduation rate of 81.8 percent. Bogue Chitto's QDI is 133, a district low, while its HSCI is 213.0, a district high. Its graduation rate is 85.5 percent - another district high.
Neither school met growth requirements.
"I was very pleased with West Lincoln's and Enterprise's progress," Brister said. "The other schools did well, too, and we know where we need to go. Enterprise had drastic improvement."
The district accountability scores are the first in the state's new system, which was developed to bring the state more in line with national accountability standards. The system will be phased in over four years, and the standard will change next year.
"I think it's confusing for the community," Barrett said of the changing model. "They get a number in their minds to grade success, and next year that number changes."
Barrett also disagrees with the labeling process in the new accountability standard.
Chickasaw County School District, for example, is listed as a successful district, despite a graduation rate of 51.6 percent. Likewise, George County School District is listed as successful with a graduation rate of 53.8 percent and a low HSCI of 95.0. Both districts met growth requirements, the most important factor in the new accountability standard.
Barrett said the labels do not give any account of other factors she feels are more important to determining a district's success, such as ACT scores and college placement.
"If graduation rates and HSCI are so important, I wish they were given more weight in determining the label," she said.
