Rule 7-3-30.5 - Dropout Prevention Plan Miss Code Ann § 37-13-80. Office of Dropout Prevention created; qualifications and responsibilities of director; date for implementation of dropout prevention program; procedures for tracking students who enter and leave detention centers; dropout prevention plan to address student transition to home school districts; legislative intent [Repealed effective June 30, 2009].
1. There is created the Office of Dropout Prevention within the State Department of Education. The office shall be responsible for the administration of a statewide dropout prevention program.2. The State Superintendent of Public Education shall appoint a director for the Office of Dropout Prevention, who shall meet all qualifications established by the State Superintendent of Public Education and the State Personnel Board. The director shall be responsible for the proper administration of the Office of Dropout Prevention and any other regulations or policies that may be adopted by the State Board of Education (Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-80). 3. Each school district shall implement a dropout prevention program approved by the Office of Dropout Prevention of the State Department of Education by the 2012-2013, and annually thereafter school year (Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-80). 4. Each local school district will be held responsible for reducing and/or eliminating dropouts in the district. The local school district will be responsible for the implementation of dropout plans focusing on issues such as, but not limited to: a. Dropout Prevention initiatives that focus on the needs of individual local education agencies;b. Establishing policies and procedures that meet the needs of the districts;c. Focusing on the student-centered goals and objectives that is measureable;d. Strong emphasis on reducing the retention rates in grades kindergarten, first and second;e. Targeting subgroups that need additional assistance to meet graduation requirements; andf. Dropout recovery initiatives that focus on students age seventeen (17) through twenty- one (21), who dropped out of school (Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-80). 5. The Office of Dropout Prevention may provide technical assistance upon written request by the local school district. The Office of Dropout Prevention will collaborate with program offices within the Mississippi Department of Education to develop and implement policies and initiatives to reduce the state's dropout rate (Miss. Code An. § 37-13-80). 6. Each school district's dropout prevention plan shall address how students will transition to the home school district from the juvenile detention centers (Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-80). 7. In addition, the Mississippi Department of Education recommends the following: a. expand educational affiliations to include head start, parochial, private and community early childhood programs to develop a systematic approach that will support students in acquiring the child development skills that are essential for success in a K-12 program. These skills will include cognitive, social, language, behavioral, gross and fine motor skills.b. develop criteria to identify students, as early as third grade that are potentially at risk of dropping out.8. The Office of Dropout Prevention shall establish graduation rate benchmarks for each two-year period from the 2008-2009 school year through the 2018-2019 school year, which shall serve as guidelines for increasing the graduation rate for cohort classes on a systematic basis to eighty-five percent (85%) by the 2018-2019 school year. Graduation Benchmarks | School Years | Graduation Rates |
Benchmark 1 | 2008-2009 | 63% |
Benchmark 2 | 2010-2011 | 66 % |
Benchmark 3 | 2012-2013 | 71% |
Benchmark 4 | 2014-2015 | 77% |
Benchmark 5 | 2016-2017 | 81% |
Benchmark 6 | 2018-2019 | 85% |
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-1-3 (Revised 11/2012)