The Mississippi Department of Education, through the Office of Elementary Education and Reading, has allocated Gifted Teacher Units (TUs) for each district for the 2021-2022 school year. School districts will be expected to employ gifted education teachers based on the number of units allocated.
Districts will follow the normal process of entering gifted education personnel information in the Mississippi Student Information System (MSIS). The Office of Elementary Education and Reading will reconcile personnel information to units allocated for each district. Districts that do not employ the minimum number of gifted education teachers based on units allocated will be required to maintain program integrity.
Please remember, even though the teacher unit reconciliation process will take place, there will be no revision of funds allocated as in past years. This means that no additional funds will be allocated for December graduates or for any errors in reporting. Attached is the Projected Gifted Teacher Unit Allocation for School Year 2021-2022. The allocation is based on the number of intellectually gifted students identified in grades 2-6 in MSIS for 2020-2021. The TUs were allocated based on the regular funding formulas found on page 24 of the 2013 Regulations for the Gifted Education Programs in Mississippi. Because of the class size recommendations in the gifted regulations, districts have greater flexibility in scheduling students with teachers. The allocations are calculated based on 41 students per teacher, but class size recommendations allow for gifted teachers to have up to, but no more than, 60 students on
the total roster. It should also be noted that only personnel with gifted licensure may serve gifted learners (Standards for the Gifted Education Programs 2013).
As a reminder, it is vital to work with the district MSIS contact person to ensure that the information in MSIS is entered accurately at the beginning of the school year.
If you have any questions, contact Mat Sheriff, Gifted Education Specialist, at (601) 359-2586 or via e-mail at msheriff@mdek12.org.