This section of the EdUpdate includes important notifications from the Mississippi Department of Education to school and district superintendents and administrators. These announcements will remain posted for 90 days. View information about professional development opportunities and resources in other sections of the EdUpdate.
A Message from State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs
Dear Superintendents: We have heard from numerous schools that the current quarantine guidelines are making in-person instruction very challenging. Thus far, the vast majority of cases and outbreaks appear to…
Middle School Mental Health Support (free)
REGISTER NOW! The Mississippi State University Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU) and Extension Center, in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Education, would like to invite middle school administrators and…
New Counselor Trainings 2020
New Counselor Trainings will be held virtually to include five, 2-hour sessions on October 20, 22, 27, 29, & November 4, 2020. https://msachieves.mdek12.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/New-Counselor-Trainings-Updated-9.28.20.pdf These trainings are designed for counselors with…
U.S. Census Continues until Oct. 31
A federal judge ordered Administration officials to stop plans to conclude the decennial census early, “after internal U.S. Census Bureau communications warned that a truncated schedule combined with the challenges…
CARES Act Equitable Services
You may have seen that Secretary DeVos sent a letter to chiefs on Friday noting that the Administration will not pursue an appeal of recent federal court decisions that have…
Assessment & Accountability Update
With the 2020-21 school year underway, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) has received numerous questions from educators and stakeholders about plans for statewide assessments and accountability. The most common…
SBE Grants Waiver for Grade 12 SREB Essentials Course ACT Subscore Requirement
During its regularly scheduled meeting today, the State Board of Education (SBE) granted approval to waive the ACT sub-score enrollment requirement for current seniors this school year (2020-2021) due to…
After School Academic Activities Cancelled? Fall Options for Your Students
Students need your help now more than ever finding Fall extracurricular and after school programs. Spring activities were cancelled almost everywhere and most summer programs were cancelled, as well. Many schools…
Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities from the Office of School Improvement
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), Office of School Improvement is pleased to announce virtual professional learning opportunities for administrators of Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), Additional…
Read Aloud to a Child Week: Oct. 25-31
Read Aloud to a Child Week takes place October 25-31, 2020, and this year’s theme is Let Your Voice Be Heard. Our goal for this event is simply to promote…