Do You Have Questions for MDE?
Please check the MDE COVID-19 Information webpage before emailing your questions to MDE staff. We regularly add guidance, answers to questions and links to our daily update email. Daily updates are posted in the Administrator News section of the EdUpdate.
Computer Access for Advanced Placement Students
The College Board recognizes that the digital divide could prevent some low-income and rural students from participating in Advanced Placement courses and exams. Working with partners, we are investing so these students have the tools and connectivity they need to review AP content online and take the exam. If your students need mobile tools or connectivity, you can reach out to us directly to let us know by April 24. You’ll hear from a member of our customer service team in 2–3 days after completing this form. If you’re unable to submit the form, please email RemoteAPAccess@collegeboard.org.
High Quality Instructional Materials from CCSSO
CCSSO developed a new set of recommended materials vetted through CCSSO’s High Quality Instructional Materials and Professional Development (IMPD) Network to support states and districts looking to identify high-quality instructional resources.
CCSSO’s IMPD Network currently supports Mississippi and seven other states (Delaware, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Wisconsin) to significantly increase the number of districts selecting high-quality, standards aligned instructional materials and to increase the number of pre-service and in-service teachers receiving professional development grounded in the use of those materials. The recommendations for instructional materials in this document are grounded in the experience of these states, the wisdom of prominent national experts, and the lessons learned through this network.
These recommendations are vetted for quality through nationally recognized processes, such as EdReports and the Louisiana Department of Education reviews. The recommendations are also designed to support a variety of districts with unique learning contexts, and also include free open educational resources (OER). The document also acknowledges critical considerations for selecting appropriate instructional materials for unique local contexts, including teacher training, parent capacity to support students, and the availability of technology.
Hanover Research Resources
As many schools face closures through the end of the academic year, administrators are dealing with a range of questions around financial forecasting, online equity, staff engagement, evaluating instructional programs, and mitigating learning loss. Hanover’s staff are developing discussion groups for district leaders to share feedback and ask questions, creating research studies for weekly distribution, and building new tools and resources for you to share with your leadership teams. Below is a summary of Hanover’s latest research on emerging topics.
- DISCUSSION GROUPS
Weekly Superintendents Leadership Council – Hanover hosts a weekly virtual forum every Thursday evening at 8pm ET, to provide an opportunity for superintendents and district leaders to gather, ask questions, and share solutions. This week’s session will be run in collaboration with the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), and the Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA). Register here to learn how your peers are navigating change.
Operational Leadership Council – We will host a quarterly virtual forum on “District Management in the Face of Enrollment Shifts” on April 22nd at 1:30pm ET with heads of finance and operations. Register here to join the conversation. - LATEST RESEARCH & ANALYSIS
Summer Learning Loss: Lessons for 2020 – 2021 Academic Planning
Best Practices in Online Professional Learning
Resources on Online Learning
Checklist for District Closures
- MANAGEMENT & PLANNING SOLUTIONS
Climate Pulse Survey – Our research staff has developed a survey instrument that enables district leaders to assess their services and support on a regular basis so they can adjust what they are doing to meet their stakeholders’ needs.
Request Best Practices – As a member, you can request research on any topic. Hanover will present this information in briefs, toolkits, or infographics for distribution to different stakeholder groups. Recent requests include:- Financial Recovery Research Brief
- Online Equity Best Practices
- Tier 2 and 3 Virtual Learning
- COVID-19 Resource Center – This online summary provides you with key facts, resources, and potential responses to this rapidly evolving situation. Hanover also provides specific recommendations of different research projects to inform strategic decisions like teacher professional development, reducing student learning loss, and developing infographics to communicate with district stakeholders.
Email Hanover at this contact link for further assistance.
Suicide Prevention Training
During this time of stress and uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) and Mississippi State University (MSU) are offering a free online training, The Alliance Project, that is focused on youth suicide prevention during COVID-19. The Alliance Project addresses how to identify when a person is in distress, how to make a connection with that person, and how to best help them. This free online training is available to parents/caregivers, teachers, counselors, and others. The Alliance Project training can be found directly at https://youtu.be/pRKecOce7AA. It is also available on the DMH Facebook page, www.facebook.com/dmhmississippi.
Response to Student Crisis
Mobile Crisis Response Teams provide guidance and support to adults and children who are experiencing a mental health crisis. The teams work closely with law enforcement to reduce the likelihood that a person experiencing a mental health crisis is unnecessarily placed in a more restrictive environment, like jail, a holding facility, hospital, or inpatient treatment. Response teams are available in all 82 counties and can be accessed by calling the toll-free numbers that are answered around the clock by Licensed Therapists, Peer Support Specialists, and Community Support Specialists. Response teams respond wherever a person is experiencing a crisis or at a designated location, like a local hospital.
- Region 1 – 888-404-8002 (Coahoma, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tunica)
- Region 2 – 866-837-7521 (Calhoun, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Tate, Yalobusha)
- Region 3 – 866-255-9986 (Benton, Chickasaw, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe, Pontotoc, Union)
- Region 4 – 888-287-4443 (Alcorn, DeSoto, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo)
- Region 6 – (includes former Region 5) 866-453-6216 (Attala, Bolivar, Carroll, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Montgomery, Sharkey, Sunflower, Washington)
- Region 7 – 888-943-3022 (Choctaw, Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Webster, Winston)
- Region 8 – 877-657-4098 (Copiah, Lincoln, Madison, Rankin, Simpson)
- Region 9 – 601-955-6381 (Hinds)
- Region 10 – 800-803-0245 (Clarke, Jasper, Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake, Neshoba, Newton, Scott, Smith)
- Region 11 – 877-353-8689 (Adams, Amite, Claiborne, Franklin, Jefferson, Lawrence, Pike, Walthall, Wilkinson)
- Region 12 – 888-330-7772 (Covington, Forrest, Greene, Jeff Davis, Jones, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River, Perry, Wayne)
- Region 13 – 800-681-0798 (Hancock, Harrison, Stone)
- Region 14 – 866-497-0690 (George, Jackson)
- Region 15 – 601-638-0031 (Warren, Yazoo)