Last week the Mississippi Department of Education released the statewide test results for the 2014 Mississippi Curriculum Tests, the MCT2 and SATP2.

According to an MDE press release, the MCT2, which is being phased out, was given to children in grades three through eight. The subject matter for this test was language arts and math.

There were 374 elementary schools tested this year and Pearl River County has six of them.

Pearl River Central Upper Elementary tops the elementary schools in the county with a ranking of 133.
Next is Poplarville Upper Elementary with a ranking of 171.

Picayune’s South Side Elementary is ranked 222; West Side Elementary is ranked 279, Nicholson ranked 279 and Roseland Park Elementary ranked 322.

According to the MDE press release, students this year will take the language arts and math assessments created by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.

The SATP2 test is comprised of Algebra I, Biology I, English II and U.S. History, the MDE press released stated.

There were 238 high schools tested this year.

Poplarville Junior/Senior High School ranked 55, Pearl River Central High School ranked 86 and Picayune Memorial High School came in at 127.

According to the MDE press release, the bulk of elementary students scored proficient or higher on the MCT2, however, the overall percentage dropped.

The percentage of high school students passing Biology I, English II and U.S. History dropped one percent from last year and the percentage passing Algebra I fell by two percent, the MDE press release stated. High school students must earn a passing score on each test in order to graduate and are allowed to take the test up to three times per year.

“The performance levels on state tests were lower this year as expected because the 2014 tests were not aligned to Mississippi’s higher academic standards,” Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education said in the press release. “We are looking forward to implementing the state’s new assessments in 2015, which will provide a more meaningful measure of what students are currently learning in class.”

According to the release, these test results are utilized to determine performance classifications for schools and districts, applying the state’s accountability model.

Learn more about the Mississippi Department of Education at www.mde.k12.ms.us.

For a more detailed look at the passing rates for the public school districts, visit http://reports.mde.k12.ms.us/report1/r2013-14.aspx.

The rankings can be found at www.schooldigger.com.