1. 2017 -2018 Instructional Support Monthly Webinar
Proposed Graduation Requirements Effective
August 15, 2017
Sharon Coon
Office Director
Office of Special Education
Office of Instructional Support

3. State Board of Education Goals FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN FOR 2016-2020
All Students Proficient and Showing Growth in All Assessed Areas
Every Student Graduates from High School and is Ready for College and Career
Every Child Has Access to a High-Quality Early Childhood Program
Every School Has Effective Teachers and Leaders
Every Community Effectively Uses a World-Class Data System to Improve Student Outcomes
Every School and District is Rated “C” or Higher

4. Overview Diploma Requirements
Overview of Traditional Diploma with Endorsement Requirements
Alternate Diploma Requirements
Certificate of Completion Requirements
Assessment Option – Clarification to Chapter 36, Rule 36.5 (Consent)
Identify Acceptable Dual Credit Courses
Clarification for ASVAB

5. 1 Traditional Diploma for All Students
Proposed Diploma + Endorsement System
1 Traditional Diploma for All Students
24 Carnegie Units
All students graduating from Mississippi high schools will have the same basic requirements.
This will increase rigor for our students and will encourage active participation as they choose which endorsement they will pursue.
For entering 9th graders in , SB2432 from the 2017 legislative session eliminates
Modified Occupational Diploma (MOD) and
Career and Technical Endorsement (CTE)
Proposed graduation options would eliminate the District Option (Appendix A-1) and the Early Exit Diploma (Appendix A-3) for entering 9th graders effective

6. Proposed Traditional Diploma Requirements

7. Comparison of Current Standard Diploma and Proposed Traditional Diploma
*Endorsement requirements may be changed with parental permission.
**For early release, students must meet Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) and Community College Readiness Benchmarks that allow students to attend postsecondary without remediation or demonstrate work-ready requirements (Based on Community College and most IHL remediation requirements sub- scores of 17 in English and 19 in Math or Silver level on the ACT Workkeys)

8. College and Career Readiness Curriculum
The MS College and Career Readiness course will be developed to prepare students to successfully enter college or careers.
Preparing for College
Preparing for a Career
Financial Literacy
Public Speaking
21st Century Necessary Skills

9. Proposed Traditional Diploma with Career and Technical Endorsement
Additional Requirements
Earn an overall GPA of 2.5
Earn silver level on ACT WorkKeys
Earn two additional Carnegie Units for a total of 26
Must successfully complete one of the following:
One CTE dual credit course or the Community College approved CTE articulated dual credit
Complete an industry-based work experience or the Career Pathway Experience
Earn a State Board of Education approved national credential

10. Proposed Traditional Diploma with Academic Endorsement
Additional Requirements
Earn an overall GPA of 2.5
Courses must meet MS IHL college preparatory curriculum (CPC) requirements
Earn MS IHL and Community College readiness benchmarks (ACT sub scores of 17 English and 19 math or completion of appropriate college-ready courses in senior year)
Earn two additional Carnegie Units for a total of 26
Must successfully complete one of the following:
One AP course and take the appropriate AP exam
One IB course and take the appropriate IB exams
One dual credit course earning a non- weighted C
or higher

11. Proposed Traditional Diploma with Distinguished Endorsement
Additional Requirements
Earn an overall GPA of 3.0
Courses must meet MS IHL CPC recommended requirements
Earn national college readiness benchmarks on each subtest established by ACT (sub scores of 18 English and 22 math) or SAT
Earn four additional Carnegie Units for a total of 28
Must successfully complete one of the following:
One AP course and take the appropriate AP exam
One IB course and take the appropriate IB exams
One dual credit course earning a non- weighted B or higher

12. Recommendations for All Students
For early graduation, a student should successfully complete an area of endorsement
Students should take a math or math equivalent course during their senior year

13. Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Students with an IEP may exit high school in one of three ways:

14. Curriculum Area Carnegie Units Required Subjects Total
English 4
Alternate English Elements I-IV
Mathematics
Alternate Math Elements I-III
Alternate Algebra Elements
Science 2
Alternate Biology Elements
Alternate Science Elements II
Social Studies
Alternate History Elements
(Strands: U.S. History and World History)
Alternate Social Studies Elements
(Strands: Economics and U.S. Government)
Physical Education
Health
Alternate Health Benefits
Art 1
Vocational Readiness
Career Readiness I-IV
(Strands: Technology, Systems, Employability, and Social)
Life Skills Development
Life Skills Development I-IV
(Strands: Technology, Systems, Personal Care, and Social)
Additional Electives
Total 24

15. Alternate Diploma Option for Students with Significant Cognitive Disability (SCD)
Requirements
Only students with a Significant Cognitive Disability (SCD) are eligible to earn the Alternate Diploma.
Students with a Significant Cognitive Disability (SCD) are required to participate in the Mississippi Assessment Program- Alternate Assessment (MAP-A) and achieve a score of 3 or higher.
Note: The Alternate Diploma is not equivalent to a traditional high school diploma and is not recognized by post-secondary entities that require a traditional high school diploma.

16. Public Comment
Oral proceedings are scheduled on August 22, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. and on August 24, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. These proceedings are open to the public and will be held in the auditorium at the Central High School Building at 359 N. West Street, Jackson, MS

17. Public Comment
Please submit written comments to Dr. Jo Ann Malone, Office of Accreditation, 359 N. West Street, Post Office Box 771, Jackson, MS You may also submit comments in writing by or by fax at

18. Public Comment
All comments must be received in the Office of Accreditation no later than 5:00 p.m. on August 31,  APA Comments will be presented to the State Board of Education on September 14, 2017.

19. Senate Bill 2432
During the 2017 legislative session, the legislature passed Senate bill 2432 to remove the Mississippi Occupational Diploma from the State statute.

20. Contributing Factors
The Mississippi Occupational Diploma (MOD) does not meet entry requirements at any university or community college for academic programs of study.
The MOD is no longer accepted at most of the community college programs for vocational or technical programs.
The military does not accept the MOD for entry into any of the Armed Forces.

21. Contributing Factors
The U.S. Department of Education will not approve any Federal financial aid for students who exit with the MOD.
Employers do not recognize the MOD as an equivalent to a high school diploma.
Requests were made from multiple stakeholder groups including special education teachers, school administrators, and parents.

22. Discontinuation of MOD
MISSISSIPPI
OCCUPATIONAL DIPLOMA
The law took effect July 1, 2017; therefore, the MOD for students with disabilities will not be available to entering 9th grade students beginning in the school year.

23. An Important Decision
Students on the MOD track prior to have the option to remain on the MOD.
IEP Committees should work to evaluate each student’s transcript and determine if the current exit option continues to be appropriate.

24. Points to Consider
Student’s age and his/her right to a free appropriate public education through age 20
Student’s Least Restrictive Environment
Transition Plan
Accommodations and Modifications
Parental Input

25. Guidance
The Office of Special Education (OSE) has developed a resource packet to provide guidance for the discontinuation of the Mississippi Occupational Diploma.
The resource packet and a series of videos can be found on the OSE’s website at

26. Guidance
Guidance for the Discontinuation of the Mississippi Occupational Diploma includes the following resources:
Informational Flyer
Script for IEP Committee
Appendix A-5: Concordance Tables
Mississippi Occupational Diploma Acknowledgement Statement
Next Steps: Recommendations for 9th -12th grade students in
Sample High School Program of Study Worksheet
Blank High School Program of Study Worksheet

27. Informational Flyer
If possible, send this flyer home with students prior to the IEP meetings in which the IEP Committee will discuss how these changes impact the individual student.

28. Script for IEP Committee Meetings
The OSE has developed a script that can be used to guide the discussion and selection of the appropriate graduation or exit options for students with disabilities.
Prior to IEP Committee meetings, members should become familiar with the scripts.

29. Multiple Avenues for Obtaining a Standard Diploma
Concordance Tables
ACT
SATP2 Assessments/MAAP Assessments
Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment/College Credit
ASVAB
ACT Work Keys

30. Parental Acknowledgement
Parents whose child continues on the MOD track will be required to sign a document acknowledging that by choosing this option the student will:
Have limited access to post-secondary training opportunities (i.e., universities and community colleges);
Have no access to Federal financial aid;
Not be allowed to enroll in the military; and
Have limited employment options.

31. Parental Acknowledgement
The Acknowledgement Statement should be signed for any current student on the MOD track whose IEP Committee chooses to continue the MOD track.
It is very important that all participants, including the student, fully understand the limitations of the MOD as an exit option. A copy of the Acknowledgement Statement should be given to the parent and a copy should be placed with the student’s IEP.

32. Next Steps
The OSE has developed documents that provide a sample course flow at each grade level and considerations for determining the appropriate diploma track for students.

33. 9th Grade NEXT STEPS

34. 9th Grade NEXT STEPS
Students entering 9th grade in 2017 must choose the standard diploma option.

35. 10th Grade NEXT STEPS

36. 10th Grade NEXT STEPS
It is highly recommended that the IEP Committee choose the standard diploma option for students entering 10th grade in 2017.
The IEP Committee may choose to allow the student to continue on the MOD track.

37. 11th Grade NEXT STEPS

38. 12th Grade NEXT STEPS

39. 11th and 12th Grade NEXT STEPS
The IEP Committee should consider transitioning students currently on the MOD track and entering the 11th or 12th grade in 2017 to the standard high school diploma track.
The IEP Committee may choose to allow the student to continue on the MOD track.

40. High School Program of Study Worksheet
The OSE has developed a worksheet that gives IEP Committees a tool to analyze a student’s current program of study.
The worksheet will help determine what courses a student needs in order to move from the MOD track to the standard diploma track.

41. High School Program of Study Worksheet

42. Dedicated
The OSE has set up a dedicated address for questions regarding the discontinuation of the MOD. Please any questions to:

43. Office of Special Education Office of Instructional Support
Contact Information
Office of Special Education
Office of Instructional Support
Gretchen Cagle
State Director
Sharon Coon Tanya Bradley
Office Director Bureau Director
©MDE – Office of Special Education

44. Contact Information