STATE-REQUIRED ASSESSMENTS

State-required assessments for school districts are determined by the Mississippi Department of Education as well as legislative action. Each year, MDE provides an "assessment window" in which districts must administer the yearly state assessments. Districts may register their preferred dates within that window. Click to view the SOSD 2024 Assessment Schedule during the months of April and May.

Scores on each state assessment have various implications for the school district as well individual student academic progress. We've provided an outline of state assessments below along with links to parent resources provided by MDE.

Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP)

The Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) is designed to measure student achievement in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, Science, and US History. The results of all MAAP assessments provide information to be used for the improvement of student achievement. Numerical scores are organized into five levels: Minimal, Basic, Passing, Proficient and Advanced.

MAAP - English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics

  • All 3rd through 8th graders take the ELA and Math MAAP state assessments each year.
  • Scores on the ELA and Math MAAP assessments do not impact a student's report card grades or advancement to the next grade level (with the exception of 3rd grade reading -- See Below).
  • The number of students scoring Level 3, 4 and 5 (Passing, Proficient and Advanced) on the ELA and Math MAAP assessments contributes to a higher annual district Accountability grade.
  • The number of students showing growth by one or more Level from one year to the next contributes to a higher annual district Accountability grade.
  • The district uses a student's score on the Math MAAP assessment to determine recommendations for advanced math courses.

MAAP - Science

  • All 5th and 8th graders take the Science MAAP state assessment.
  • Scores on the Science MAAP assessments do not impact a student's report card grades or advancement to the next grade level.
  • The number of students scoring Level 3, 4 and 5 (Passing, Proficient and Advanced) on the Science MAAP assessments contributes to a higher annual district Accountability grade.
  • The number of students showing growth by one or more Level from one year to the next contributes to a higher annual district Accountability grade.

MAAP End of Course Assessments - English II, Biology I, Algebra I, US History

  • English II, Biology I, Algebra I and US History are required courses for graduation.
  • End of Course MAAP Assessments are cummulative for the entire course and measure content knowledge in each subject matter.
  • A score of Level 3 (Passing) is required for each End of Course Assessment in order for a student to graduate from high school.

3rd Grade ELA MAAP Assessment - Literacy Based Promotion Act

The Literacy Based Promotion Act (LBPA), passed by the Mississippi Legislature in 2013 places an emphasis on grade-level reading skills, particularly as students progress through grades K-3. 

  • A student scoring a Level 1 or Level 2 on the 3rd grade ELA Reading MAAP assessment will not be promoted to 4th grade unless the student qualifies for a good cause exemption. 
  • Good cause exemptions are granted for English Language Learners and students with special learning needs.
  • Students not achieving a Level 3, 4 or 5 on the 3rd grade Reading assessment may receive special learning intervention and are given two additional opportunities to re-take the assessment before repeating 3rd grade.

Kindergarten Readiness Assessment

The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment provides parents, teachers, and early childhood providers with a common understanding of what children know and are able to do upon entering school. The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment is also used to measure how well Pre-K programs prepare four-year-old children for kindergarten. The primary purpose of the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment is to improve the quality of classroom instruction and other services provided to students from birth to 3rd grade.

  • All PreK students enrolled in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District through the Starkville Oktibbeha Early Learning Collaborative receive the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment during the spring of their PreK year.
  • All kindergarten students receive the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment at the beginning and end of their kindergarten year.

  • The district uses scores on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment to determine whether a student might benefit from additional learning interventions, and to develop plans to meet that student's learning needs.

Universal Screener & Diagnostic Assessment

The Mississippi Department of Education requires that districts administer universal screener assessments to students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade three times per year. MDE provides an approved list of universal screener assessment models.

  • Starkville Oktibbeha School District uses the iReady and STAR Early Literacy universal screeners to assess individual student's literacy and math skills.
  • The district uses scores on our chosen universal screener assessments to determine whether a student might benefit from additional learning interventions and to develop plans to meet that student's learning needs.
  • Although the state only requires districts to utilize universal screener assessments in Kindergarten through 3rd grade, our district also utilizes these types of assessments as a measurement of student growth in high grades.