LCSD Excellence March 2020 Special Edition LCSD Excellence March 2020 Issue VIII | Page 18
Carey M. Wright, Ed.D., State Superintendent of Education
Office of Communications & Government Relations
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR, Director of Communications [email protected]
Jean Cook, APR, Director of Public Relations [email protected]
Education Preparation Program Entry
Candidates seeking admission to an SBE-approved traditional or nontraditional educator
preparation program on or before December 31, 2021, are exempt from the educator
preparation program entry testing criterion. The exemption extends through the 2021 calendar
year to mitigate the impact of a prolonged suspension of candidate testing nationwide.
Education Preparation
Spring 2020 educator licensure candidates no longer need to meet the minimum of 12 weeks of
full-day student teaching to become licensed. The MDE will continue to work collaboratively
with Education Preparation Providers (EPP) to determine the acceptable experiences necessary
for student teaching and demonstration of teaching competency prior to licensure.
Previous SBE Actions
The SBE voted on March 19 to suspend all required federal and state assessments for the 2019-
20 school year, to seek a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for federal
accountability requirements and to allow school districts to forego the requirement of a 180-day
school year per state law. ED informed MDE on March 20 of its intention to issue a formal
approval of MDE’s waiver request in the coming weeks.
Local Policies
Local school districts have the authority to establish additional policies regarding grading,
promotion, retention and graduation. Contact school districts for details on local policies.
Visit the MDE COVID-19 update webpage for additional guidance and Q&A information.
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Central High School Building 359 North West Street P.O. Box 771 Jackson, MS 39205-0771