Daily Mississippian

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DailyMississippian The

thedmonline.com

Friday, Sept. 23, 2011

Vol. 100 No. 189

Rebels look to get back on track against Georgia BY DAVID COLLIER dlcollie@olemiss.edu

It’s been an interesting week in Oxford following Saturday’s loss in Nashville, Tenn. Fan reactions have been mixed, some ready to cheer on the Rebels at the game, some ready to stay in the Grove and others are looking to forget what happened all together. Head coach Houston Nutt and his team look to put that game behind them as they get ready for the Georgia Bulldogs to come to town. “This is my football team,” Nutt said. “I take full responsibility for last Saturday’s performance. I really believe we have coaches and players who care. They want to please our fans. “Chancellor (Dan) Jones is not the football coach. (Athletics Director) Pete Boone is not the football coach. It’s my responsibility to get them going.” This week’s practices were centered around responding to adversity and getting it done against the Bulldogs. “That is why I love this game –– it’s the toughest game there is in the world,” Nutt said. “It’s a

man’s game. You’re going to get knocked down. It’s about how you respond. It’s about getting back up. I believe this game is the best teacher there is. The bottom line is that we’ve got some guys out here competing that want to get it done.” The focus this week is solely on Georgia (1-2, 0-1 SEC). The Bulldogs started the season with tough losses to No. 4 Boise State and No. 12 South Carolina, before bouncing back with a convincing 59-0 shutout of FCS opponent Coastal Carolina. Like the Rebels, Georgia head coach Mark Richt and his team are desperate for a win. Nutt said this year’s Bulldogs are “a typical Georgia team.” “They are a good football team that is very athletic,” Nutt said. “They have a good quarterback in Aaron Murray and a good running game. They have good receivers. “Their defense has been flying around. They are a lot like us because they didn’t make plays when they could have. They lost two games that were very close.” Murray, who is considered among the best quarterbacks in the country, has thrown for 672

ALEX EDWARDS | The Daily Mississippian

Sophomore running back Jeff Scott eludes a defender in Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt. Scott leads the team with 178 yards on 36 carries, and senior running backs Brandon Bolden and Enrique Davis will dress and are expected to play Saturday against Georgia.

yards with nine touchdown passes and two interceptions this season. Ole Miss defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix said Murray will be the best quarterback his defense has faced this season. Another player to watch on the offensive side of the ball is freshman running back Isaiah Crowell, who has already racked up 264 yards on the ground, as well as a couple of touchdowns. In the passing game, another

freshman, wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell leads the Bulldogs with 14 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Murray’s other top targets are junior wide receiver Tavarres King (nine catches for 108 yards and three touchdowns) and junior tight end Orson Charles (eight catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns). For the Ole Miss offense, there have been issues — big issues. The offense has looked stagnant

and offensive coordinator David Lee spent this past week trying to get some of those kinks worked out. It will be critical for the Ole Miss offensive line, which has made a lot of mistakes early on this season, to get on track Saturday, or they could be in for a long day against sophomore Jarvis Jones, who lines up at both lineSee REBELS, PAGE 5

Oxford School District ranks ‘High Performing’ based on state test scores BY CAITLIN CLANCY cgclancy3@gmail.com

In a state ranked low when it comes to education, the Oxford School District ranking continues to rise. The Mississippi Department of Education has released the official 2011 accountability ratings for schools and school districts in Mississippi, showing positive results. Oxford School District is now labeled as High Performing, one of the highest ranking school districts in the state, and has met growth in all of its schools this year. On the scale of Failing, Low

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Performing, At Risk of Failing, Academic Watch, Successful, High Performing and Star, more than half the schools in Mississippi have been labeled Successful or above. Sixty-five schools are labeled Star, the highest ranking, 181 schools are labeled High Performing, and there is a decrease in the number of schools with the lowest ranking, Failing. Oxford High School has been designated as a Star School with a Quality of Distribution (QDI) score of 216 and one of the highest graduation rates in the state. The middle and elementary schools are close behind in the QDI score, with scores close to 200. In order to receive a Star

ranking for the district overall, a school or district must have three things: a QDI score of at least 200 district wide, a high percentage graduation rate and have high growth. William Hamilton, assistant superintendent for Oxford School District and Test Coordinator for the past eight years, is confident that Oxford School District as a whole can earn a Star title if the QDI is raised. “We’re in good shape right now, but we need to get our QDI district score up,” he said. “As the middle schools and elementary schools continue to raise their scores, we can get it there.” The QDI is based on the number of students taking a

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test in each category and is assembled into points based on the students’ scores. Every school in Oxford has increased its QDI score this year, but only Oxford High School received the Star ranking. “We were happy to see that our QDI increased, but we must continue working diligently to continue to see increases in QDI,” said Jeffrey Clay, Oxford Middle School principal. “To improve, we do not have to work harder, we have to work smarter.” Clay said the middle school is “working smarter” by providing students with a rigorous curriculum and expanding learning opportunities, pro-

tecting the integrity of their instructional time by maximizing each minute, having interventions, identifying students’ who need extra assistance and working to provide them with the necessary assistance. Hamilton said he believes interventions are the most effective way for learning. The Mississippi Department of Education requires interventions to help deficit areas in schools by a three tier system. “We have to provide successful interventions for these students so they can have success in the classes,” Hamilton said. In addition to the interventions provided, the school See SCORES, PAGE 5

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