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Carey M. Wright, Ed.D.

State Superintendent of Education 2020-21

Wright’s Annual Report Notes Achievements as Students, Teachers Persevered Through Pandemic

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) 2020-2021 Superintendent’s Annual Report was released in January and details how Mississippi students, teachers and school leaders continued to strive in classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic by building upon historic academic gains of recent years.

“Despite some setbacks, Mississippi students, families, teachers and school leaders persevered through the most challenging school year of their lives, and I could not be more proud,” said Dr. Carey Wright, the state superintendent of education. “As we continue to combat the pandemic, plans are underway to offer additional resources to teachers and students and ensure academic gains are achieved.”

View the report online at mdek12.org/superintendent2021.

• Graduation rate reached an all-time high of 87%; graduation rate of students with disabilities reached an all-time high of 55.4%, more than double the rate of 23.2% in 2014. • Dropout rate fell to a historic low of 8.8%. • Statewide assessments resumed with 97% of students participating. • The Advanced Placement exam passing rate for 2021 reached an all-time high of 37.4% for a full school year. • The number of students who completed career and technical education courses of study increased 36% from 2015 to 2021. • Nearly 400,000 computer devices secured for students through the Mississippi Connects initiative and other funds. • In partnership with Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB), MDE literacy coaches and other certified teachers filmed 260 lessons to pre-K-12th grade students on the MPB Classroom TV channel. • Class of 2022 graduates can now earn an academic or distinguished academic endorsement to automatically qualify for admission into any of Mississippi’s public universities. Graduates can also earn a career and technical education endorsement. • Approximately 3,000 students enrolled in 18 Early

Learning Collaboratives (ELCs) across the state with plans to enroll 6,000 students in additional ELCs in 2022-2023 now that funding has doubled from $8 million to $16 million. • A team of 112 coaches supports teachers and school leaders in the areas of literacy, early childhood education, special education, school improvement and digital learning. Math coaches will be added in 2022. • Three schools exited the Comprehensive Support and

Improvement program and four schools were named 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

Dr. Carey Wright Announces Retirement After Historic Tenure of Record Student Achievement in Mississippi

After a 5o-year career in public education, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carey Wright announced her retirement effective June 30, 2022.

The Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) appointed Wright to be the state’s top pre-K-12 education official in 2013. Her tenure in Mississippi has been longer and marked by more student gains than any state superintendent of education since the Education Reform Act of 1982 established the SBE. Nationally, Wright is one of the longest-serving state education chiefs of the 21st century.

Under Wright’s leadership, the state initiated successful education reforms that made Mississippi a national leader in improving student achievement. Mississippi’s Quality Counts grade for education improved from an F to a C-, its ranking climbed from 50th to 35th and the graduation rate rose from 75.5% to 88.4% – higher than the national average. Among students with disabilities, the graduation rate more than doubled from 23.2% to 59.9%. Mississippi fourth graders in 2013 were reading more than one full grade level behind the national average on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). By 2019, Mississippi fourth graders scored higher than the nation’s public school average in mathematics, tied the nation in reading and ranked No. 1 in the nation for making the largest score gains. The rapid progress of Mississippi students earned the state Quality Counts’ No. 2 ranking in the nation for improvement in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

“Dr. Wright never wavered from her belief that Mississippi students were just as capable as students in any other state,” said Rosemary Aultman, SBE chair. “She eliminated the culture of low expectations and proved our students could achieve at the highest levels. States throughout the country now turn to Mississippi to learn about our successful strategies for raising student achievement. Dr. Wright’s leadership has improved educational opportunities and outcomes for a generation of Mississippi students.”

A passionate advocate for early childhood education, Wright implemented Mississippi’s first publicly funded Early Learning Collaborative program, which earned the state recognition from the National Institute for Early Education Research as one of only six states in the nation to meet all 10 quality standards for early childhood education. The program has grown from 11 collaboratives serving 1,700 children in 2014 to 30 collaboratives that will serve 6,000 children in 2022-23.

Wright spearheaded initiatives that have increased literacy skills in pre-K through grade 3, pushed student achievement on the NAEP to improve at a faster rate than most other states and nearly doubled the Advancement Placement participation and success rate. Pre-pandemic, Mississippi students achieved significant annual gains in English language arts and mathematics proficiency. Though the pandemic disrupted learning throughout the country, Mississippi’s assessment scores did not fall as much as in other states.

Wright’s most recent innovation includes the Mississippi Connects program, which provided every student in the state with a computer device to learn at school or at home. The program includes enhanced internet connectivity, high-quality digital content, professional development for teachers and administrators, digital learning coaches and the launch of telehealth/teletherapy in schools starting in the 2022-23 school year.

She also implemented the Mississippi Teacher Residency, which provides scholarships and mentors to aspiring teachers, and the Performance-Based Licensure program, which helps Mississippi teachers with provisional licenses become fully licensed. The next teacher residency cohort will provide graduate degree scholarships for 200 aspiring elementary and special education teachers.

Throughout her tenure as Mississippi’s state education chief, Wright has been an active member and leader of numerous national and state boards and organizations that advance the field of education. Notably, the U.S. Secretary of Education appointed her in 2019 to the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for NAEP, the Nation’s Report Card. In 2022, Wright earned the Mississippi Top 50 Most Influential Leaders Award.

“Leading education in Mississippi has been the honor and privilege of my life. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity I have been given to work with dedicated educators and leaders across Mississippi, the entire Mississippi Department of Education team and committed State Board members and legislative leaders. Together we have worked to make a difference in the lives of children,” Wright said. “Most especially, I am incredibly proud of Mississippi students. There is no limit to what they can accomplish.”