Task force recommends eliminating high-school history assessment

The Mississippi Student Testing Task Force voted 9-2 (Of the 29 members) to recommend elimination of the U.S. History end-of-course assessment following a survey of secondary education teachers. The exam is the only state test not required by federal or state law.

Currently, high school students take the U.S. History exam upon completion of the course. It is one of four end-of-course assessments that Mississippi State Board of Education policy requires students to take before graduating. The other required tests are in biology, algebra and English, which are all required under federal law. Students don’t have to pass the subject area tests to graduate, as the MSBE offers several options for students to earn a diploma.

The task force’s Aug. 6 vote followed a poll of high school teachers in July. At the request of the task force, the Mississippi Department of Education distributed a single-question poll: Should Mississippi continue the U.S. History end-of-course exam?

MDE will present the results of the teacher poll and task force recommendation to the Commission on School Accreditation Aug. 19. The State Board of Education will make the final decision.

U.S. History will remain a required course for graduation, and any change to the end-of-course assessment would not take place until the 2020-2021 school year.

MDE established the task force in May 2018 to examine current student testing on the state and local school district levels and to determine best practices for monitoring student progress in meeting grade-level and subject area learning goals.

The task force first surveyed school district leaders about the types and number of tests at the district level and found a range of practices in district testing not required by the state. A review of the findings also found that more frequent tests at the district level is not associated with higher rates of student learning.

For additional information on the task force and its findings, visit the Mississippi Department of Education website.