The Mississippi Department of Education has released the new ratings for schools and districts under a new accountability ratings system that has been two years in the making.

The new accountability model was needed to align with the State Board of Education's goals and a new, more rigorous curriculum implemented two years ago by the State Board.

Under the new accountability model, schools and districts will receive labels from highest to lowest: Star, High Performing, Successful, Academic Watch, Low Performing, At Risk of Failing and Failing.

In this first year of the new standard, four percent of schools received the highest rating of Star School and 17 percent of schools reached the next highest rating of High Performing. Both Star and High Performing schools are performing above the national average.

Schools at the next level of rating, Successful, are performing anywhere from just below the Mississippi average to about the national average. About 27 percent of schools reached the Successful level.

Calhoun County, Chickasaw County and Houston districts all rated successful. Calhoun's rating rose to successful largely on the performances of Bruce High School and Vardaman Elementary School, which both scored High Performing; the other county schools rated Academic Watch.

"We are no longer comparing Mississippi students to Mississippi students as the old accountability model measured," interim state Superintendent of Education Dr. John W. Jordan said. "If our children are competing against other children in the country, then the playing field to compete needs to be level. Now, with a more rigorous curriculum and assessment to match, our kids will be able to compete in this global economy."

Ratings are based on achievement, academic growth or improvement and the graduation rate for schools with graduates. Achievement is measured by the Quality of Distribution Index (QDI). The minimum QDI is zero and the maximum is 300. The state's QDI is 149. Growth, on the other hand, is based on whether students demonstrate performance equal to or better than expected based on how they performed the previous school year.

At the other end of the spectrum, 26 percent of schools received a rating of At Risk of Failing or Failing, including Okolona, which rated Failing.

"The public should not be surprised that with the implementation of new standards and a new accountability system that the ratings of schools and districts look quite a bit different. That is to be expected. This new model also shows that we have a lot of work to do to take Mississippi's education system to the next level and continuously reach and exceed the national average.

amp"Doing this will take a tremendous effort from administrators, teachers, parents, local communities and most importantly our students. I am extremely confident that our students and educators will rise to the challenge," Jordan said.