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Mississippi

As of the 2007-2008 school year, Mississippi's schools were home to more than 5,400 English language learners (ELLs), which marks a 72% increase  from the 1997-1998 school year (NCELA, 2010). The top five languages or language groups spoken by ELLs in Mississippi are Spanish, North American Indian languages, Pacific Island languages, French, and Vietnamese (EPE, 2009).

Mississippi is a member of WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment), joining in 2008. WIDA is a consortium of states dedicated to the design and implementation of high standards and equitable educational opportunities for English language learners which offers states programming for identifying and annually assessing the English language development of its English learners.

State ELL Resources

State Agency: Mississippi Department of Education

ELL Website: English Language Learners

ELL Manual: Guidelines for English Language Learners* (PDF)

ELL Identification

Home Language Survey: Mississippi Department of Education requires the usage of a Home Language Survey (Guidelines for English Language Learners, p. 29). While the state does not provide the form for this document, it provides guidelines for using a Home Language Survey and the typical questions that should be asked of parents in the document What to do: five steps for enrolling ELLs. It also provides a sample of a Home Language Survey (p. 25).

Placement Exam: WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT)

ELP Standards & Assessment

ELP Standards: WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards

ELP Assessment: WIDA-ACCESS for ELLs

ELL Instruction

Every identified English learner must have an English language service plan [LSP] until they are reclassified as a former English language learner. (p. 32)

Statewide Standards-Based Assessment

Assessment: Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second Edition

ELL Accommodations: Office of Student Assessment's ELL Resources

Additional Information

NCELA: Title III Information

WIDA: Mississippi Contact Information

Common Core State Standards: Yes

AFT Mississippi

The mission of AFT Mississippi, the statewide affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, is to advance the interests of our members and the institutions in which they work.

Alabama-Mississippi TESOL

AMTESOL was founded in 1982, and membership is open to everyone interested in and or involved in the teaching and administration programs in English as a second or foreign language.

Mississippi Association of Educators

Mississippi Association of Educators is a National Education Association State Affiliate that regularly lobbies legislators for the resources schools need, campaigns for higher professional standards for the teaching profession, and files legal actions to protect academic freedom and the rights of school employees.

Mississippi State Parent Information Resource Centers

The goals of Mississippi State PIRC are to implement successful and effective parental involvement policies, programs and activities that lead to improvements in student academic achievement and strengthen partnerships among parents, teachers and other school personnel in meeting the educational needs of children.

References

Editorial Projects in Education (EPE). "Most Common Non-English Languages Spoken by ELL Youths, by State." Perspectives on a Population: English-Language Learners in American Schools (Education Week's Quality Counts 2009 Report). Pg. 13. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2009/01/08/index.html. January 2009.

Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students. Mississippi Rate of EL Growth (1997/98-2007/08). Compiled July 2010 and retrieved from http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/t3sis/state/mississippi/data.