Students, staff, and faculty listen to the external review team report as they recommend Mississippi School of the Arts to be accredited by AdvancED®.
The Mississippi School of the Arts (MSA) received notification of accreditation from AdvancED after a comprehensive review of teaching and learning, environment, resource utilization, leadership and overall student achievement. The three-day process involved extensive review of all documents, data, and artifacts of the school’s operations. Interviews were conducted with 77 people, including staff, students, administrators, parents, and community stakeholders. Surveys were conducted with parents as well as 100% of staff and the student body. In October 2016, the External Review Team, comprised of administrators from some of the state’s largest school districts, recommended MSA to be accredited. In January 2017, it was approved by AdvancED.
AdvancED® is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that provides accreditation and continuous improvement through rigorous, on-site external reviews of Pre-K-12 schools and school systems to ensure that all learners realize their full potential. They represent schools and school systems across the United States and 70 other nations.
MSA had a review that reaffirms the efforts of the school to work with the individual student to achieve their personal success. In the findings, the report stated, “The External Review Team noted three themes during the visit. A culture of unity, a commitment of excellence and a sense of resilience at the Mississippi School of the Arts.” AdvancED Standards and Indicators are evaluated through a rubric process, surveys, and observations. Findings of the review shows that Mississippi School of the Arts performs well above the AdvancED Network Average internationally.
| External Review index of Educational Quality Score |
AdvancED Network Average | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 326.28 | 278.94 |
| Teaching & Learning Impact | 329.76 | 268.48 |
| Leadership Capacity | 318.18 | 293.71 |
| Resource Utilization | 328.57 | 286.27 |
“I believe that this review allows us to look at our operations and environment for areas of improvement as well as celebrate our strengths. We were all very pleased with the scores and had a schoolwide reveal of the findings from the Review Team. When a group of educators from throughout the state with varied experience see the value in our school that we do, it is a time to celebrate,” said Suzanne Hirsch, MSA Executive Director.
The Mississippi School of the Arts (MSA) is an eleventh and twelfth grade visual and performing arts residential, public high school located in Brookhaven, MS. Students not only meet and exceed the traditional Mississippi high school curriculum, they receive special instruction in visual arts, vocal music, dance, literary arts, media arts and theatre. Students interested in MSA apply by February 1st of their sophomore year. The 2016 graduating class of 65 Seniors received over 8.6 million dollars in college scholarship offers.
For additional information about this press release, call Jennifer Jackson at 601-823-1300. AdvancED® is a registered trademark.