What are Mississippi College- and Career-Ready Standards (MCCRS)?

The Mississippi College- and Career-Ready Standards Initiative is a state-led effort that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts and mathematics that states voluntarily adopt. The standards are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to enter credit-bearing entry courses in two-year or four-year college programs or enter the workforce. The standards ensure that parents, teachers, and students have a clear understanding of the expectations in reading, writing, speaking and listening, language and mathematics in school, and they put students on a level playing field regardless of their ZIP code.

Why Mississippi College- and Career-Ready Standards?

Mississippi adopted Mississippi College- and Career-Ready Standards (MCCRS) because they provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn so that teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. Consistent standards, also adopted by 45 other states, will provide appropriate academic benchmarks for all students at each grade level, regardless of where they live. The standards incorporate the best and highest of previous state standards in the U.S. and are internationally benchmarked to the top performing nations around the world. Students will learn the skills and abilities demanded by the workforce of today and the future. The standards emphasize critical thinking, teamwork and problem-solving skills. The standards are grounded in college and career readiness. Timeline of MCCRS transition:

Development of MCCRS began through the work of higher education officials, employers, and the best research available to determine what students need to be college and career ready. In May 2013, the Mississippi Board of Education set a state accountability and assessment transitional timeline.

Standards were developed for each grade level to prepare students to meet expectations by graduation. These standards lead to proficiency in English-language arts and mathematics for grades K-12.