Mississippi families have until Aug. 23 to comment on proposed kindergarten guideline changes
Mississippi families, teachers and school districts have until 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, to comment on proposed revisions to the state’s kindergarten guidelines.
The Mississippi State Board of Education approved beginning the Administrative Procedures Act process on July 23 for changes to Miss. Admin. Code 7-7, Mississippi Kindergarten Guidelines. The proposal remains under consideration and is not final or currently binding.
What the board is considering
The draft materials describe expectations for kindergarten curriculum, instruction, intervention and assessment. They call for evidence-based, high-quality English language arts materials aligned with Mississippi standards and grounded in the Science of Reading. The draft also says kindergarten mathematics instruction should be provided daily through developmentally appropriate opportunities to build conceptual understanding, procedural fluency and mathematical reasoning.
The proposed mathematics instruction would include hands-on, inquiry-based and play-based learning experiences. The draft says mathematics should be embedded in whole-group, small-group and individual instruction and could involve topics such as counting, comparing quantities, geometry, measurement, data collection and problem-solving in meaningful contexts.
The proposal also addresses small-group instruction, intervention and progress monitoring. It describes small-group instruction as a strategy that can be used for remediation and enrichment, rather than as a separate required time of day.
What the draft says about assessment
The draft describes assessment as an ongoing process using developmentally appropriate evidence of student learning. For mathematics, examples include observation, student work samples, student explanations and teacher conferences.
The materials also say paper-and-pencil standardized tests should not be used alone as the primary way to document what kindergarten students know and can do. That language does not eliminate assessment or accountability; it emphasizes using multiple forms of evidence appropriate to young children.
If the guidelines are eventually adopted, the proposal could affect how kindergarten teachers plan literacy and math lessons, organize small-group work, provide interventions and document student progress. School leaders and districts could also need to align local practices with the final state guidelines.
Who could be affected
The proposed guidelines are statewide in scope. If finalized, they could affect kindergarten students and families in Mississippi public-school districts, along with teachers, principals and district administrators.
Families should not interpret the proposal as a change that has already taken effect. The draft could be revised during the rulemaking process, and the available notice does not establish a final implementation date.
The proposal also should not be confused with Mississippi’s separate kindergarten readiness assessment program. The draft guidelines concern classroom curriculum, instruction, intervention and assessment practices; they do not, by themselves, establish a change to the statewide readiness assessment.
How to submit a comment
Written comments must be received by the Mississippi Department of Education’s Office of Curriculum and Instruction no later than 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23.
Comments may be mailed to:
Amanda Malone
Office of Curriculum and Instruction
Mississippi Department of Education
359 North West Street
Post Office Box 771
Jackson, MS 39205-0771
Comments may also be emailed to ammalone@mdek12.org.
Residents who submit comments should keep a copy of what they sent and proof that it was submitted before the deadline. The official notice says comments must be received by the department, so residents using mail should allow enough delivery time.
What happens next
The proposed rulemaking carries Secretary of State filing number 28847. Mississippi’s administrative rules provide an opportunity for written arguments, data and views on proposed rules. The State Board of Education may schedule an oral proceeding, and must do so if an eligible written request is submitted within the applicable period by a political subdivision, an agency or 10 persons.
The Mississippi Department of Education says the written comments are scheduled to be presented to the State Board of Education on Sept. 17. The board could consider changes before any final adoption. Whether the proposal is adopted, revised or rejected—and when any final rule might take effect—remains unresolved.
Early-learning context
The proposed kindergarten revisions come as Mississippi continues to examine the quality and reach of early-learning programs.
Mississippi Today reported in April that Mississippi’s state-funded pre-K programs met all 10 quality benchmarks identified by the National Institute for Early Education Research. The report also said those programs enrolled 8,076 children in the 2024-25 school year, or about 23% of the state’s 4-year-olds. Including Head Start and other pre-K programs, the Mississippi Department of Education said 55% of 4-year-olds were enrolled in some type of pre-K.
That context matters for families whose children are moving from early-learning programs into kindergarten, but it is separate from the proposed kindergarten rulemaking. The proposal would set expectations for kindergarten classroom practices if finalized, while children’s prior early-learning experiences and access to pre-K vary across Mississippi.
Sources
- Mississippi Board of Education APA notice
- Mississippi Administrative Code, Title 7, Education K-12
- Mississippi Today pre-K report
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