Starkville High will be built on MSU campus

[Jeffreauxdawg]

My first thought was all the girls are going to be "dating college guys."

In all seriousness, I would want to see a really strict enforcement of keeping 19-20 year old frat boys away from 15 year old high school girls if I were a parent of a Starkville High daughter.

 

[randystewart]

I strongly suspect Mississippi is far from the only state that teaches to the test.

Correct, we just finally caught up.

 

[maroonfriday]

They are moving students from the partnership school to the old high school building?Why?

They've got to go somewhere. It's not been said officially where they're going yet, but that's the most obvious place to put them based on the 2 year construction timeline.
If it were me, they'd find a way to put 6-8 grades at the high school and move 5th grade to Armstrong. Overstreet is by far the worst facility in the city at the moment for the schools. My daughter is only going into 7th grade, so we haven't dealt with Armstrong yet, but there's no way it's worse than Overstreet.

 

[L4Dawg]

Mississippi's school rating heavily weights student growth, which is a very good thing to rate, but lots of parents, particularly those MSU might be recruiting, are going to care about absolute proficiency as much as student growth. Not sure what Starkville's rating is driven by, so that point may not apply to it. But if it's a B on proficiency but pulled up to an A because of student improvement, that's not going to satisfy a lot of people.

We unfortunately don't to my knowledge give parents the information they really need, which is how do students in a particular school that are similar to their kid do as far as growth and proficiency.

You would find some way to bash it no matter what.

 

[OopsICroomedmypants]

Correct, this is simply a new building (that is needed) but will do nothing to correct the recruiting issues we have with our local school system. Sadly, you will still have a student population that is almost 80% free/reduced lunch eligible and that translates to home lives that do not care about education. The same stuff was said about the Partnership school, and all it has done is move the issues to a new building.
The only solution was a University School. There was momentum on that about 10 years ago but it was killed because of the narrative that it would make the public system even worse.
This is not an argument or a debate, this is a fact about the school system here and our inability to recruit high quality faculty because of it.

I used to work at MSU before I had kids. The school system was one major reason I chose to move after marriage.

 

[FactCheckerBot]

Fun Fact: The story of Dazed and Confused took place on May 28, 2976, just over 50 years ago. The soundtrack still rocks.

I was going to post about it on May 28 of this year, but I couldn't come up with a clever post. I know, that never stopped me before...

So the future is simple the past? Hmm.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Once, when I was publisher at the local paper, in a weekly editorial I floated the idea of a new school built adjacent the campus at Co-Lin for the entire county. One school, instead of three, with unlimited potential for student opportunities. I was called everything from a racist by the blacks to a communist by the whites. It was glorious.

You just wanted Cobra domination… **

 

[gtowndawg]

This is seems like an innovative way for the University to overcome negative perception about the local school system. A first class high school would remove at least one obstacle to hiring top flight faculty.

And coaches...

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

That's a very expensive high school. Does it include new sports facilities as well? Since they'll be on campus, why not just use Davis Wade, etc.?

Is all or part of the MSU campus actually inside the Starkville city limits?

Hernando High School was around 90 million and it was completed last summer. It’s already too small. The cafeteria and gym were designed undersized. The price tags sounds about right honestly.

 

[615dawg]

Hernando High School was around 90 million and it was completed last summer. It’s already too small. The cafeteria and gym were designed undersized. The price tags sounds about right honestly.

There's a federal law that when a school is built in one of the Civil Rights states, that it can only be built for 5% overage. Germantown in Madison was massively undersized and they have had to almost double its footprint within 15 years.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

There's a federal law that when a school is built in one of the Civil Rights states, that it can only be built for 5% overage. Germantown in Madison was massively undersized and they have had to almost double its footprint within 15 years.

What a dumb rule.

 

[JY1947]

One for sports and one for performing arts that can also be used for sports.

Gotcha i just saw the headline on FB and it alluded to one being used for basketball and one for volleyball

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Not sure I am in favor of this....
WHY do it? There is plenty of land around a rural city like Starkville.

 

[TilloDwg]

 

[TheBannerM]

Not very innovative as it is fairly common to have a high school on a university campus.

“Notably, the project is the first of its kind in the nation, housing all 9th through 12th grade high school students from a single district on a college campus. “

 

[Maroon13]

My first thought was all the girls are going to be "dating college guys."

In all seriousness, I would want to see a really strict enforcement of keeping 19-20 year old frat boys away from 15 year old high school girls if I were a parent of a Starkville High daughter.

That would be highly embarrassing for said frat guy to date a ....... Yellow jacket.

You're more likely to have high school kids wandering off and onto MSU campus to start stuff.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

My first thought was all the girls are going to be "dating college guys."

In all seriousness, I would want to see a really strict enforcement of keeping 19-20 year old frat boys away from 15 year old high school girls if I were a parent of a Starkville High daughter.

Hahaha I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that.

 

[dawgman42]

Fun Fact: The story of Dazed and Confused took place on May 28, 2976, just over 50 years ago. The soundtrack still rocks.

I was going to post about it on May 28 of this year, but I couldn't come up with a clever post. I know, that never stopped me before...

 

[paindonthurt]

The dirty secret across MS (The Mississippi Miracle) is that they simply started teaching the test. This is not Starkville specific, but for any of you thinking that MS public education improved overnight.... you might as well fly to work on your pet dragon.
For instance, they teach the exact math problems from the test. They do not read books, but instead the specific passages that will be on the test. So on and so forth.
Props to folks for coming up with that and taking us out of the basement in rating (because other states are doing it as well) but we really haven't improved anything. Improvement can only come from home or to going back to much stricter environments.

Our reading scores have improved?

how do you teach the test in reading?

 

[HotMop]

“Notably, the project is the first of its kind in the nation, housing all 9th through 12th grade high school students from a single district on a college campus. “

And that will be it's weakness, taking all of the children in that district and not making it a charter school.

 

[Maroon90]

Some of y’all are dreaming of one end zone at Scott Field painted “Bulldogs” in maroon and white and the other painted “Yellowjackets” in black and yellow—like the Superdome field had when the Saints shared it with Tulane in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.

 

[Villagedawg]

They've got to go somewhere. It's not been said officially where they're going yet, but that's the most obvious place to put them based on the 2 year construction timeline.
If it were me, they'd find a way to put 6-8 grades at the high school and move 5th grade to Armstrong. Overstreet is by far the worst facility in the city at the moment for the schools. My daughter is only going into 7th grade, so we haven't dealt with Armstrong yet, but there's no way it's worse than Overstreet.

I’m confused. Why would they leave partnership school. Isnt the high school going to be a new building?

 

[Villagedawg]

The biggest thing that would be helpful and also easy to collect (ignoring politics or regulatory issues related to tying identifying information to test scores) would be scores grouped by socioeconomic status and parental status (e..g, married, divorced, never married, employed, unemployed, highest level of education, etc). But I can think of lots of data that would be nice to have if I ran the world. IQ scores and proficiency scores from before or right after kindergarten, 4th, 8th, and 12th grades would be interesting. Hell, I'd throw in BMI, height, and race and anything else that can easily be measured, even if it might only be of interest to researchers and not parents. And parental IQ if I was king for a day.

But being realistic, I think what decile the household income of the child's primary residence falls in would get you 85% of the way there without having to do anything other than have all households fill out the same forms required to qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Which again, may not be politically easy, particularly if parents don't want to provide that info (which I certainly wouldn't want anybody at the school knowing my financial info), but would be really easy data to compile ignoring that.

A lot of this data is available and has been extensively researched. Just not in every specific school you may be thinking about sending your kids to. We already know that many of those things are correlated to low achievement.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

The article calls out a performing arts building too so thinks it’s two gyms. One is probably a practice gym that also has seating if I had to guess. Not sure volleyball would get its own gym?

If we can convert a certain ex NFLr***

 

[maroonfriday]

I’m confused. Why would they leave partnership school. Isnt the high school going to be a new building?

Read the information on the website: https://www.starkvillesd.com/construction/faqs

Will the Partnership School be part of the new facility?​

Yes, the current Partnership School has been incorporated into construction plans for the new high school. Once the facility is complete, 6th and 7th grade middle school students will no longer be housed at the university site.

 

[Colonel Angus.sixpack]

Having 2 gymnasiums is interesting to me

Not to me. A lot of high schools have boys and girls gyms or just 2 for various purposes

 

[L4Dawg]

Not to me. A lot of high schools have boys and girls gyms or just 2 for various purposes

It's not unusual at all.

 

[johnson86-1]

A lot of this data is available and has been extensively researched. Just not in every specific school you may be thinking about sending your kids to. We already know that many of those things are correlated to low achievement.

The point is that lots of families flee "bad" public schools based on the average student when their child is not average. If they could see that kids from functional families are actually excelling academically, and the school just looks "bad" because there are too many kids from low functioning or non-functioning families, they might not be so quick to leave. I think a lot of times it's the safety factor that hits before academics, but still can't hurt.

 

[Villagedawg]

The point is that lots of families flee "bad" public schools based on the average student when their child is not average. If they could see that kids from functional families are actually excelling academically, and the school just looks "bad" because there are too many kids from low functioning or non-functioning families, they might not be so quick to leave. I think a lot of times it's the safety factor that hits before academics, but still can't hurt.

Agree 100%

 

[Villagedawg]

Read the information on the website: https://www.starkvillesd.com/construction/faqs

Will the Partnership School be part of the new facility?​

Yes, the current Partnership School has been incorporated into construction plans for the new high school. Once the facility is complete, 6th and 7th grade middle school students will no longer be housed at the university site.

Damn. So to hell with the idea that both elementary and secondary education at MSU were benefitting. Going straight secondary. Hmmm. Wonder why?

 

[Duke Humphrey]

Damn. So to hell with the idea that both elementary and secondary education at MSU were benefitting. Going straight secondary. Hmmm. Wonder why?

What does the district's partnership with MSU entail?​

The district maintains ongoing partnerships with Mississippi State University that span all schools and grade bands. The partnership to build a new high school expands on many of these successful endeavors. In practical terms, the MSU partnership for the high school project has provided the land required to house district needs in a location that will be highly recognizable and attractive to the community as well as visitors from other schools across the state, while also giving students expanded opportunities at their back door. The learning opportunities available to students as they attend a school with close proximity to the resources of a college campus are unmatched.

 

[L4Dawg]

Only this board could turn something that is 100% a positive for MSU and Starkville into an opportunity to bash both.

 

[randystewart]

Our reading scores have improved?

how do you teach the test in reading?

Yes, there is no more "reading" at the younger levels in the form of books, etc.. They read and study the exact passages that will be on the State testing. That way when they are taking the State test, it is not the first time they are seeing the passage.

Again, glad we are playing the game but we've seen a HUGE jump in test scores and A rated schools across the state and no increase at all in ACT scores.
They are all over the internet, but look at the people attending graduations and asking graduates to read a passage like "The colonel asked the choir to accommodate the governor's schedule." In the end hardly any of the graduates can properly read the sentence. This is not a knock at SPS or even MS as a whole, but nationally really. States are manipulating what they teach to make sure their school rating stays up, but in reality are teaching less.
As someone who has seen both sides all the way through with kids, if your kid is not in AP at SPS, get your *** out of there ASAP and move to East Webster or Starkville Academy. AP they will be fine, but general population isn't learning crap

 

[Villagedawg]

What does the district's partnership with MSU entail?​

The district maintains ongoing partnerships with Mississippi State University that span all schools and grade bands. The partnership to build a new high school expands on many of these successful endeavors. In practical terms, the MSU partnership for the high school project has provided the land required to house district needs in a location that will be highly recognizable and attractive to the community as well as visitors from other schools across the state, while also giving students expanded opportunities at their back door. The learning opportunities available to students as they attend a school with close proximity to the resources of a college campus are unmatch

Cant speak for everything, but the Partnership originally offered space for MSU education faculty and student and sort of a "laboratory" environment for the College of Education. They had a school right on campus for student/faculty observations, student teaching etc. Classrooms were designed with glass walls and mics for this. Think surgical theater where students can observe and learn. It was 6 and 7 to get both elementary and secondary.

 

[paindonthurt]

Yes, there is no more "reading" at the younger levels in the form of books, etc.. They read and study the exact passages that will be on the State testing. That way when they are taking the State test, it is not the first time they are seeing the passage.

Again, glad we are playing the game but we've seen a HUGE jump in test scores and A rated schools across the state and no increase at all in ACT scores.
They are all over the internet, but look at the people attending graduations and asking graduates to read a passage like "The colonel asked the choir to accommodate the governor's schedule." In the end hardly any of the graduates can properly read the sentence. This is not a knock at SPS or even MS as a whole, but nationally really. States are manipulating what they teach to make sure their school rating stays up, but in reality are teaching less.
As someone who has seen both sides all the way through with kids, if your kid is not in AP at SPS, get your *** out of there ASAP and move to East Webster or Starkville Academy. AP they will be fine, but general population isn't learning crap

If other states are teaching the test and we are too and our ranking is going up, that is good. Its progress and good progress comparing apples to apples.

There are tons of kids who cant read at all so even if they are learning to read i don't care if its the test or a book.

ACT scores need to come up but they aren't a great measure either. I got accepted to the US Naval academy with a 23. I had a 30 in math and a 19 in reading. I can read, but I don't read fast and comprehend quickly.

 

[Villagedawg]

If other states are teaching the test and we are too and our ranking is going up, that is good. Its progress and good progress comparing apples to apples.

There are tons of kids who cant read at all so even if they are learning to read i don't care if its the test or a book.

ACT scores need to come up but they aren't a great measure either. I got accepted to the US Naval academy with a 23. I had a 30 in math and a 19 in reading. I can read, but I don't read fast and comprehend quickly.

Nothing wrong with teaching to the test. That's exactly what you should be doing. If you aren't teaching what will be on the test, then why are you testing? The test is useless unless you are teaching what will be on it.

 

[paindonthurt]

Nothing wrong with teaching to the test. That's exactly what you should be doing. If you aren't teaching what will be on the test, then why are you testing? The test is useless unless you are teaching what will be on it.

Agreed

but we should also be teaching to think critically but I’m not gonna hold my breath.

 

[Villagedawg]

Agreed

but we should also be teaching to think critically but I’m not gonna hold my breath.

If you’re teaching the standards that is covered. Kind of the point of common core. That was the “new math” that every redneck in Reinzi freaked out over. Which, by the way, is almost word for word the same as the Mississippi standards they adopted because the dumb asses freaked out over common core.

 

[paindonthurt]

If you’re teaching the standards that is covered. Kind of the point of common core. That was the “new math” that every redneck in Reinzi freaked out over. Which, by the way, is almost word for word the same as the Mississippi standards they adopted because the dumb asses freaked out over common core.

I have no idea about the “new math” but if you can work a math problem the traditional way, you shouldn’t be penalized.

i mean it’s worked for a long 17ing time.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

Damn, another school in our back yard stealing our players and out recruiting us while on our campus even