Leake County Superintendent Joe Nelson knew he needed to put teachers in front of the students with the greatest needs in his Mississippi school district despite persistent educator shortages.
The Magnolia State was one of 39 states that reported a shortage of special education teachers for the 2023-24 school year. This shortage leaves districts open to litigation if they do not meet Individualized Education Program requirements, referring to plans tailored to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities.
Last year, two certified teachers from Proximity Learning taught classes for 15 special education students in Leake County. These two teachers taught students virtually while a teacher’s assistant facilitated instruction inside the classroom. Nelson said that because of a late start implementing the program, the teachers had only seven class meetings with students. Still, the program produced positive results.
“We know that each one of those scored a passing or above (on the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program),” Nelson told the Mississippi Free Press on Nov. 4, referring to the assessment that gives a scale score and a performance level between 1-Minimal and 5-Advanced). “That’s not where they started. They started with scores of one and two. Then they scored three and above. That’s excellent.”
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Leake County School District earned a B rating on the Mississippi School Accountability System for the 2023-24 school year, marking the first time it has done so since the state adopted the A-F rating scale during the 2013 legislative session. The district educates more than 2,400 students in six schools.
“We’re growing academically, and our students are getting better academically, and the accountability model is highlighting that,” Nelson said.
Proximity Learning Inc., an Austin, Texas-based company established in 2009, provides certified teachers to classrooms through web conferencing, with instructors trained in virtual learning in a one-teacher-to-one classroom ratio. School district teachers plan the lessons and Proximity instructors adapt those for the virtual classroom.
“All of our special education teachers are trained to teach special education in a virtual setting,” Proximity
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