Mississippi History and United States Government; require to be included in curriculum for all students in Grades 9-12.

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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Hines

HOUSE BILL NO. 148

AN ACT TO REQUIRE A COMPREHENSIVE COURSE IN MISSISSIPPI 1
HISTORY AND UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO BE TAUGHT TO ALL STUDENTS 2
IN GRADES 9 THROUGH 12 IN ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE OR PAROCHIAL 3
SCHOOLS AND HOMESCHOOL PROGRAMS; TO REQUIRE THE DISCONTINUATION OF 4
THE END-OF-COURSE SUBJECT AREA TEST IN UNITED STATES HISTORY; TO 5
AMEND SECTIONS 37-16-7, 37-3-49, 37-15-38, 37-16-17 AND 37-35-3, 6
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY TO THE PRECEDING 7
PROVISIONS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 8
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 9
SECTION 1. (1) In addition to the curriculum otherwise 10
required by law or the State Board of Education to be taught in 11
Grades 9 through 12 in the public schools of this state, 12
comprehensive courses in Mississippi History and United States 13
Government are required to be taught to all students. The 14
Mississippi History course must provide students with an 15
examination of the history of the State of Mississippi from the 16
age of discovery and colonization to the present with particular 17
emphasis on the significant political, social, economic and 18
cultural issues of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries which 19
have impacted the diverse ethnic and racial populations of the 20
state. 21
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(2) All private, parochial and home-based school programs 22
must include the same courses required under subsection (1) for 23
students enrolled in Grades 9 through 12. 24
(3) The courses required under this section must be taught 25
on a semester basis and equal one-half (1/2) Carnegie unit. 26
SECTION 2. Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, the State 27
Board of Education shall cease to require the administration of 28
the end-of-course subject area test in United States History and 29
may only require the administration of subject area tests for 30
courses in English II, Algebra I and Biology. The State Board of 31
Education shall adopt a policy abolishing the requirement of 32
administration of the United States History end-of-course subject 33
area test to all public high school students, which in previous 34
academic years, has been required for a student to meet the 35
requirements for a standard Mississippi high school diploma and 36
included as a factor in accountability ratings. 37
SECTION 3. Section 37-16-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 38
amended as follows: 39
37-16-7. (1) Each district school board shall establish 40
standards for graduation from its schools which shall include as a 41
minimum: 42
(a) Mastery of minimum academic skills as measured by 43
assessments developed and administered by the State Board of 44
Education; and 45
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(b) Completion of a minimum number of academic credits, 46
and all other applicable requirements prescribed by the district 47
school board. 48
( * * *2) The school board of each school district shall 49
maintain, by school, information on high school graduation rates. 50
High schools with graduation rates lower than eighty percent (80%) 51
must submit a detailed plan to the * * * State Department of 52
Education to restructure the high school experience to improve 53
graduation rates. 54
( * * *3) A student who meets all requirements prescribed in 55
subsection (1) of this section shall be awarded a standard diploma 56
in a form prescribed by the State Board of Education. 57
( * * *4) The State Board of Education may establish student 58
proficiency standards for promotion to grade levels leading to 59
graduation. 60
( * * *5) The State Board of Education shall develop a 61
curriculum related to the study of sign language. Any such class 62
developed by the board may count as an academic credit for foreign 63
languages for the purposes of high school graduation requirements. 64
SECTION 4. Section 37-3-49, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 65
amended as follows: 66
37-3-49. (1) The State Department of Education shall 67
provide an instructional program and establish guidelines and 68
procedures for managing such program in the public schools within 69
the school districts throughout the state as part of the State 70
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Program of Educational Accountability and Assessment of 71
Performance as prescribed in Section 37-3-46. Public school 72
districts may (a) elect to adopt the instructional program and 73
management system provided by the State Department of Education, 74
or (b) elect to adopt an instructional program and management 75
system which meets or exceeds criteria established by the State 76
Department of Education for such. This provision shall begin with 77
the courses taught in Grades K-8 which contain skills tested 78
through the Mississippi Basic Skills Assessment Program and shall 79
proceed through all secondary school courses mandated for 80
graduation and all secondary school courses in the * * * 81
end-of-course testing program in the subject areas of English II, 82
Algebra I and Biology. Other state core objectives must be 83
included in the district's instructional program as they are 84
provided by the State Department of Education along with 85
instructional practices, resources, evaluation items and 86
management procedures. Districts are encouraged to adapt this 87
program and accompanying procedures to all other instructional 88
areas. The department shall provide that such program and 89
guidelines, or a program and guidelines developed by a local 90
school district which incorporates the core objectives from the 91
curriculum structure are enforced through the performance-based 92
accreditation system. It is the intent of the Legislature that 93
every effort be made to protect the instructional time in the 94
classroom and reduce the amount of paperwork which must be 95
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completed by teachers. The State Department of Education shall 96
take steps to ensure that school districts properly use staff 97
development time to work on the districts' instructional 98
management plans. 99
(2) The State Department of Education shall provide such 100
instructional program and management guidelines which shall 101
require for every public school district that: 102
(a) All courses taught in Grades K-8 which contain 103
skills which are tested through the Mississippi Basic Skills 104
Assessment Program, all secondary school courses mandated for 105
graduation, and all courses in the end-of-course testing program 106
in the subject areas of English II, Algebra I and Biology shall 107
include the State Department of Education's written list of 108
learning objectives. 109
(b) The local school board must adopt the objectives 110
that will form the core curriculum which will be systematically 111
delivered throughout the district. 112
(c) The set of objectives provided by the State 113
Department of Education must be accompanied by suggested 114
instructional practices and resources that would help teachers 115
organize instruction so as to promote student learning of the 116
objectives. Objectives added by the school district must also be 117
accompanied by suggested instructional practices and resources 118
that would help teachers organize instruction. The instructional 119
practices and resources that are identified are to be used as 120
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suggestions and not as requirements that teachers must follow. 121
The goal of the program is to have students to achieve the desired 122
objective and not to limit teachers in the way they teach. 123
(d) Standards for student performance must be 124
established for each core objective in the local program and those 125
standards establish the district's definition of mastery for each 126
objective. 127
(e) There shall be an annual review of student 128
performance in the instructional program against locally 129
established standards. When weaknesses exist in the local 130
instructional program, the district shall take action to improve 131
student performance. 132
(3) The State Board of Education and the board of trustees 133
of each school district shall adopt policies to limit and reduce 134
the number and length of written reports that classroom teachers 135
are required to prepare. 136
(4) This section shall not be construed to limit teachers 137
from using their own professional skills to help students master 138
instructional objectives, nor shall it be construed as a call for 139
more detailed or complex lesson plans or any increase in testing 140
at the local school district level. 141
(5) Districts meeting the highest levels of accreditation 142
standards, as defined by the State Board of Education, shall be 143
exempted from the provisions of subsection (2) of this section. 144
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SECTION 5. Section 37-15-38, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 145
amended as follows: 146
37-15-38. (1) The following phrases have the meanings 147
ascribed in this section unless the context clearly requires 148
otherwise: 149
(a) A dual enrolled student is a student who is 150
enrolled in a community or junior college or state institution of 151
higher learning while enrolled in high school. 152
(b) A dual credit student is a student who is enrolled 153
in a community or junior college or state institution of higher 154
learning while enrolled in high school and who is receiving high 155
school and college credit for postsecondary coursework. 156
(2) A local school board, the Board of Trustees of State 157
Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community 158
College Board shall establish a dual enrollment system under which 159
students in the school district who meet the prescribed criteria 160
of this section may be enrolled in a postsecondary institution in 161
Mississippi while they are still in school. 162
(3) Dual credit eligibility. Before credits earned by a 163
qualified high school student from a community or junior college 164
or state institution of higher learning may be transferred to the 165
student's home school district, the student must be properly 166
enrolled in a dual enrollment program. 167
(4) Admission criteria for dual enrollment in community and 168
junior college or university programs. The Mississippi Community 169
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College Board and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of 170
Higher Learning may recommend to the State Board of Education 171
admission criteria for dual enrollment programs under which high 172
school students may enroll at a community or junior college or 173
university while they are still attending high school and enrolled 174
in high school courses. Students may be admitted to enroll in 175
community or junior college courses under the dual enrollment 176
programs if they meet that individual institution's stated dual 177
enrollment admission requirements. 178
(5) Tuition and cost responsibility. Tuition and costs for 179
university-level courses and community and junior college courses 180
offered under a dual enrollment program may be paid for by the 181
postsecondary institution, the local school district, the parents 182
or legal guardians of the student, or by grants, foundations or 183
other private or public sources. Payment for tuition and any 184
other costs must be made directly to the credit-granting 185
institution. 186
(6) Transportation responsibility. Any transportation 187
required by a student to participate in the dual enrollment 188
program is the responsibility of the parent, custodian or legal 189
guardian of the student. Transportation costs may be paid from 190
any available public or private sources, including the local 191
school district. 192
(7) School district net enrollment credit. When dually 193
enrolled, the student may be counted, for total funding formula 194
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purposes, in the net enrollment of the public school district in 195
which the student attends high school. 196
(8) High school student transcript transfer requirements. 197
Grades and college credits earned by a student admitted to a dual 198
credit program must be recorded on the high school student record 199
and on the college transcript at the university or community or 200
junior college where the student attends classes. The transcript 201
of the university or community or junior college coursework may be 202
released to another institution or applied toward college 203
graduation requirements. 204
(9) Determining factor of prerequisites for dual enrollment 205
courses. Each university and community or junior college 206
participating in a dual enrollment program shall determine course 207
prerequisites. Course prerequisites shall be the same for dual 208
enrolled students as for regularly enrolled students at that 209
university or community or junior college. 210
(10) Process for determining articulation of curriculum 211
between high school, university, and community and junior college 212
courses. All dual credit courses must meet the standards 213
established at the postsecondary level. Postsecondary level 214
developmental courses may not be considered as meeting the 215
requirements of the dual credit program. Dual credit memorandum 216
of understandings must be established between each postsecondary 217
institution and the school district implementing a dual credit 218
program. 219
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(11) [Deleted] 220
(12) Eligible courses for dual credit programs. Courses 221
eligible for dual credit include, but are not necessarily limited 222
to, foreign languages, advanced math courses, advanced science 223
courses, performing arts, advanced business and technology, and 224
career and technical courses. Distance Learning Collaborative 225
Program courses approved under Section 37-67-1 shall be fully 226
eligible for dual credit. All courses being considered for dual 227
credit must receive unconditional approval from the superintendent 228
of the local school district and the chief instructional officer 229
at the participating community or junior college or university in 230
order for college credit to be awarded. A university or community 231
or junior college shall make the final decision on what courses 232
are eligible for semester hour credits. 233
(13) High school Carnegie unit equivalency. One (1) 234
three-hour university or community or junior college course is 235
equal to one (1) high school Carnegie unit. 236
(14) Course alignment. The universities, community and 237
junior colleges and the State Department of Education shall 238
periodically review their respective policies and assess the place 239
of dual credit courses within the context of their traditional 240
offerings. 241
(15) Maximum dual credits allowed. It is the intent of the 242
dual enrollment program to make it possible for every eligible 243
student who desires to earn a semester's worth of college credit 244
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in high school to do so. A qualified dually enrolled high school 245
student must be allowed to earn an unlimited number of college or 246
university credits for dual credit. 247
(16) Dual credit program allowances. A student may be 248
granted credit delivered through the following means: 249
(a) Examination preparation taught at a high school by 250
a qualified teacher. A student may receive credit at the 251
secondary level after completion of an approved course and passing 252
the standard examination, such as an Advanced Placement or 253
International Baccalaureate course through which a high school 254
student is allowed CLEP credit by making a three (3) or higher on 255
the end-of-course examination. 256
(b) College or university courses taught at a high 257
school or designated postsecondary site by a qualified teacher who 258
is an employee of the school district and approved as an 259
instructor by the collaborating college or university. 260
(c) College or university courses taught at a college, 261
university or high school by an instructor employed by the college 262
or university and approved by the collaborating school district. 263
(d) Online courses of any public university, community 264
or junior college in Mississippi. 265
(17) Qualifications of dual credit instructors. A dual 266
credit academic instructor must meet the requirements set forth by 267
the regional accrediting association (Southern Association of 268
College and Schools). University and community and junior college 269
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personnel have the sole authority in the selection of dual credit 270
instructors. 271
A dual credit career and technical education instructor must 272
meet the requirements set forth by the Mississippi Community 273
College Board in the qualifications manual for postsecondary 274
career and technical personnel. 275
(18) Guidance on local agreements. The Chief Academic 276
Officer of the State Board of Trustees of State Institutions of 277
Higher Learning and the Chief Instructional Officers of the 278
Mississippi Community College Board and the State Department of 279
Education, working collaboratively, shall develop a template to be 280
used by the individual community and junior colleges and 281
institutions of higher learning for consistent implementation of 282
the dual enrollment program throughout the State of Mississippi. 283
(19) Mississippi Works Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Option. 284
A local school board and the local community colleges board shall 285
establish a Mississippi Works Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Option 286
Program under which potential or recent student dropouts may 287
dually enroll in their home school and a local community college 288
in a dual credit program consisting of high school completion 289
coursework and a community college credential, certificate or 290
degree program. Students completing the dual enrollment-credit 291
option may obtain their high school diploma while obtaining a 292
community college credential, certificate or degree. The 293
Mississippi Department of Employment Security shall assist 294
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students who have successfully completed the Mississippi Works 295
Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Option in securing a job upon the 296
application of the student or the participating school or 297
community college. The Mississippi Works Dual Enrollment-Dual 298
Credit Option Program will be implemented statewide in the 299
2012-2013 school year and thereafter. The State Board of 300
Education, local school board and the local community college 301
board shall establish criteria for the Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit 302
Program. Students enrolled in the program will not be eligible to 303
participate in interscholastic sports or other extracurricular 304
activities at the home school district. Tuition and costs for 305
community college courses offered under the Dual Enrollment-Dual 306
Credit Program shall not be charged to the student, parents or 307
legal guardians. When dually enrolled, the student shall be 308
counted, for total funding formula purposes, in the net enrollment 309
of the public school district in which the student attends high 310
school. Any transportation required by the student to participate 311
in the Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Program is the responsibility 312
of the parent or legal guardian of the student, and transportation 313
costs may be paid from any available public or private sources, 314
including the local school district. Grades and college credits 315
earned by a student admitted to this Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit 316
Program shall be recorded on the high school student record and on 317
the college transcript at the community college and high school 318
where the student attends classes. The transcript of the 319
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community college coursework may be released to another 320
institution or applied toward college graduation requirements. 321
Except for United States History any course that is required for 322
subject area testing as a requirement for graduation from a public 323
school in Mississippi is eligible for dual credit. Courses 324
eligible for dual credit * * * include career, technical and 325
degree program courses. All courses eligible for dual credit 326
shall be approved by the superintendent of the local school 327
district and the chief instructional officer at the participating 328
community college in order for college credit to be awarded. A 329
community college shall make the final decision on what courses 330
are eligible for semester hour credits and the local school 331
superintendent, subject to approval by the Mississippi Department 332
of Education, shall make the final decision on the transfer of 333
college courses credited to the student's high school transcript. 334
SECTION 6. Section 37-16-17, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 335
amended as follows: 336
37-16-17. (1) Purpose. (a) The purpose of this section is 337
to create a quality option in Mississippi's high schools for 338
students not wishing to pursue a baccalaureate degree, which shall 339
consist of challenging academic courses and modern 340
career-technical studies. The goal for students pursuing the 341
career technical education pathways is to graduate from high 342
school with a standard diploma and credit toward a community 343
college certification in a career-technical field. These students 344
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also shall be encouraged to take the national assessment in the 345
career-technical field in which they become certified. 346
(b) The State Board of Education shall develop and 347
adopt course and curriculum requirements for career technical 348
education pathways offered by local public school boards in 349
accordance with this section. The Mississippi Community College 350
Board and the State Board of Education jointly shall determine 351
course and curriculum requirements for the career technical 352
education pathways. The State Board of Education shall require 353
school districts to provide notice to all incoming middle school 354
students and junior high students of the career technical 355
education pathways offered by local school boards. Such notice 356
shall include the career technical education pathways available, 357
the course requirements of each pathway, how to enroll in the 358
pathway and any other necessary information as determined by the 359
State Board of Education. 360
(2) Career technical education pathway; description; 361
curriculum. (a) A career technical education pathway shall 362
provide a student with greater technical skill and a strong 363
academic core and shall be offered to each high school student 364
enrolled in a public school district. The career technical 365
education pathway shall be linked to postsecondary options and 366
shall prepare students to pursue either a degree or certification 367
from a postsecondary institution, an industry-based training or 368
certification, an apprenticeship, the military, or immediate 369
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entrance into a career field. The career technical education 370
pathway shall provide students with alternatives to entrance into 371
a four-year university or college after high school graduation. 372
(b) Students pursuing a career technical education 373
pathway shall be afforded the opportunity to dually enroll in a 374
community or technical college or to participate in a business 375
internship or work-study program, when such opportunities are 376
available and appropriate. 377
(c) Each public school district shall offer a career 378
technical education pathway approved by the State Board of 379
Education. 380
(d) Students in a career technical education pathway 381
shall complete an academic core of courses and a career and 382
technical sequence of courses. 383
(e) Students pursuing a career technical education 384
pathway must complete the twenty-four (24) course unit 385
requirements for a regular high school diploma, which may include, 386
but not be limited to the following course content: 387
(i) English I; 388
(ii) English II; 389
(iii) Technical writing; 390
(iv) Computer programming; 391
(v) Algebra I; 392
(vi) Personal Finance; 393
(vii) Advanced technical mathematics; 394
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(viii) Computer Science; 395
(ix) Biology; 396
(x) Earth and Space Science; 397
(xi) U.S. History; 398
(xii) Mississippi Studies/U.S. Government; 399
(xiii) Health; 400
(xiv) Physical Education; 401
(xv) Soft skills, which include, but are not 402
limited to, communication ability, language skills, time 403
management, teamwork and leadership traits; 404
(xvi) Career technical education pathway courses; 405
and 406
(xvii) Integrated technology. 407
Academic courses within the career technical education 408
pathway of the standard diploma shall provide the knowledge and 409
skill necessary for proficiency on the state subject area tests in 410
English II, Algebra I and Biology. 411
(f) The courses provided in paragraph (e) of this 412
subsection may be tailored to the individual needs of the school 413
district as long as the amendments align with the basic course 414
requirements of paragraph (e). 415
(3) Nothing in this section shall disallow the development 416
of a dual enrollment program with a technical college so long as 417
an individual school district, with approval from the State 418
Department of Education, agrees to implement such a program in 419
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connection with a technical college and the agreement is also 420
approved by the proprietary school's commission. 421
SECTION 7. Section 37-35-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 422
amended as follows: 423
37-35-3. (1) The board of trustees of any school district, 424
including any community or junior college, may establish and 425
maintain classes for adults, including general educational 426
development classes, under the regulations authorized in this 427
chapter and pursuant to the standards prescribed in subsection 428
(3). The property and facilities of the public school districts 429
may be used for this purpose where such use does not conflict with 430
uses already established. 431
(2) The trustees of any school district desiring to 432
establish such program may request the taxing authority of the 433
district to levy additional ad valorem taxes for the support of 434
this program. The board of supervisors, in the case of a county 435
school district, a special municipal separate school district, or 436
a community or junior college district, and the governing 437
authority of any municipality, in the case of a municipal separate 438
school district, is authorized, in its discretion, to levy a tax 439
not exceeding one (1) mill upon all the taxable property of the 440
district for the support of this program. The tax shall be in 441
addition to all other taxes authorized by law to be levied. In 442
addition to the funds realized from any such levy, the board of 443
trustees of any school district is authorized to use any surplus 444
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funds that it may have or that may be made available to it from 445
local sources to supplement this program. 446
(3) (a) Any student participating in an approved High 447
School Equivalency Diploma Option program administered by a local 448
school district or a local school district with an approved 449
contractual agreement with a community or junior college or other 450
local entity shall not be considered a dropout. Students in such 451
a program administered by a local school district shall be 452
considered as enrolled within the school district of origin for 453
the purpose of enrollment for total funding formula funds only. 454
Such students shall not be considered as enrolled in the regular 455
school program for academic or programmatic purposes. 456
(b) Students participating in an approved High School 457
Equivalency Diploma Option program shall have an individual career 458
plan developed at the time of placement to ensure that the 459
student's academic and job skill needs will be met. The 460
Individual Career Plan will address, but is not limited to, the 461
following: 462
(i) Academic and instructional needs of the 463
student; 464
(ii) Job readiness needs of the student; and 465
(iii) Work experience program options available 466
for the student. 467
(c) Students participating in an approved High School 468
Equivalency Diploma Option program may participate in existing job 469
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and skills development programs or in similar programs developed 470
in conjunction with the High School Equivalency Diploma Option 471
program and the vocational director. 472
(d) High School Equivalency Diploma Option programs may 473
be operated by local school districts or may be operated by two 474
(2) or more adjacent school districts, pursuant to a contract 475
approved by the State Board of Education. When two (2) or more 476
school districts contract to operate a High School Equivalency 477
Diploma Option program, the school board of a district designated 478
to be the lead district shall serve as the governing board of the 479
High School Equivalency Diploma Option program. Transportation 480
for students placed in the High School Equivalency Diploma Option 481
program shall be the responsibility of the school district of 482
origin. The expense of establishing, maintaining and operating 483
such High School Equivalency Diploma Option programs may be paid 484
from funds made available to the school district through 485
contributions, total funding formula funds or from local district 486
maintenance funds. 487
(e) The State Department of Education will develop 488
procedures and criteria for placement of a student in the High 489
School Equivalency Diploma Option programs. Students placed in 490
High School Equivalency Diploma Option programs shall have 491
parental approval for such placement and must meet the following 492
criteria: 493
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ST: Mississippi History and United States
Government; require to be included in curriculum
for all students in Grades 9-12.
(i) The student must be at least sixteen (16) 494
years of age; 495
(ii) The student must be at least one (1) full 496
grade level behind his or her ninth grade cohort or must have 497
acquired less than four (4) Carnegie units; 498
(iii) The student must have taken every 499
opportunity to continue to participate in coursework leading to a 500
diploma; and 501
(iv) The student must be certified to be eligible 502
to participate in the GED course by the school district 503
superintendent, based on the developed criteria. 504
(f) Students participating in an approved High School 505
Equivalency Diploma Option program, who are enrolled in subject 506
area courses through January 31 in a school with a traditional 507
class schedule or who are enrolled in subject area courses through 508
October 31 or through March 31 in a school on a block schedule, 509
notwithstanding courses in United States History, shall be 510
required to take the end-of-course subject area tests for those 511
courses in which they are enrolled. 512
SECTION 8. This act shall take effect and be in force from 513
and after July 1, 2026. 514