College and Career Readiness Planning Program; create for administration of pre-ACT assessments in public schools.

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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Scott

HOUSE BILL NO. 154

AN ACT TO CREATE THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS PLANNING 1
PROGRAM IN ORDER TO LOWER EDUCATIONAL COSTS, SHORTEN A STUDENT'S 2
TIME TO COMPLETE A DEGREE AND INCREASE THE OVERALL SUCCESS RATE OF 3
STUDENTS BY REDUCING THE NEED FOR REMEDIATION; TO REQUIRE PUBLIC 4
SCHOOLS TO ADMINISTER CERTAIN ASSESSMENTS IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT 5
STUDENTS HAVE THE CAREER READINESS SKILLS NECESSARY TO COMPETE IN 6
THE GLOBAL ECONOMY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 8
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds that: 9
(a) Many students enter college unprepared for the 10
academic rigors of college and require noncredit remedial courses 11
to attain skills and knowledge needed for regular credit 12
coursework; 13
(b) There is a direct and significant link between 14
students being prepared academically for college and success in 15
postsecondary endeavors; 16
(c) Remediation lengthens the time required to obtain a 17
degree, imposes additional costs on students and colleges, and 18
uses student financial aid for courses that will not count toward 19
a degree; 20
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(d) A precollege readiness assessment program in public 21
high schools using pre-ACT or pre-SAT assessments will provide 22
early benchmarks for student performance on college readiness 23
exams and inform high school guidance counselors and teachers who 24
assist students with academic achievement, course selection and 25
college readiness skills; 26
(e) A precollege readiness assessment program will 27
provide reportable statewide data, enabling policy and program 28
development that will benefit schools, parents and students; and 29
(f) Consistent use of precollege assessments will 30
increase the number of successful student transitions into 31
postsecondary education. 32
SECTION 2. (1) As used in this section: 33
(a) "College readiness assessment" means a test of 34
student educational development which measures student readiness 35
for future learning that is used by: 36
(i) Institutions of higher education as part of 37
their admissions, placement and scholarship processes; and 38
(ii) High schools to improve college and workforce 39
readiness. 40
(b) "College and career readiness" means that a student 41
is academically ready to succeed in college-level courses or in 42
the workforce without the need to enroll in remedial courses 43
during the student's first year. 44
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(c) "EXPLORE" means the pre-ACT assessment designed to 45
help students in eighth grade explore a broad range of options for 46
their future and focus not only on high school coursework, but 47
also on post-high school choices. 48
(d) "PLAN" means the pre-ACT assessment for students in 49
tenth grade used to help a student focus attention on improved 50
academic achievement, career preparation and planning for 51
post-high school years. 52
(e) "PSAT" means the Preliminary SAT/National Merit 53
Scholarship Qualifying Test that provides practice for the SAT 54
Reasoning Test and gives students feedback on individual strengths 55
and weaknesses on college readiness skills. 56
(2) (a) (i) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, each 57
public school that serves students in eighth grade shall 58
administer EXPLORE to each student enrolled in eighth grade at the 59
public school. 60
(ii) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, 61
each public school that serves students in tenth grade shall 62
administer PLAN or the PSAT to each student enrolled in tenth 63
grade at the public school. 64
(b) Funding for the college readiness assessments 65
listed in paragraph (a) of this subsection may be paid by using 66
State Department of Education at-risk funding. 67
(3) (a) Each public school administering the college 68
readiness assessments under this section shall use the college 69
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ST: College and Career Readiness Planning
Program; create for administration of pre-ACT
assessments in public schools.
readiness assessments to assist students with college and 70
workforce readiness skills, course selection in high school and 71
improved academic achievement. 72
(b) Before the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year, 73
each public school shall incorporate the results from college 74
readiness assessments listed in subsection (2)(a) of this section 75
into the college and career planning process for each student. 76
(4) Data collection shall be maintained by the State 77
Department of Education for the purpose of: 78
(a) Increasing college and career readiness skills; 79
(b) Improving instruction; 80
(c) Enhancing school improvement plans; and 81
(d) Reducing the college remediation rates of students. 82
(5) The State Department of Education shall report to the 83
House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education 84
before September 30, 2029, and each year thereafter, on the 85
implementation and effectiveness of the College and Career 86
Readiness Planning Program. 87
(6) The department shall promulgate rules to implement this 88
section and shall monitor the use of college readiness assessments 89
administered under this section to ensure public school 90
compliance. 91
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 92
and after July 1, 2026. 93