Meridian Public School District officials are looking at ways to improve the district’s graduation rate and accountability rating.

Deidre Bland, the district’s dropout prevention specialist, provided an update on policies for graduation and ACT test requirements to the school board Tuesday night. 

Bland said students have to pass four state assessments to graduate. Students who have failed English II, reading, math and biology, have to get a 17 on the ACT in each subject to graduate.

About 20 percent of the seniors at Meridian High School needs to pass at least one assessment to graduate. To help those students,  staff from the Kirkland Group are providing a boot camp. For juniors taking the ACT, workshops are being provided to make sure they are prepared, Bland said. 

School principals also gave updates on their schools during the meeting. 

At T.J. Harris Upper Elementary, Principal Jeffery Blackmon said teachers are encouraging their students to read 20 minutes a night to improve their literacy. 

Angela McQuarley, principal at Magnolia Middle School, said school officials are teaching staff about using data and how they can use the data to help their students succeed. McQuarley added that  school officials have connected with staff at the Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi, showing them how to teach students the curriculum while they are at the center.