MS HB211

State Board of Education shall establish a Trimester School Year Pilot Program and select up to 12 school districts to participate during 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years, with at least one district per congressional district.

Participating school districts must operate on a trimester calendar with school year of at least 225 days, consisting of three trimesters of at least 75 days each with breaks of at least 15 calendar days between trimesters.

Core curriculum for grades 4-12 in pilot districts shall include five courses: Language Arts, Math, Foreign Language, Social Studies, and Science, each consisting of at least 18 trimester units of instruction.

State Board of Education shall increase annual funding to participating districts under the Mississippi Adequate Education Program based on a formula comparing the 225-day school year to the average attendance days in non-participating districts.

State Board of Education must submit a report to legislative Education Committee chairs before January 1, 2019, with results and recommendations on whether to implement the trimester calendar statewide.