Webster County schools scored above the state average on the third-grade reading assessment for the 2018-19 school year.
The Literacy-Based Promotion Act requires third-graders to pass a reading assessment to qualify for promotion to fourth grade, unless the student meets one of the good-cause exemptions specified in the law. Exemptions apply to certain students with disabilities, students learning English or students who have been previously retained.
Local school districts determine which of their students who did not pass qualify for one of the good cause exemptions for promotion to fourth grade. Districts also consider their local promotion and retention policies for making determinations.
According to an Oct. 23 release from the Mississippi Department of Education, 85.6% of Mississippi third-graders passed the reading assessment after the final retest.
Meanwhile, 92.1% of third-graders in the Webster County School District passed after the final retest — above the state average. That compares to an 84.3% pass rate on the initial test last spring. Students who did not pass had two opportunities to retest before the start of the new school year.
Expectations Raised
The LBPA was amended to raise reading-level expectations starting in the 2018-19 school year, requiring third-graders to score at Level 3 or higher on the reading portion of the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program English Language Arts assessment. The passing score was raised to get closer to measuring proficiency. Under the lower reading standard, the initial pass rate was 85% in 2015 and 93.2% in 2018.
“Once the reading standard was increased, students proved they could meet, and exceed, the higher expectation,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education.” “In third grade, students begin to make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. They need strong reading skills to perform well in every subject and to progress throughout school.”
In previous years, the law required third-graders to score above the “lowest achievement level.” The new passing score, Level 3, indicates a student is approaching grade-level expectations. Level 4 means a student has mastered grade-level reading standards.
For third-graders in the WCSD, 36.2% scored Level 3, 36.2% scored Level 4 and 14.2% scored Level 5 on the final ELA retest.
The Literacy-Based Promotion Act takes a comprehensive approach to building the capacity of teachers and school leaders to effectively teach reading and implement an ongoing system to monitor student progress. The law enables the MDE to deploy literacy coaches to schools where data show students struggle the most with reading. Coaches work directly with teachers and administrators to help them become more effective teachers of reading.
In 2018-19, 80 MDE literacy coaches served 182 schools statewide, including both elementary schools in Webster County. In addition, the MDE provides professional development related to teaching reading to teachers, school administrators and faculty in teacher preparation programs.
District-level pass rates are published in the Literacy-Based Promotion Act Annual Report of Performance and Student Retention for the 2018-19 school year, which can be viewed online at www.mdek.12.org.
