On Oct. 27, the Mississippi Department of Education announced that, despite pandemic disruptions to learning, 85% of Mississippi third-graders passed the third-grade reading assessment after final retests for the 2021-22 school year.
The 2021-22 pass rate is practically the same as it was in 2018-19, when 86% of third-graders passed the assessment. The assessment was not administered in 2019-20 because of COVID-19. The assessment was administered once in 2020-21, but the passing requirement was waived. District-level pass rates are published in the Literacy-Based Promotion Act Annual Report of Performance and Student Retention for the 2021-22 school year.
In the Webster County School District, 93% of its third-graders passed the third-grade reading assessment after final retests for 2021-22. That is practically the same as the district’s 92% pass rate in 2018-19 and up 3% from the initial administration of the test last spring.
The LBPA enacted in 2013 was created to help ensure kindergarten through third-grade students develop good reading skills. The law was amended in 2016 and requires all Mississippi third-grade public school students to score at level 3 or higher on the reading portion of the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program English Language Arts test to qualify to be promoted to fourth grade.
Good cause exemptions apply to certain students with disabilities, students learning English or students who have been previously retained. Local school districts determine which students who did not pass qualify for an exemption for promotion to fourth grade. Districts also consider their local promotion and retention policies for making determinations.
“The current third-grade reading results are very encouraging,” said Dr. Kim Benton, state superintendent of education, interim. “Not seeing a steep decline in the passing rate is positive news, considering disruptions to learning caused by the pandemic.
“MDE plans to continue offering resources to schools, districts and families to help ensure more third-graders become proficient in reading and will continue to provide literacy support grounded in the science of reading for students in upper elementary and middle school to further advance learning outcomes.”
Families can visit strongreadersms.com for resources to help children build reading skills at home.
Editor’s Note: The Webster County School District published the LBPA Annual Report of Performance and Student Retention as a paid advertisement in the Oct. 26 issue (Page 15).
