The Choctaw County School District continues its commitment to prepare all of its students to exceed their expectations for the 3rd Grade Mississippi Assessment Program Summative Reading Assessment.
The Mississippi Department of Education released school and district level passing rates for the first administration of the 2018 test.
MDE results show the pass rate for the local district, Weir Elementary School, French Camp Elementary, and Ackerman Elementary School, The number of test-takers at each school was 24 at WES, 21 at FCE, and 68 at AES for a total number of 113 students tested in the district.
The CCSD's initial pass rates for the previous two school years were 94.5 percent in 2014-15, 93.1 percent in 2015-16, and 96.5 in 2016-2017.
Statewide, 93.2 percent of third-graders passed the test. The initial pass rates for the previous three school years were 85 percent in 2014-15, 87 percent in 2015-16, and 92 percent for the 2016-2017 statewide.
This school year, the pass rate percentage for the district was 94.7 percent. The schools were able to achieve the following pass rate percentages: Ackerman Elementary—93%, French Camp Elementary—95%, and Weir Elementary—100%.
Choctaw County School District Superintendent Glen Beard gave praise to students and teachers for the academic accomplishments they have achieved in the past few years.
“Words can’t express how proud we are of our students and teachers,” Beard said. “They have worked tirelessly all year to reach their goals! The consistent success of our students is a testament to the tremendous work ethic of our faculty and staff! It’s always a great day to be a Charger!”
The Literacy-Based Promotion Act requires third-graders to pass a reading assessment to demonstrate they are ready for fourth-grade reading instruction. Students are provided with three opportunities to pass the test.
This school year, the reading portion of the Mississippi Assessment Program English Language Arts was used to determine third-grade promotion. In the previous three school years, a reading test developed by Renaissance Learning was used as the initial test and for both retest opportunities. That test is now the alternative assessment for students who did not pass the reading test on their first try. Both tests assess the Mississippi College and Career Ready Standards of reading for foundational skills, informational text, literature and language.
Students who did not pass the first reading test were retested the last week of May. The final retest opportunity will take place between June 25th and Aug. 3rd.
The LBPA requires that a student scoring at the lowest achievement level on the Third-Grade Reading Assessment be retained in third grade, unless the student meets the good cause exemptions specified in the law. 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.
The act was amended in 2016 and will require students starting in the 2018-19 school year to score above the lowest two achievement levels in order to be promoted to the fourth grade.
