Mississippi raises the bar for reading issues for third-year students

JACKSON, Miss .– More than 35,000 third-graders in Mississippi sat in front of a computer this week to take reading tests. They were faced with the state's mandate to "move up a gear" or not to move into grade four. But with the bar higher this year, national and local authorities expect more students to fail the initial test, even with efforts to improve the teaching.

Mississippi is one of 16 states in the country that requires third-year students to reach a reading threshold or threshold. Nevada and Michigan plan to impose such requirements over the next two years, and Alabama lawmakers are considering one.

The mandatory retention policy remains controversial at the national level. Experts agree that students who miss a grade are more likely to drop out. While third-year reading policies generally require intensive remedial work for retarded students, one study found that this stimulation was useful for some time, but that it ended up fading.

For students, parents and teachers, high-stakes tests can bring butterflies, although Mississippi has not seen the organized resistance against testing found in many other states. Bernardytte Robinson, a fifth grade math teacher at Key Elementary in Jackson, said her daughter Ayden Harris, a third-grade student at the same school, was sweating at the exam since she began her studies in August.

"She said," I do not want to fail, Mom, "Robinson told Ayden on Monday, the first day of testing." I said, "You're not going to fail." I said, you have this. & # 39; "

When the state of Magnolia implemented its requirements in 2015, it was enough for students to reach the second level, or basic level, a five-level status test. This year, the state raises the bar, saying that students must reach the third level. It's still a bit short of the skill, but Superintendent Carey Wright and others say it's important to raise expectations.

"We had to do this, and we did it in stages, because we wanted to make sure our students started to progress further to the skill level and better prepare for the fourth year," said Kymona Burk, director of Literacy in the state.

Republican decision-makers who have adopted the Mississippi Florida plan support it, highlighting improved performance in a national test. Mississippi is funding literacy coaches to help improve teaching in 182 of 420 state schools with a third year. The state also provided reading training to 13,000 people and provided additional funds for summer courses to struggling readers.

Last year, 93% of Mississippi students passed the first basic level, but only 75% reached the third level. Ms. Burk said the share of students who scored three or more had increased, but she predicted that about 80% of them would succeed. Schools will be awarded grades in early May and students will be submitting in mid-May. A second test comes after summer courses. About 3% of students were allowed to advance last year without going for various reasons.

Mississippi has long been home to the largest proportion of young students across the country, often students from poor households who enroll without sufficient academic knowledge. Last year, Mississippi retained 9% of children in kindergarten, 8% of first-year students and 6% of second-year students.

Martin West, a professor at Harvard University, studied Florida, where he was then governor. Jeb Bush was the pioneer of third year politics. The Foundation for Excellence in Education, chaired by Bush, has promoted this policy in Mississippi and other states. West said his study found that students who were shortlisted because of reading problems were no more likely to drop out of school compared to students who were barely successful. He said that students who fall into the camp and receive intensive help in Florida have an academic momentum for many years, but this gradually fades.

Overall, Mr West said that he could not prove that third year retention policies were working. He said that states that seemed "prosperous" have used this requirement not primarily as a means of retaining more students, but as a focal point for focusing the attention of educators on improving the quality of life. Early literacy ".

Last year, all of A.W. James Elementary's students in Drew missed the first try, but principal Barbara Akon is not sure if her 39 third-graders are breaking the bar. Despite an average class size of 13 and intensive concentration, Akon said that prior testing showed that six students were at risk. She said that the Mississippi Delta School had set a goal of 90% success, or 35 students.

"We want 100%, but as this is the first time that they have to score so much, we have concerns," said Akon.

The results could be worse elsewhere. Adrian Hammitte, acting director of Jefferson County, said he had revised the teaching of reading when he took office this year, with the help of external consultants. But only 45 percent of Jefferson County's third-year students scored three or more goals last year, and 16 percent failed in the third year.

"With the new score needed, this level three and our performance last year, I'm a little worried," Hammitte said of his 110 students. "I'm happy with what we've put in. Now, we're waiting and seeing."

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