The latest results of Mississippi’s third grade reading test show no dramatic declines in student performance. But they show no significant gains, either.

Since 2021-22, the first year of student data after the pandemic, the share of students passing the assessment — including the initial test and any retest — has hovered around 85%.

The Mississippi Department of Education announced Thursday that data point holds true for the 2024-25 school year, with 85% of the state’s third graders ultimately passing the reading assessment required to graduate to the next grade, just barely higher than last year’s rate of 84%.

The new pass rate remains lower than in 2018-19, when it was 85.6%. 

It’s the latest chapter in Mississippi’s national reading success story, called a “miracle” by some but, more recently, a “marathon” by state education leaders. Over the past decade, the percentage of the state’s fourth graders scoring advanced or proficient on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — or The Nation’s Report Card — has skyrocketed, with Mississippi going from last in the nation to ninth. NAEP is separate from the state assessment.

Researchers, educators and lawmakers largely attribute that progress to the Literacy-Based Promotion Act of 2013. The law funneled money and targeted curriculum toward improving literacy outcomes, and famously established a third-grade reading test.

Students have three tries to score at least a 3 or higher on the reading portion of the state’s English Language Arts assessment to move to fourth grade. Students can score up to 5, which is considered advanced. 

The latest results show 13.9% of Mississippi third graders scored a 5, while 35.5% scored a 4 and 26.3% scored a 3. About a quarter of students did not pass the assessment.

The initial administration of the test in the spring resulted in a record pass rate of 77.3%. Students who don’t pass get another try in May, and a final attempt in June. If they’re still unsuccessful after the third attempt, they’re held back in third grade, unless they have a district-determined exemption — they have certain learning disabilities, they are learning English or they were previously retained. 

Students with disabilities who were previously retained or received two years of intensive remediation accounted for about a half of the “good cause” exemptions for 2024-25. Another third were promoted because they were tested using an alternative assessment.  

Over 2,132 third-graders, or 6%, were held back.

“Educators and teachers across Mississippi understand the importance of ensuring young students have a solid literacy foundation,” State Superintendent of Education Lance Evans said in a statement. “We also applaud every teacher, administrator, literacy coach, parent and student for their hard work in achieving literacy success.”

The state education agency said in a press release that over the past year, in an attempt to raise literacy outcomes, it provided training from literacy coaches to certain schools, expanded professional development opportunities, encouraged the usage of “high-quality instructional materials” and helped integrate Science of Reading teaching for educators-in-training.

The department said at a Senate hearing this fall that it hopes to expand the reading act into grades 4 through 8. Data show that despite the major reading gains among younger students, that success hasn’t translated into higher grades.