Local schools had this spring and summer to get third-graders up to speed on reading or face being held back this fall.
Clarksdale, Coahoma County and the Clarksdale charter school got their initial scores in April. Students not reading at a third-grade level were offered remedial help and tested in May and if they weren’t successful, again went into remedial study and were re-tested in July.
Literacy-Based Promotion Act, (LBPA) also known at the Third Grade Reading Gate, has not been without controversy as some parents have fought principals and districts from failing their child.
For years districts passed students along with a true desire to see these students catch up, but they didn’t. Stories of high school students graduating but being unable to read were a chronic problem and there were no real solutions for young people at that point.
The LBPA became law in 2013 to improve reading skills of kindergarten through 3rd-grade students in public schools so every student completing the 3rd grade is able to read at or above grade level. The LBPA requires Mississippi 3rd graders to pass a reading assessment to qualify for promotion to 4th grade. An amendment to the law in 2016 raised reading-level expectations starting in the 2018-19 school year, requiring 3rd graders to score at level 3 or higher on the reading portion of the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) English Language Arts (ELA) assessment.
Statewide the program has seen success and focused and not letting students fall behind.
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) announcing that 73.9% of 31,068 Mississippi 3rd graders received a passing score this spring on the initial administration of the 3rd-grade reading assessment for the 2021-22 school year.
The passing rate presents a preliminary snapshot of 3rd-graders’ literacy proficiency as schools emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic. The last time Mississippi 3rd graders took the assessment in a normal school year was April 2019 when 74.5% of 34,998 students passed the initial test.
“The hard work of teachers, students and parents to overcome academic setbacks caused by the pandemic is paying off. The initial pass rate on this year’s 3rd-grade reading assessment is nearly the same as the pre-pandemic pass rate,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education. “I celebrate this accomplishment and acknowledge there’s more work to be done.”
In accordance with the Literacy-Based Promotion Act (LBPA), 3rd graders who do not pass the initial administration of the reading test are given up to two attempts to retest. After the final retest in 2019, 85.6% of 3rd graders passed the test. Students did not test in 2020 due to the pandemic. The test was given in 2021, but the passing requirement was waived so no retests were administered.
This year students must achieve a “met requirements” or score above the lowest two (2) achievement levels in reading on the established state-wide assessment. Students must pass the 3rd grade Assessment or meet a Good Cause Exemption to pass to the 4th grade.
Students who did not pass the reading assessment on their first attempt last month were retested May 9-13. The second retest window is June 20 – July 8. Some students may qualify for good cause exemptions to be promoted to 4th grade.
To see the district- and school-level initial pass rate report for 2021-22, go to mdek12.org/OPR/Reporting/Assessment/2021-22.
Final district-level pass rates will be published this fall in the Literacy-Based Promotion Act Annual Report of Performance and Student Retention for the 2021-22 school year.
LBPA 2021-22 Assessment
District/School Met LBPA, Failed LBPA
Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter 55.6%, 44.4%
Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter 55.6%, 44.4%
Clarksdale Municipal School District 51.0%, 49.0%
Booker T. Washington International Studies 63.0%, 37.0%
George H. Oliver Visual and Performing Arts 30.3%, 69.7%
Heidelberg School Math and Science 50.0%, 50.0%
Kirkpatrick Health and Wellness 61.5%, 38.5%
Coahoma County School District 52.1%, 47.9%
Friars Point Elementary School 43.5%, 56.5%
Jonestown Elementary School 36.8%, 63.2%
Lyon Elementary School 69.0%, 31.0%
Tunica County School District 55.4%, 44.6%
Quitman County School District 53.7%, 46.3%
Sunflower County Consolidate School District 71.1%, 28.9%
Cleveland School District 59.8%, 40.2%
Literacy-Based Promotion Act is also known at the Third Grad Reading Gate.
Overview
The Literacy-Based Promotion Act’s (LBPA) purpose is to improve the reading skills of kindergarten through 3 rd grade students enrolled in the public schools so that every student completing the 3 rd grade is able to read at or above grade level. (Miss. Code Ann § 37-177-1 et seq.)
