Mississippi 3rd grade reading pass rate inches up to 85 percent
Ninety-six percent of DeSoto County Schools third-graders met the promotion requirements
JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi Department of Education announced Friday that 85 percent of third graders passed the state’s reading assessment for the 2024-25 school year after all retesting was completed.
The final pass rate marks a slight increase from the 84 percent of students who passed during the 2023-24 school year.
Mississippi’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act (LBPA) requires students to score at Level 3 or higher on the reading portion of the state’s English Language Arts assessment to be promoted to the fourth grade. The test has five levels, with Level 4 considered proficient and Level 5 advanced.
A record 77.3 percent of third graders passed the initial test administered in the spring. Students who did not pass the first time were given up to two additional retest opportunities in May and June.
Students who fail to pass after the final attempt are retained in the third grade. However, local school districts can grant good cause exemptions for promotion for certain students with disabilities, English learners, or those previously retained.
In DeSoto County, the state’s largest public school district, 96 percent of third graders met the promotion requirements by the end of the summer.
“While we strive each year for every student to reach this goal, we are proud that such a high percentage of our students were successful,” said DeSoto County Schools Supt. Cory Uselton.
Uselton said the district’s remediation process begins immediately after initial results arrive in late April.
“From that point, our teachers and administrators work during May, June, and July to providing individualized remediation for students who did not meet the benchmark on the first attempt,” Uselton said.
He credited educators across the early grades for the high pass rate.
“Our teachers in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade all play a vital role in preparing students to meet this important benchmark by the end of third grade,” Uselton said. “Their hard work and commitment make a tremendous difference.”
Statewide, the MDE credited the results to several ongoing initiatives, including job-embedded training from literacy coaches, expanded professional development, and an increased focus on training current and future teachers in the Science of Reading.
The LBPA was enacted in 2013 to improve early-grade literacy. The law was amended in 2016 to raise the required passing score, a change that took effect in the 2018-19 school year.
Final district-level pass rates are available in the 2024-25 Literacy-Based Promotion Act Annual Report on the MDE website.
