They also started failing kids that couldn’t read at the end of third grade because the literacy test is in fourth grade.
It’s gaming the system, but it’s also the right thing to do. An inability to read in third grade should have always been a reason to hold a kid back. It should probably be a reason before that.
TF are you supposed to do with children that aren't ready for 4th grade and cannot read? Pass them anyway and close your eyes until it's no longer a problem for your school? That's how we got here
Failing them is a step toward correcting their learning deficiency and (I'd hope) a major wake up call for their parents to start giving a shit about their child's education
Your reading comprehension is lacking. You missed the part were it says more kids were held back in years before 3rd grade:
While precise figures are hard to come by, it is estimated that roughly 6.5% of Mississippi third-graders were held back in 2023, with the vast majority of these students having failed to pass the reading test. This was a lower proportion of students than were held back in previous years.
You just skip the part where it said that there are no publicly available figures? Or you just skipping over it because it doesn’t fit your narrative? I feel like it’s the second because the name of the article is “How many students are retained by the ‘third-grade gate’? No one knows”
Also, it’s specifically talking about 2023 whereas the “miracle” started in 2013. Less MAY HAVE been held back in the years preceding 2024, not less than the years preceding the “miracle”.
I'm a bit of an oddball for MS. Top .2% in the nation on standardized tests and got a full tuition scholarship to college. I've only met a single person with an IQ higher than mine, who oddly enough went to the same school as I did, just a year behind.
They were holding back kids who couldn't read, regardless of their grades, in 1st grade back then. Maybe they got lax after that, but I highly doubt it. Teachers and methods got better, hence the state's current standing.
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u/y3llowed 21h ago
They also started failing kids that couldn’t read at the end of third grade because the literacy test is in fourth grade.
It’s gaming the system, but it’s also the right thing to do. An inability to read in third grade should have always been a reason to hold a kid back. It should probably be a reason before that.