85% of Mississippi’s third graders passed the state reading assessment during the 2024-25 school year.
The Mississippi Department of Education announced Thursday that the pass rate surpassed the 84% mark achieved by third-grade pupils in the 2023-34 school year. Mississippi’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act requires third graders to achieve a passing score of Level 3 or higher on the reading portion of the state’s English Language Arts assessment to qualify for promotion to fourth grade. The assessment has five levels. Students who score at Level 4 are considered proficient, while Level 5 is considered advanced.
A record 77.3% of third graders passed the initial administration of the third-grade reading assessment given in spring 2025, while the 85% figure was achieved after retesting. In accordance with state law, third graders who do not pass the initial administration of the reading test are given up to two attempts to retest. Students who did not pass the initial reading assessment were retested in early May and in June.
Students who do not pass the test after the final attempt are retained in third grade unless they qualify for one of the good-cause exemptions for certain students with disabilities, students learning English, or students who have been previously retained. Local school districts determine which students who did not pass qualify for an exemption for promotion to fourth grade. Districts also consider their local promotion and retention policies for making determinations.
In an effort to increase literacy outcomes in Mississippi for the 2024-2025 school year, the state did the following:
- Continued providing job-embedded training guided by literacy coaches at Literacy Support Schools
- Expanded opportunities for professional development at the state, district, and school levels
- Supported and promoted the adoption and implementation of High-Quality Instructional Materials
- Increased the number of school and district staff trained in the Science of Reading
- Collaborated with educator preparation programs to integrate Science of Reading training for pre-service teachers
The Literacy-Based Promotion Act, enacted in 2013, was created to help ensure kindergarten through third-grade students develop good reading skills. The law was amended in 2016 to raise the passing score on the third-grade reading test starting in the 2018-19 school year.
