A new report from Boston University’s Wheelock Educational Policy Center found that students retained in the third grade under Mississippi’s test-based promotion law attained higher English language arts (ELA) scores over time.
Researchers reviewed ELA scores and later academic outcomes from the first cohort of third graders promoted and retained under Mississippi’s literacy law, comparing the results between students narrowly promoted to the fourth grade and students narrowly retained in the third grade.
The study showed that, by sixth grade, students who only just fell short of the promotion benchmark had substantial and sustained literacy gains on their ELA scores compared to their peers who made the fourth-grade promotion cut-off. These literacy gains were especially significant among Black and Hispanic students. Students who were retained did not appear to experience other negative consequences as a result of retention. Results from Mississippi also indicate that the state’s retention law had no significant impact on student absences or special education identification in the sixth grade.
“The results in Mississippi are undeniable. By committing to this most critical, fundamental skill of early literacy mastery, Mississippi is preparing students for long-term academic success. Other states can follow Mississippi’s example by adopting comprehensive early literacy policy that requires high quality instruction grounded in the science of reading, provides intensive intervention for struggling readers and ensures students are given the extra time they need to achieve proficiency before moving on to 4th grade.”
Patricia Levesque, CEO ExcelinEd
Mississippi first committed to improving early literacy through test-based promotion policies in 2013 with the adoption of the Literacy-Based Promotion Act. This comprehensive statewide law overhauled Mississippi’s early literacy approach by focusing on the science of reading and eliminating the state’s social promotion practices. As a result, Mississippi third graders must demonstrate grade-level literacy proficiency through statewide assessments before progressing to the fourth grade.
Previous research has shown that without a basic mastery of early literacy, students in fourth grade and above struggle to stay on track in their other courses and are less likely to graduate from high school.
Mississippi’s early literacy efforts are deeply rooted in the science of reading, a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to literacy instruction that focuses on foundational literacy skills. This approach results in dramatically higher student outcomes than now-debunked strategies, such as the three-cueing method that teaches students to simply rely on “context clues” rather than actively decoding unfamiliar words. The science of reading teaches students to build a foundation in phonics and comprehension.
A comprehensive review of best practices in early literacy is available at earlyliteracymatters.org.
