An Education Success Story

Why we can't say "at least we're not Mississippi!" anymore.

This might be the most import article I've read regarding education so far this year…  The NY Times had an opinion piece May 31 titled "Mississippi Is Offering Lessons for America on Education" which details the plan Mississippi used to raise its reading scores from near the bottom in the nation to the middle of the pack; and to the very top when compared with other children in poverty. It really is a remarkable story and I suggest anyone that is involved in decision making for DPS students read this incredible story of success. 

There's been so much written about Mississippi's reading program, I hope the learning professionals already know the story of how they’ve changed the landscape, causing most of the United State to change their elementary school methodology for teaching reading.  Illinois is again slow to the party and is only now, as I'll discuss later, drafting exploratory legislation (really?), and so I'm going to try to make the point that Decatur Public Schools should not wait for our state to come to terms with this and we should act now.

I'm not going to try to give you all the details - you can find anything you want with a simple google search, but I'm going to touch on some of the key points as they relate to our district, and I'll start with this…  DPS might as well be Mississippi.  Mississippi measures 75% of their students as low income while Decatur had 73% low-income students in 2022.  Additionally, our racial demographics are remarkably similar…

As I mentioned, nearly every state is recognizing some of the aspects of the Mississippi plan, and state legislatures are now forcing changes upon school districts.  Education Week reported that 31 states have passed legislation on evidence-based reading instruction. Many school systems, most recently New York City’s, are implementing the science of reading (phonics) approach, based on the success in Mississippi.

This spring the Illinois general assembly passed a bill that requires the state board to create a literacy plan by Jan. 31, 2024, and to provide training opportunities to teachers that focus on teaching reading differently by 2025. This bill is currently waiting for Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature.   But why should Decatur Public Schools wait?  Our rallying cry should be, "We are Mississippi".   If they can do it, why can't we.

So, how did Mississippi do it?  In 2013 the state legislature passed the Literacy-Based Promotion Act (LBPA) with the following provisions:

1. The requirement that school districts provide intensive reading instruction and intervention to students who are identified as having a reading deficiency. This instruction is designed to help students catch up to their peers and reach grade-level reading proficiency.

2. the third-grade gate: Any child who does not pass a reading test at the end of third grade is held back and must redo the year.

3. The law specifically states that "schools shall use a systematic, explicit, and cumulative phonics instruction program that is research-based and aligned with the state's reading standards." This means that schools must use a program that teaches students the relationship between letters and sounds, and how to use this knowledge to decode words.

4. The establishment of good cause exemptions for students who do not meet the state's reading proficiency standards. These exemptions are available for students who have extenuating circumstances that have prevented them from meeting the standards.

5. The requirement that school districts submit annual reports to parents on their child's progress in reading. These reports provide parents with information about their child's reading skills and progress, and they also help parents to advocate for their child's needs.

Why it works…  Make no mistake, the 3rd grade gate is the primary driver of the plan’s success.  This measure instills a level of accountability that simply would not be present otherwise.  Principals, teachers, and parents are forced to consider every day if their students are learning to read. According to the NY Times article,

Each child’s progress in reading is carefully monitored, and those who lag — as early as kindergarten and ramping up in second and third grades — are given additional tutoring….  Other states, particularly Alabama, have adopted elements of Mississippi’s approach and have improved outcomes — but not nearly as much as Mississippi has. Perhaps that’s because those states’ leaders didn’t work as hard or because Alabama until recently didn’t have a must-pass third grade reading test.

I've never been a big fan of student retention.  The evidence for broader (any grade) retention is mixed and your priors will probably dictate your beliefs on the topic.  My issue has always been simplistic: do we want 15- or 16-year-olds in eighth grade (for example)?  But, specific to Mississippi, a Boston University study this year found that those held back in third grade did not have any negative outcomes such as increased absences or placement in special education programs. On the contrary, they did much better several years later in sixth-grade English tests compared with those who just missed being held back. Gains from being held back were particularly large for Black and Hispanic students.

I searched for other studies regarding retention and came across a 2014 Texas student study that tracked already students and found…

Results consistent with findings from other recent studies which suggest that grade retention in third grade may help increase student achievement.

If you need further evidence that more money is rarely the answer when it comes to student achievement, Mississippi has had success without reducing class sizes - instead choosing to spend money on teacher coaching and student tutoring.  All this success even while the state still ranks 46th in spending per pupil in grades K-12!

If you're on the School Board, or a member of the DPS leadership team, I encourage you to read more on Mississippi and the LBPA legislation, but here are other results that may answer a few nagging questions…

• Mississippi fourth graders have also improved significantly in math. One possible explanation is that some math problems require reading; another is that children try harder in all subjects when they enjoy school.

• The LBPA has been a major driver in lifting Mississippi high school graduation rates. In 2011, 75 percent of students graduated, four percentage points below the national average; by 2020, the state had surpassed the national average of 87 percent by one point.

• And finally, one challenge is that while Mississippi has made enormous gains in early grades, the improvement has been more modest in eighth grade NAEP scores.  This is a little discouraging, but modest gains are still gains, and the state has still made progress in several other areas that help upper grades: getting parents more involved and promoting vocational education, in addition to the rising high school graduation rates.

Let’s not wait for our state to get their act together.  Mississippi is so proud of their success they’ve laid out their plan here for others to follow.  Do you need more evidence, or are you a believer? In the words of Ted Lasso - I Believe!  Let’s go.