Eighty-five percent of Mississippi third graders passed the state’s reading assessment for the 2024–25 school year, the Mississippi Department of Education announced Thursday.
The pass rate is up slightly from 84% in the 2023–24 school year and includes results from students who completed final retests in June.
The reading test is part of the state’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act, which requires third graders to score at least a Level 3 on the English Language Arts assessment to advance to fourth grade. The test includes five performance levels, with Level 4 considered proficient and Level 5 advanced.
A record 77.3% of students passed the test on the first attempt in spring 2025. Those who did not pass were given up to two additional chances to retest in May and June.
Students who fail all three attempts may be retained in third grade unless they qualify for a good cause exemption. These exemptions apply to certain students with disabilities, English learners, or those previously retained. Local school districts determine eligibility and make final promotion decisions based on district policies.
To support literacy growth, the department continued job-embedded coaching in Literacy Support Schools, expanded professional development, promoted high-quality instructional materials, and increased training in the Science of Reading. It also partnered with teacher preparation programs to train future educators in evidence-based reading practices.
The Literacy-Based Promotion Act was enacted in 2013 and amended in 2016 to raise the passing score beginning in the 2018–19 school year.
District-level results are available in the Literacy-Based Promotion Act Annual Report at mdek12.org/publicreporting/Reports.