MS ranks the top across the country for improvement in reading scores

WINSTON COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Mississippi is making some strides in public education.

The National Center for Education Statistics said Mississippi showed the highest improvement across the country for fourth-grade reading scores.

The Magnolia State has earned a new distinction. In the 2019 National Assessment for Education Progress report, Mississippi was the only state to see improvement in fourth-grade reading scores.

“You get tired of being last in everything you get tired of being last in everything except good stuff and the bad stuff because we’re always first in the worst but it’s really good and exciting to be number one in growth as far as education,” said Louisville Elementary Principal Ryan Thompson

Thompson said to make everyone better you have to make each one better.

“We’re discussing individual students, we’re going over grades, we’re going over their target deficit areas and how can we help to influence these students what can we do. Is it a phone call home? Is it because we need glasses? All kinds of different things we try to run through and change the scenario to better our students,” said Thompson.

Back in 1992, Mississippi scored 16 points under the national average.

Now, the state has surpassed the average with 32% of students testing proficient or higher in reading.

Superintendent of Louisville Schools Randy Grierson said his district has a lot of support, and that goes a long way.

“I think across the state with different resources that have been available and the different programs that we have been able to utilize, not only here but across the state have been has helped that. I think it’s something we got to build on. you set a foundation you keep building on it for 5th grade, 6th grade, and 3rd. It takes everybody, it takes the home, it takes the parent, it takes the community, it takes everyone to make these strides,” said Grierson.

“You didn’t have an adaptive program, you had teachers that taught reading and that was it. Now you have different levels resources that provide teachers the opportunity to reach down at those lower levels,” said Grierson.

“As long as Mississippi continues to be specific to each child, we’ll get there,” said Thompson.

The state of Mississippi also saw growth in fourth and eighth-grade math scores.