Mississippi lawmakers, educators target achievement gap as older students lag behind

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi fourth graders have led the nation in gains in reading and math scores, but eighth graders and high schoolers sit near the bottom in certain categories. Lawmakers and educators have drawn up plans to prevent setbacks but need help from parents.

Since 2013, students completing fourth grade have taken Mississippi from 49th and 50th in reading and math scores to ninth and 16th.

“What we see is that students do really well in those earlier grades and then in those pre-teen years, we see some of those grades dip,” State Sen. Nicole Boyd said.

High school scores lag

The biggest drop is with the ACT.

According to ACT.org, in 2024, Mississippi ranked 49th in average scores out of all states and Washington D.C.

Students earned an average of 17.7. Only 17% of test takers met the math and science benchmark and 27% met the reading benchmark.

In total, only 1% of graduates in 2024 statewide took this test.

Eighth graders are also performing below the national average according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, sitting at 41st in reading and 35th in math scores nationally.

“One way that we can change that is provide students opportunities to learn and read things that they’re interested in and not make it punitive,” said Tiffany Cline, director of library services with Jackson Public Schools.

New screening requirements

This upcoming school year, children have more options.

Boyd, who sits on the Education Committee, helped pass a law requiring elementary and middle school students to undergo three math and reading check-ups each year.

The screenings from Senate Bill 2294 place students who fall behind on an individual plan to learn at their own pace with a coach.

“By doing these screeners and really finding out where children are, that will empower parents with more information,” Boyd said. “To really help and assess their kid when they need to have a little bit more support.”

“If we address those issues then, when they get into our upper grades, they are not learning to read; they are reading to learn,” Cline said. “So, now they’re able to comprehend and understand what they’re reading better.”

Summer learning

Summertime can allow children to slip in remembering what they learned last year. Some local students shared how they stay on track for fall.

“We have to read a book for 30 minutes and work on a summer packet for 30 minutes,” Major Marshall said.

“Studying my math problems and making sure I get a good education, get my reading skills up and stuff,” Baleigh Wollfolk said.

“Especially if I practice over the summer, it will be a lot easier to get the work done and understand it more,” Kailee Partee said.

The new tools from state lawmakers will also be available for students taking computer science and personal financial classes in the school years to come in 2027 through 2029.

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