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Thoughts on the Mississippi Miracle?
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:12 pm
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:12 pm
How much is this an artifact of their apparent policy of keeping the dumb students in 3rd grade until they get passing grades?
Not that that’s a bad policy, but it also can result in kind of artificial gains in test scores for 4th graders. The dumbest 4th grade aged kids (9-10 year olds) aren’t being included in the 4th grade test scores anymore.
Not that that’s a bad policy, but it also can result in kind of artificial gains in test scores for 4th graders. The dumbest 4th grade aged kids (9-10 year olds) aren’t being included in the 4th grade test scores anymore.
This post was edited on 4/23/26 at 3:15 pm
12
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:13 pm to UFFan
apparently all they did was go back to teaching phonics - every state in America should do that
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:18 pm to UFFan
Third grade scores are also up.
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:21 pm to UFFan
quote:
How much is this an artifact of their apparent policy of keeping the dumb students in 3rd grade until they get passing grades?
It is 90% this. They ended social promotion. Kids who can't read don't progress to the grades that have benchmark tests.
Its sound policy but education is no better. Its like if you closed all the private schools in BR then the test scores at all the public schools would improve when those kids started counting.
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:21 pm to UFFan
I don’t believe those numbers at all. Serious book cooking.
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:29 pm to UFFan
Why should a child be promoted to any grade if he/she is not performing on the current grade level? When I was growing up, students were “held back” periodically and it was for the student’s own good.
Nowadays everybody gets a trophy….except in Mississippi!
Nowadays everybody gets a trophy….except in Mississippi!
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:34 pm to Spankum
Holding more kids back probably is a good policy, but it can result in a largely artificial improvement in 4th grade scores. (4th and 8th grade are the 2 grades that are tested for public school rankings.)
Basically, even if the teaching quality in elementary school in Mississippi hasn’t improved one iota, you’d get gains in test scores just due to the fact that the dumbest 4th grade aged children in Mississippi are still in 3rd grade, and thus aren’t being included in 4th grade test scores.
Basically, even if the teaching quality in elementary school in Mississippi hasn’t improved one iota, you’d get gains in test scores just due to the fact that the dumbest 4th grade aged children in Mississippi are still in 3rd grade, and thus aren’t being included in 4th grade test scores.
This post was edited on 4/23/26 at 3:41 pm
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:41 pm to LuckySo-n-So
quote:
I don’t believe those numbers at all.
Blind, cynical ignorance. Spend 10 seconds googling the issue and you'll get the explanation.
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:43 pm to UFFan
3rd grade test scores are also up too. Really the big hold back grade now is 1st. In our elementary school we have a boatload of kids that are being held back this year because they haven't shown the commiserate level to be promoted.
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:44 pm to Joshjrn
He's a Hodor so it's expected
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:45 pm to UFFan
quote:
you’d get gains in test scores just due to the fact that the dumbest 4th grade aged children in Mississippi are still in 3rd grade, and thus aren’t being included in 4th grade test scores.
Well, unless I misunderstood, those students that are held back a year would just go into fourth grade a year later after they have learned the required material. They are not excluded, because eventually everyone must pass the 3rd grade and be tested in the fourth grade.
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:46 pm to UFFan
Why would you send kids to the next grade if they haven't passed the previous grade in the first place?
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:47 pm to chryso
No Child Left Behind
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:48 pm to BlackAdam
quote:
Its sound policy but education is no better. Its like if you closed all the private schools in BR then the test scores at all the public schools would improve when those kids started counting.
Exactly "bad" public schools in LA is a self fulfilling prophecy. Between private, magnet, charter, and homeschool. Who is left to take the standardized test and represent a full cross section of society?
Posted on 4/23/26 at 3:53 pm to UFFan
A lot of MS public school parents complained that most 3rd grade classes in public schools, especially inner city schools, focused their entire year preparing students to take these standardized tests instead of actually teaching 3rd grade educational curriculum.
Posted on 4/23/26 at 4:02 pm to UFFan
When you stop teaching bullshite and actually encourage learning, kids learn.
Posted on 4/23/26 at 4:05 pm to chryso
quote:
Why would you send kids to the next grade if they haven't passed the previous grade in the first place?
Exactly…it should not take standardized testing to force this.
Posted on 4/23/26 at 4:14 pm to UFFan
It's pretty simple really and shows how big a failure government run education is on an aggregate scale. Learn to read or you don't go to the 4th grade. A person doesn't have to 'know' math so long as you can type numbers into a calculator. Science, History and Social Studies become more like hobbies and interests as you age if you don't work within those fields. A person cannot effectively communicate and be a net benefit to society in the United States of America if they cannot read and write/type.
I want them to change the name of the program and make a huge push for it nationwide. Something like, 'Learn to Read, Stupid'
I want them to change the name of the program and make a huge push for it nationwide. Something like, 'Learn to Read, Stupid'
Posted on 4/23/26 at 4:29 pm to UFFan
quote:
Basically, even if the teaching quality in elementary school in Mississippi hasn’t improved one iota, you’d get gains in test scores just due to the fact that the dumbest 4th grade aged children in Mississippi are still in 3rd grade, and thus aren’t being included in 4th grade test scores.
So this is about where the test scores would have always been if they had only moved kids up based on merit?
Posted on 4/23/26 at 4:31 pm to Lokistale
quote:
A lot of MS public school parents complained that most 3rd grade classes in public schools, especially inner city schools, focused their entire year preparing students to take these standardized tests instead of actually teaching 3rd grade educational curriculum.
Circular argument.
If the test requires knowledge of all the subject areas to pass, then by definition the subjects must be taught. There is no "teaching to the test" in basic 3rd grade subjects that they shouldn't be learning anyway.
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