Ocean Springs, Stone County lead state in third-grade reading test scores
More elementary school students passed the third-grade reading test this year than last, according to results released Thursday by the Mississippi Department of Education, but a new test was used this year.
The Literacy-Based Promotion Act, passed in 2013, requires third-graders to pass a reading assessment to show they are ready for fourth grade.
The percentage of students with passing grades statewide increased 5 points from last year — from 87 to 92 percent, according to MDE. Last year, the rate rose 2 percentage points from 85 percent in 2014-15.
On the Coast, most districts surpassed the statewide rate. Six of the 15 South Mississippi school districts had 95 percent of students or more pass the test.
The Ocean Springs and Stone County school districts were in the top 10 performing districts in the state. Every elementary school in both districts had at least 95 percent of students with passing grades. MDE did not release exact percentages for schools with a 95 percent or higher passing rate, but did for those with lower percentages.
Third-grade students in the Gulfport, Jackson County, Pass Christian and Pascagoula-Gautier school districts also had a 95 percent or more pass rate.
The Biloxi, Harrison County, Long Beach and Picayune school districts were close behind with 94 or 95 percent of students passing.
Every South Mississippi school district except Hancock County and Moss Point had a higher pass rate than the state as a whole.
Hancock County was only 0.1 percent lower, at 91.9 percent. Moss Point had an 86.8 percent passing rate, the lowest on the Coast.
Other than Stone County and Ocean Springs, Jackson County and Picayune were the only other Coast districts with most of their schools at or above 95 percent passing.
The state requires a student who fails — or scores at the lowest achievement level — to repeat third grade unless the student meets a good-cause exemption. Next year, the state will require that students score above the lowest two achievement levels in order to move on to the fourth grade, instead of just the very lowest level.
This school year, the reading portion of the Mississippi Assessment Program English Language Arts was used to determine third-grade promotion. In the previous two school years, a reading test developed by Renaissance Learning was used. Both tests assess the Mississippi College and Career Ready Standards of reading for foundational skills, informational text, literature and language, MDE said.
Students are given three opportunities to pass the test. Those who did not pass the first test will be retested this week. The final retest opportunity will take place between June 26 and Aug. 4.
Justin Vicory: 228-896-2326, @justinvicory
Third-grade reading test results
Schools and districts | Percent of passing students | Number of students |
Bay St. Louis Waveland School District | 92.1% | 126 |
North Bay Elementary School | 92.1% | 126 |
Biloxi School District | 94.6% | 520 |
Gorenflo Elementary School | 89.7% | 107 |
Jefferson Davis Elementary School | 94.5% | 145 |
North Bay Elementary School | ≥95% | 144 |
Popps Ferry Elementary School | ≥95% | 124 |
George County School District | 90.3% | 310 |
Agricola Elementary School | 93.2% | 73 |
Benndale Elementary School | 90.3% | 31 |
Central Elementary School | 90.8% | 76 |
LC Hatcher Elementary School | 87.3% | 71 |
Rocky Creek Elementary School | 89.8% | 59 |
Gulfport School District | ≥95% | 613 |
Anniston Avenue Elementary School | ≥95% | 114 |
Bayou View Elementary School | ≥95% | 112 |
Central Elementary School | 88.9% | 81 |
Gaston Point Elementary School | 93.5% | 62 |
Pass Road Elementary School | ≥95% | 90 |
Twenty-Eighth Street Elementary School | 94.3% | 70 |
West Elementary School | ≥95% | 84 |
Hancock County School District | 91.9% | 357 |
East Hancock Elementary School | ≥95% | 116 |
Hancock North Central Elementary School | 93.4% | 76 |
South Hancock Elementary School | 82.6% | 109 |
West Hancock Elementary School | ≥95% | 56 |
Harrison County School District | 94.4% | 1,259 |
Bel Aire Elementary School | 94.4% | 107 |
Crossroads Elementary School | 90.4% | 94 |
D’Iberville Elementary School | ≥95% | 195 |
Harrison Central Elementary School | 92.1% | 152 |
Lizanna Elementary School | 91.8% | 73 |
Lyman Elementary School | ≥95% | 79 |
North Woolmarket Elementary and Middle School | ≥95% | 93 |
Pineville Elementary School | ≥95% | 23 |
River Oaks Elementary School | 89.3% | 103 |
Saucier Elementary School | 93.7% | 63 |
Three Rivers Elementary School | 93.8% | 97 |
West Wortham Elementary and Middle School | ≥95% | 116 |
Woolmarket Elementary School | ≥95% | 64 |
Jackson County School District | ≥95% | 742 |
East Central Upper Elementary School | ≥95% | 201 |
St. Martin East Elementary School | ≥95% | 195 |
St. Martin North Elementary School | ≥95% | 171 |
Vancleave Upper Elementary | 94.3% | 175 |
Long Beach School District | 94.8% | 268 |
Thomas L Reeves Elementary School | 92.1% | 126 |
WJ Quarles Elementary School | ≥95% | 142 |
Moss Point School District | 86.8% | 151 |
Moss Point Escatawpa Upper Elementary | 86.8% | 151 |
Ocean Springs School District | ≥95% | 432 |
Magnolia Park Elementary School | ≥95% | 150 |
Oak Park Elementary School | ≥95% | 141 |
Pecan Elementary School | ≥95% | 140 |
Pascagoula-Gautier School District | ≥95% | 554 |
Arlington Heights Elementary School | 91.3% | 69 |
Beach Elementary School | ≥95% | 22 |
Central Elementary School | ≥95% | 42 |
Cherokee Elementary School | 91.9% | 62 |
College Park Elementary School | 90.3% | 62 |
Eastlawn Elementary School | 94.7% | 57 |
Gautier Elementary School | ≥95% | 86 |
Jackson Elementary School | 94.3% | 53 |
Lake Elementary School | 88.2% | 17 |
Martin Bluff Elementary School | ≥95% | 84 |
Pass Christian School District | ≥95% | 157 |
DeLisle Elementary School | ≥95% | 62 |
Pass Christian Elementary School | 94.7% | 95 |
Pearl River County School District | 93.6% | 236 |
Pearl River Central Upper Elementary | 93.6% | 236 |
Picayune School District | 94.5% | 253 |
Nicholson Elementary School | ≥95% | 47 |
Roseland Park Elementary School | ≥95% | 67 |
South Side Elementary School | 91.5% | 71 |
West Side Elementary School | ≥95% | 68 |
Stone County School District | ≥95% | 198 |
Perkinston Elementary School | ≥95% | 77 |
Stone Elementary School | ≥95% | 121 |
This story was originally published May 18, 2017 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Ocean Springs, Stone County lead state in third-grade reading test scores."