Mississippi’s fourth-grade reading and math scores have improved on the latest Nation’s Report Card, bucking a national trend of declines.
Mississippi’s scores remain near the bottom on fourth- and eighth-grade tests of reading and math. However, Mississippi was the only state to show significant improvement since 2013 in both reading and math scores among fourth-graders.
These results, from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, were released Wednesday. The exams, given to a cross-section of students nationwide, are considered one of the most reliable ways of comparing academic performance across the state.
That same report shows that Tennessee has seen little to no change in fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading scores over the last two years.
Shelby County Schools leaders met with the governor and education commissioner in Cordova on Wednesday to break down the numbers.
State officials said the news is still positive, as many states declined in the four categories while Tennessee remained roughly the same. State Education Commissioner Candice McQueen pointed out that sustaining similar scores bettered Tennessee’s rankings in some areas because other states slipped.
For the first time ever, Tennessee scored in the top half of states in one area, nabbing 25th in fourth-grade math.
“We were a state that was 48 in almost every category,” McQueen said, fighting back tears.
Gov. Bill Haslam said the state was able to retain its gains made in scores from 2011 to 2013 and backs the claim Tennessee is one of the fastest improving states in K-12 education in the nation. Still, he said there is more work to do.
“We still have progress that we want to make, particularly fourth-grade reading is a concern to us,” Haslam said.
For more information about the results, see the Nation’s Report Card website.
