In 2019, 34% of Virginia’s Black 4th graders Could Not Read – Mississippi Offers Hope
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27 responses to “In 2019, 34% of Virginia’s Black 4th graders Could Not Read – Mississippi Offers Hope”
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I agree with all that you say. However, you do not go far enough. How did Mississippi teachers achieve these improvements? As I have mentioned before, it was not done overnight and it was not by using the same old methods. The state chose back in 2013 to start training its teachers in the “science of reading.” This approach has been shown by lots of research to be far superior in teaching children to read than the method most commonly used. Most of the state’s teachers and schools of education were unfamiliar with it. But, there is nothing magic or mysterious about it. There are two factors in the science: decoding words and comprehending the meaning of the words once decoded. “Decoding” is another term for an old-fashioned term: phonics. Comprehension involves increasing students’ vocabulary. Once those teachers were trained and started applying the training, the results were obvious to the whole country. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/opinion/mississippi-schools-naep.html
Some observers have pointed out that another factor in the success was a refusal to promote third graders who could not read. The state’s third grade retention rate is the highest in the country. Extra help is provided to those who are struggling, but they are not promoted. https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/mississippi-rising-partial-explanation-its-naep-improvement-it-holds-students
Virginia needs to look at the success of these other states and emulate what they have done. The fourth-grade reading scores are embarrassing. There is a place for equity concerns, but the priority must be put on teaching these children to read. If they can’t read, there is no equity.
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An even deeper dive into Mississippi’s wildly successful literacy program is warranted. Perhaps we should start a go fund me site to pay for UVa’s Ed School barons to go to the Ole Miss Center for Excellence in Literacy Instruction (CELI) for cocktails and a new world view. See CELI http://celi.olemiss.edu/teacher-tools/ I though about putting that in the column but thought I had gone far enough. Maybe not.
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Having lived in MS for six years, I can tell you that were a cavalcade of the progressives who populate UVA’s Ed School were to alight in MS and, with their noses in the air, have cocktails with those educators at CELI, the UVa crowd would return to C’ville only to cackle that their hosts were reactionary racist rubes and rednecks whose accents were laughable. The ex-Curry gang would denigrate any of the CELI’s advances despite the empirical proof, and say they were appalled that their hosts drank bourbon instead of California wines.
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I shared this article with an attorney friend in Mississippi. Here was his response:
” I am on the Board of the Mississippi Health Alliance, which uses public money to better reading, math, and health outcomes. All programs are judged on outcomes, and it has been a leader in convincing the state to base success on measured outcome. The biggest measurement is the third grade reading test. Hard to believe, but the state uses, among other things, the failure rate of the third grade reading test [readiness for 4th grade] even to decide how many prison beds it will need in ten years. Failure to read at grade level after end of third grade is the most accurate predictor of future poverty, future criminal activity, future teen pregnancy, future imprisonment, future drug and alcohol abuse, and others. Glad to see Mississippi recognized for doing something well. “
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It’s not rocket science. One size fits all is a problem. All but one of our children learned whole word and sounding it out. The other, just wired differently…we got hooked on phonics and it was like a switch went off. I can still hear the sing-song cassette tapes doing the alphabet…
But to be passed by Mississippi with a higher “POC” quotient and much lower per capita income proves two things – POC achievement can be had with the same standards and money is not the issue…
My kids are all out now – but I would be one of the home schoolers or private schoolers with what is going on… -
This failure of the Virginia educational hierarchy is beyond shameful. It is vile and disgusting. Children who can’t read in 4th grade, unless they receive intense remedial help, can’t complete most of the next 8 years of classes–if they even remain in school that long. Where are all those equity voices insisting on demographic balance in advanced classes? How can they overlook the fact that children who can’t read at grade level can not do advanced work? Those voices represent the systemic racism failing these children by ignoring their needs in favor of ideology. UVA should be banned from receiving any additional funds for or giving advice on public education until they become part of the solution to the most basic requirement of children being able to read.
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Hopefully Dr Governor et al will make sure 49% of white and asian kids can’t read for Equity’s sake.
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What language? If the reading test were given in Swahili, voila, equal outcome!
It’s not an education problem. It’s a testing problem.
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Apart from foreign language classes, in this state we teach in English and we test in English. When we have a high percentage of children who cannot read English at even the the basic level required to pass an SOL test, then our primary problem is not testing.
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“Since 2013, Mississippi has made unprecedented, best-in-the-nation improvement in the academic achievements…”
Of course they’ve improved. Where else could they have gone?
Added… I don’t know. Would it be better to emulate the State that moves from 50th to 26th or one that, say, moves from 10th to 5th?
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You are an absolute gift, Nancy. I said a prayer that a white progressive would answer this post. And, reliably, here you are.
So let me get this straight, you are riding the test scores of Virginia’s Asian American kids to claim superiority for Virginia over Mississippi, but support policies and legislation to block them from accessing advanced programs and magnet schools because of their, I don’t know, Asian-ness.
You are fine with the fact that half of Virginia Black students can’t read in the fourth grade, but insist on quotas so they can access advanced courses and magnet schools.
You much prefer to “feel” for Black students than actually see them succeed in life.
You are a perfect foil.
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Progressive? Moi? Cynic. No Child Left Behind.
“I said a prayer that a white progressive would answer this post.”
That’s it? So, basically, your entire motive for shoveling this $#!t, in massive quantities, I might add, is in the hopes of inciting an argument? Hmmm. Is that your definition of a SME?
You should buy a boat; a used one would suit your needs.
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In 2019, Mississippi was the only state in the country in which reading scores improved. They must be doing something right.
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Glitch in the tally. Then there was the Houston ISD during the Bush years.
Ah, we need to test. Then, we can use the test results to determine who is doing the better things, unless of course, the tests aren’t as good a measurment as we think they are, in which case we basing our opinions on the noise or the results of flawed tests, assuming of course, that no one is cheating or gaming the system to just improve the scores, so the recommendations are only contributing the variance in the results.
When I see an anomaly, I don’t think, “Ah ha, they’ve solved the problem,” rather I think why is it an anomaly?
We should demand equal outcomes! Unless…
Well, Intelligent Design is science, right?
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I agree with your skepticism relating to standardized tests. But that is what we have to measure progress and also to compare different approaches and areas. I would think that reading tests would be less problematical than math, history, etc. tests. When it comes down to it, the kids have got to know how to read, no matter what kind of test, flawed or not, they are taking.
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I know it makes me appear cynical, but I think MS’s number look good… too good.
Reading is FUNdamental.
This blog is replete with flawed counting by government from Medicare to COVID dead bodies with accusations that everyone is fudging everything, but suddenly Mississippi has discovered the secret? Why, just look at their results. Now, about massive voter fraud…
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I agree with your skepticism relating to standardized tests. But that is what we have to measure progress and also to compare different approaches and areas. I would think that reading tests would be less problematical than math, history, etc. tests. When it comes down to it, the kids have got to know how to read, no matter what kind of test, flawed or not, they are taking.
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“Glitch in the tally.”
Do you have any evidence to back up that assertion?
Consistent improvement over a number of years is not evidence of a glitch, it is evidence of success.
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No more than massive voter fraud requiring laws against giving someone a bottle of water or the need for a separate voter ID but no need for a vaccine record.
“If it seems too good to be true…”
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Reading is the white man’s folly. The negro doesn’t need any reading or writing digging a ditch or picking up my garbage
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Or, we can do what we have always done. Find the best teachers and give them hemlock.
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The Captain is right about the Mississippi LBPA. The key features are:
1. A third grader cannot be promoted to the fourth grade without a passing score.
2. Remediation resources and small class sizes are in place for a struggling third grader.
3. The exemption policy is tightly controlled to limit those who can slip thru the cracks.Virginia once had such a thing. Back in the Doug Wilder era we had a Literacy Passport Test for 8th graders. A passing score would allow a student to proceed to high school. The test revealed how deep Virginia’s literacy chasm was. The state never committed the resources and money for remedial help. The early 1990s recession gutted school funding so the LPT failed and was shoved aside by the George Allen era of SOL testing.
If Virginia was serious as our friends in the Magnolia state are, we could make strides in a hurry.
1. Adopt a similar test for our third graders.
2. Failing students would be required to attend a 6 week/7 hour a day summer remedial program.
3. Retest and promote those who passed.
4. The stragglers: 6 more weeks at the start of 4th grade. Retest and promote.This is not as hard as you think to resolve. The state is flush with education dollars. Teachers would support the summer program if they are compensated properly. All that is needed is the will to move the needle. Well Mr. Northam? How about it? Looking for a real legacy? You still have 289 days to make one. And it will be one all Virginians could be proud of.
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Pay me now, or pay me later.
“Research has consistently shown that kids who are held back are likelier to drop out of school later, but who cares about them? The scores and ratings are everything! Mississippi holds back a higher percentage of third-graders than any other state. How about those numbers!”
And the Fordham paper…
“Adding a little gasolne to the diesel sure makes starting it easier. Now, once I replace the head, it’ll be all fixed.”
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Better to be held back in the 3rd grade for a few months than to be held back for life. Look at another bright side. A retained 3rd grader will be the star of the kick ball team. That was once worth something.
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Yes, yes…
He can add that to the CV, just above “graduated Jr. High”https://www.theclassroom.com/dropout-rates-students-were-retained-12673.html
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Retention for a whole year doesn’t work. But retaining and remediating until the basic skill of reading on grade level may be the answer.
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Anything beyond Summer School will make it something like 70% more likely to dropout. Some website I saw said two years held back is a guaranteed dropout, well 80+%.
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