In order to achieve “science of reading” miracles, some southern states aligned their reading tests with the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP). Others retained 3rd-graders; some offered intensive summer instruction. All hired additional reading coaches. While fourth-grade NAEP reading scores improved, eighth-grade scores did not.
Using the Nation’s Report Card, 17% of Mississippi 4th-graders scored at or above NAEP Proficient in 1998 and 31% in 2022; the latter one point above the national average with significantly lower scores for low-income and non-White students. In 1998, 19% of 8th graders scored at or above NAEP Proficient and 22% in 2022; the latter six points below the national average with similar gaps.
Intensive phonics instruction and interventions boosted 4th-grade scores, but students did not make long-term gains once tests became measures of vocabulary and comprehension. Students need a complete literacy learning toolkit focused on making meaning in order to become successful readers.
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Judi Moreillon
Northeast side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
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