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WEPC evaluated the effects of Mississippi’s “Read by Grade 3” test-based promotion policy on students’ test scores and non-test-score outcomes.
Under Mississippi’s “Read by Grade 3” test-based promotion policy, third-grade students who score below a particular threshold on the state’s standardized reading exam are retained unless they qualify for certain exemptions. Replicating Dr. Marcus Winters’s previous work evaluating Florida’s test-based promotion policy, WEPC studied the causal impact of Mississippi’s policy on students’ later test scores, absences, and special education status.
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Retention, early literacy, and the “Mississippi Miracle” →
How an in-depth examination of data from Mississippi by WEPC faculty led to a deeper understanding of one of the most talked about education stories.
The findings gave states strong evidence that retention paired with intensive reading support can deliver lasting gains without hurting students in other areas.
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