Featured projects → Retention, Early Literacy, and the “Mississippi Miracle”

Past project: 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.

Photo of kindergarten students reading a book

The challenge

Too many young students across the country struggle to read. In response, more than a dozen states have adopted policies that require third graders to meet a minimum score on a state reading test before moving on to fourth grade. Research on these policies in other states shows generally positive effects, and Mississippi, which adopted its policy in 2013 as part of a broader literacy effort, has seen remarkable improvement in reading outcomes.

States around the country are now looking to the “Mississippi Miracle” for guidance on improving their own students’ reading. As they consider similar approaches, policymakers need rigorous, credible research on what worked in Mississippi and how large the effects were.

Our work

A decade after Mississippi adopted its policy, enough data existed to measure its effects on the students it reached. WEPC researchers studied students who were in third grade in 2014-15, the first group affected by the policy, and followed them through sixth grade. They compared students who scored just above the cutoff for promotion with those who scored just below it.

With this data, our researchers looked at the following questions:

How did repeating third grade affect students’ reading scores in sixth grade?
How did it affect students’ math scores, attendance, and likelihood of being placed in special education?

Results

Repeating the third grade under Mississippi’s policy led to some of the largest reading gains ever measured in rigorous education research.

By sixth grade, retained students far outperformed peers who barely passed, with reading gains about three times larger than those from Florida’s similar policy. Black and Hispanic/Latinx students saw the biggest benefits, and retention had no negative effect on math scores, attendance, or special education placement.

The findings gave states strong evidence that retention paired with intensive reading support can deliver lasting gains without hurting students in other areas.

___LZSettings_N4IghgrgLg9gwgJxgBxALigiBTANCAYxgBtjsCoBLGAOwEkATdEANgE42WBWABgBYARgA4ufUWACMHCQHY2XNnwBMIfEVLkqtACoBPZNnQS1JCAFsaAdUoMoAC3RKJPfA2wBnSgHMazYpXcoVRAAM0piKGwEdFAoMC9mADFsMCgIBGwGAAJkJAArTSyAWiyMyJotXzVU7C8YBF10GghSAF98L2hI6LQWFxA7FLcEbWwADyC0EGDKM3jsAEF3AwoAJVTqZgkAOhk9oWD-LzsoARgx9BCwYnc8EH9AujmvRaOaM2wKv2wQoPwHqBPeYAZUoAC9DGgAMz9D5xBipMAABRgnkqzDAZwAbtgilQoGRgmZKGNMnBaOVJpgcPhkCDwZCYbSELMwA0ALLYeGI5g0WiGZkwBgQCgARQglAIAGsAGqUbAAdwAojRMWQmGgrjc7rciDQERyuWAEXFefzgu47DBlWMCFFkJMtbd8JbrUiwIEAPIIACqyCIxJoXiVOIq7mYEH9MEDCRdVoVSJZdvQ1J18dWQ3Z9WwABlKDQpZdrs6QK6Fdo7OYBKrwimsGnrdpKATIamXf43O4kVFVtb0FD8JEJgs3h8vlMyL9gkOoKCIcwPgxKOZpwgwDR3CF6mZw2hQEg4ui9yAwTEQFjrjh0P0IDRm8w3AlWu1SwRrpDQBdjxfiFe0M4bzvSYQAAUhAF9Gm-S9IQA-Bb3vKYwOffAUDAAhm0g0Afz-WCQHg4CkJQkIQluSZPzPbDIUAhCQGQC4IIo6DrzgoDmDo8CX3qbx8zPL8sKYtBeBYmjCJATDzwEoS8NYxCOJdKVFV4xjfyo4TgMfcD8HEyjmOkmiNOfF911ZSpdwAbQAXXwT41VzMAwUgp07muYgQ0+KBdyc-Bm2wHc6BoXsFX7QdbKgclfwsXclBCgQyCgABxLookcWEYAEcJsHC8wNyMfAzDSjLEqgbpdOIGBjRHYhvXdBJNWLO4yuNGrsDnSE+HwBU12QOhIh3ax7DzAsi21F16lncw5gaHrfN3EA+SKdwxoteNgTsNlsAAIS6WhZr5Vb1uCARto3Og9RHbx3nc5g7QqZL8CO4qdtO2hWuYdw5lIQ7jvcZ6aHC+pmFitDC3u77fuBKBdEJKZ3AARwgdaijOBBhmCY0GDgVJtHiOBiA9W5dvNEwNAoagaB9BBiGYAB6GhFXDfAMmuDayulRhAdZqUihkLgQiUKEBDYAQBAkAgCB4BgCChbAZAkFRWiAA