University of Mississippi officials and state education leaders credited coordinated policy changes, expanded teacher training and community programs for dramatic gains in early reading across Mississippi.
Mississippi Department of Education data show that in 2025 almost 85 percent of third-graders passed the state reading assessment, and nearly 64 percent of kindergarten students met their target scores at the end of spring 2024. The National Assessment of Educational Progress ranked the state ninth in fourth-grade reading and first for improvement in reading and math scores, officials said.
The gains followed the 2013 Literacy-Based Promotion Act, which requires third-grade students to pass a year-end reading assessment to be promoted to fourth grade and calls for individualized reading plans for kindergarten through third-grade students identified as struggling readers. Angela Rutherford, director of the University of Mississippi’s Center for Excellence in Literacy Instruction, said the law focuses on prevention and accountability.
Rutherford said the center partnered with the Mississippi Department of Education to implement rigorous standards, educator preparation and community involvement. Kim Benton, former deputy superintendent and chief academic officer for the Mississippi Department of Education, said the results stemmed from multiple initiatives working together, including updated college curricula that teach the science of reading and a new elementary licensure requirement specific to reading instruction.
University and school officials pointed to programs that supported classroom teachers and students, including statewide literacy coaches, professional learning, the Campaign for Grade Level Reading and Mission Acceleration, an AmeriCorps-funded tutoring program run by the university’s literacy center. Carlee McAnally, a University of Mississippi graduate and a pre-K teacher, said her training and student-teaching experience prepared her to foster early literacy. Edward Hunter, a recent Ole Miss graduate who volunteered as a tutor, said his work helped students build confidence and a love of learning.
Rutherford said the improvements have become part of the state’s education culture and are expanding into grades four through eight. “The Literacy-Based Promotion Act helped the state enter into a new era where for the first time across the state, we are all on the same page,” she said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
