Mississippi’s gains on reading tests highlight Hazlehurst Elementary’s improvement

Mississippi has climbed national reading rankings since 2013, and Hazlehurst Elementary School, outside Jackson, has posted measurable gains: the share of students reading on grade level rose from about 12 percent a decade ago to roughly 35 percent today, the New York Times reports.

The state’s strategy includes sending literacy and math coaches into low-performing elementary schools, adopting the science of reading, setting higher academic standards and assigning A-to-F school letter grades. Mississippi measures student growth toward proficiency and gives schools credit for improvement, with double credit for gains by students in the bottom 25 percent.

The state vets curricula used by most districts and has standardized instruction — at Hazlehurst teachers now use the myView Literacy curriculum and devote up to two hours a day to reading plus 30 minutes of catch-up time. Hazlehurst’s gains have come amid persistent poverty and other challenges: more than half of its children live in poverty, the student body is mostly Black or Hispanic, and the school struggles with teacher inexperience and students with disabilities.

State supports include a literacy coach who co-teaches and provides feedback, and policies such as screening children early, investing in pre-K and holding back third graders who cannot read well.

Key Topics

Politics, Hazlehurst Elementary, Mississippi, Literacy Coach, Myview Literacy