The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows that many Mississippi K-12 students are bucking national academic improvement trends.
The biannual NAEP, also known as The Nation’s Report Card, measures comparative academic achievement of U.S. fourth and eighth grade students. In the most recent report, results show Mississippi fourth graders lead the country in progress since 2013, ranking No. 1 for score improvements in reading and math over the last 11 years.
Data also shows the Magnolia State’s highest rates ever of students scoring proficient or advanced in all four tested grades and subjects in both fourth and eighth grade reading and math. Mississippi is one of just 13 states with gains in fourth grade math, while eighth graders in the state worked against a national trend of regression by holding steady since 2013.
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“The 2024 results prove that the education reforms the state has been implementing over the past decade work. They also validate the historic gains Mississippi students first showed in 2019,” Dr. Lance Evans, State Superintendent of Education, said. “When we keep academic standards high, focus intensely on literacy, and ensure a strong accountability system for schools and districts, student achievement improves.”
As Dr. Evans alluded to, three major pieces of education reform legislation were passed in 2013, establishing the state’s first state-funded pre-K program, making reading instruction a primary focus in pre-K through grade three, and mandating schools and districts to earn annual A-F grades based on student progress and achievement.
Before those reforms were enacted, Mississippi fourth graders ranked No. 49 in the U.S. for NAEP reading scores and No. 50 for NAEP math. Today, NAEP’s rankings rank Mississippi fourth grade reading scores No. 9 nationally, with math scores at No. 16.
While eighth grade reading scores continue to rank below the national average, students have progressed nine spots in the national reading rankings and 14 spots in U.S. math scores amidst a trend of decline across the country.
“This is another massively historic win for education in Mississippi. Mississippi fourth graders aren’t just one of the best in reading and math gains – they’re the best in the nation. And when you look at the historic performance of Mississippi’s eighth graders, as well as African American and Hispanic students, it’s undeniable that something special is happening in classrooms all across our state,” Governor Tate Reeves said following the report.
“Thank you to all of the parents, teachers, and students for once again making history! Keep up the good work!”
Recent initiatives from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) are aimed at boosting student achievement by deploying math coaches to strengthen classroom instruction and providing support for educators to identify and implement high-quality instruction materials. The math coaching initiative mirrors MDE’s proven literacy coach model. MDE is also launching an adolescent literacy initiative targeting further improvement among grades 4-8.
“While Mississippi has made tremendous progress, we need to build upon our momentum to close achievement gaps and ensure all students are proficient,” Dr. Evans continued. “We have more work to do, particularly in middle school.”
Progress reflected in the NAEP is also supported by statewide assessments. Since the assessments of Mississippi students were first administered in 2016, the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on state assessments has jumped from 32.6% to 47.8% in English Language Arts and from 31.1% to 56.3% in mathematics.
Mississippi’s 2024 NAEP highlights:
- Highest-ever rate of students scoring proficient or advanced in all four tests: 4th and 8th grade reading and math
- No. 1 in the nation for achieving highest score increases in 4th grade reading and math since 2013
- No. 9 in the nation for overall 4th grade reading scores and No. 16 for 4th grade math scores(up from No. 49 and No. 50 in 2013)
- African American4th graders rank No. 3 among their peers nationally for reading and math scores
- Hispanic4th graders rank No. 1 among their peers nationally for reading scores and No. 2 for math scores
- Economically disadvantaged 4th graders rank No. 1 in the nation among their peers in reading and No. 2 for math.
- 8th grade scores hold steady since 2013 as scores nationally dropped
- Mississippi is one of only 13 states with gains in 4th grade math, which is the only subject and grade nationally that showed statistically significant improvements since 2022
The full national NAEP results can be found here.
