If there was an instruction manual to spark a meteoric rise in reading comprehension, Kansans might look southeast to the state of Mississippi.
Dubbed the “Mississippi Miracle,” the state earned nationwide attention when its K-12 achievement rankings rose from 50th in 2013 to 35th in 2021. Even though some Mississippi children who experience poverty or demonstrate low literacy rates still struggle, they continue to make progress.
Mississippi has changed the state’s trajectory away from a long history of poor academic performance to a brighter future through political will, elevated expectations, and bold initiatives. By focusing on closing the 4th grade reading achievement gap between students in low-income families and their wealthier peers, the state and schools sought reform, not the status quo, including passing educational reform laws, and embracing new teaching and screening practices.
Now, let’s consider and rate how Mississippi and Kansas compare with actions to improve literacy scores using a simple thumbs up or thumbs down gesture.
Mississippi has attributed success to passing the Literacy- Based Promotion Act in 2013, a law that using phonics and early screening to help struggling children. The LBPA required students to score at a minimum level of proficiency — a level of two out of five — in reading comprehension.
According to Just Right Reader, Kansas has also passed laws and policies on evidence-based reading practices in schools. These include requirements regarding instructional materials, coaching and professional development, teachers’ certifications, and assessments and interventions.
In this case, both states have passed laws dictating reform, so they both receive a thumbs up.
Next, let’s look at reading and literacy reform. In Mississippi, thousands of teachers learned the “Science of Reading,” which, in simple terms, examines what works and what doesn’t when teaching reading and gives teachers the tools they need to improve literacy outcomes for students through screenings and interventions. To ensure support for teachers, the state dispatched literacy coaches to help teachers implement the training, especially in low-performing schools.
Kansas has undertaken a major effort to improve student readiness, with a particular focus on the early years and students with dyslexia. Like Mississippi, Kansas mandates the use of “Science of Reading” principles in its literacy instruction. The state also requires all accredited schools to use evidence-based methodologies fully aligned with the “Science of Reading,” through a Structured Literacy approach outlined in the Kansas Education Framework for Literacy.
Yet, according to this May 2023 Kansas Association of School Boards report, the percentage of students scoring at Level 3, considered “effective” ability for post-secondary readiness, has dropped. Obviously, teachers want to do their absolute best to teach and their students to learn, but this report states that many teachers still have not been exposed to the Science of Reading evidence. It’s been said, “If children can’t read by third grade, you’ve lost them,” emphasizing the critical nature of early literacy development and the potential challenges that arise if reading skills aren’t established early.
Led by researchers at Stanford and Harvard, this new analysis of standardized test score data shows that changes in average reading achievement scores were negative in Kansas between 2019-2023, which is unacceptable. Some may argue that this statistic reflects the number of students who fell behind during the pandemic, leaving many students not achieving age-related reading scores, according to multiple research studies, and that’s a good point.
To stem the loss, the government provided $200 billion in ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) funding for school districts to bounce back. In many cases, the extra funding paid for more teachers and teaching tools. We must remember, though, that it was a one-time shot in the educational arm. Schools can no longer depend on the additional funding.
In this case, only Mississippi gets a thumbs up, but Kansas does not. This is not acceptable.
Let’s ignite our passion to improve literacy rates in Kansas by replicating Mississippi’s lessons and committing to embrace bold, evidence-based initiatives to pull off a miracle of our own.
Torree Pederson is president of Aligned, a nonprofit, nonpartisan business group working in Kansas and Missouri to remove educational barriers impacting the full development of our children, supporting child care providers, and investing in the workforce of tomorrow.
