Ariel Brown looked out at the group of third-grade students in front of her. It was the first day of the week and the first time she introduced sequencing.
“How do you get ready for school in the morning?” she asked.
Hands went up in front of her. After listening to a few answers, she offered out of order scenarios like rinsing their mouth before brushing their teeth or putting on shoes before socks. The students shook their heads letting Brown know that those ways would not work.
“You were giving me your morning in sequential order,” she said. “You were putting it in order so that I know how it’s done.”
Brown’s third-grade English Language Arts classes at Gary Road Elementary, like others across the state, are assessed each year for reading proficiency before students can move to the fourth grade. Gary Road showed an increase in the percentage of students scoring advanced on the state’s third-grade reading-score results released this August 17, 2023.
“(My principal) personally sent me a text and let me know that I had some kids that were like level three, which we call like our bubble kids, that definitely moved to like four and five,” she told the Mississippi Free Press. “So four would be proficient which is where we want all kids to be at and then level five is advanced.”
Years of Hard Work and Slow Progress
The release of the state’s test scores last week showed continued improvement across grade levels and subject areas. Mississippi has made headlines across the country for what is being lauded as the “Mississippi Miracle.” Between 1992 and 2019, Mississippi made a 20 point gain in the National Assessment of Education Progress or NAEP average scale scoreWith the release of the 2022 report card, the state has narrowly risen above the NAEP national average.
NAEP provides results on student achievement, instructional experiences, and school-environment factors for the nation, states and participating urban districts. The United States Department of Education is given a sample of schools whose students reflect the varying demographics of the state or jurisdiction.
Read original article by clicking here.