Miss. Department of Education reports record assessment scores

• The assessments are used to drive future instruction in the classroom as efforts continue to increase student achievement in Mississippi.

Scores on the state’s Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) have soared above pre-pandemic levels, indicating growth in Mississippi’s K-12 schools. Overall results from the 2023-2024 school year show record proficiency in major subject areas for the Magnolia State’s students.

“The exciting news is that our students continue to show progress from 2022 and Mississippi is doing very well in rebounding and having our proficiency rates remain in an upward trajectory since the pandemic,” Dr. Paula Vanderford, Mississippi Department of Education’s Chief Accountability Officer, informed the Board during Thursday’s meeting.

According to MDE, overall scores in English Language Arts, math and science have reached all-time highs, while a slight decrease was noted in U.S. History scores. 

Who takes the MAAP tests?

MAAP tests are given to students attending grades 3 through 8 as well as high schoolers. Students in 3rd through 8th grade are tested in the areas of English Language Arts and math, while students in 5th and 8th grades are additionally tested on their knowledge of science. High school students are provided end of course assessments in the subject areas of Algebra I, English II, and U.S. History. 

“These assessments are designed to inform parents of how well their students are doing as well as to drive instruction in the classrooms,” Vanderford added. 

For the 2023-2024 school year, overall results show 56.3 percent of students scored proficient in math, 47.8 scored proficient in ELA and 63.4 percent showed proficiency in science. Those results were an all-time high for the state, Vanderford said.

The only decrease was seen in U.S. History, where 70.9 percent of 2023-2024’s students received a proficient score compared to 71.4 percent of students in the 2022-2023 school year. 

“Parents, students, and teachers continue to make history in the classroom, and they are helping to uplift our entire state” said Governor Tate Reeves in a statement. “Mississippi is growing stronger in virtually every area, and education is no exception. I’m proud of the work our state has done to get us to today. We’ll continue doing everything we can to prepare Mississippi kids for meaningful careers after graduation.” 

The tests reveal trends in student performance

In 2018-2019 – prior to the COVID pandemic – 47.4 percent of students showed proficiency in math. That statistic dropped to 35.1 percent in 2021 at the height of the pandemic’s effects on schools. ELA scores showed a similar trend, peaking at 41.6 percent in 2019, and dropping to 34.9 percent in 2021. Science scores for 2019 were at 55.3 percent proficiency, dropping to 50 percent in 2021. 

The U.S. History assessment was first administered in 2021, meaning scores from the prior school year cannot be compared to 2021’s proficiency score of 47.4 percent.

When looking at grade level performance, some deficiencies were found, including that math scores for 3rd and 4th grades decreased by 1.5 and 1.7 percentage points, respectively.

Math scores for 5th grade students saw the highest gains when compared to the previous school year, jumping from 44.3 percent to 53.7, or a gain of 9.4 percentage points. 

In ELA, scores dropped for students in grades 5 (-0.2%) and 6 (-0.5%) as well as EOC results for English II (-3.9%). The highest increase in ELA was seen in 3rd graders, increasing from 51.6 percent in the 2022-2023 school year to 57.7 percent this past school year, or a 6.1 percent increase. 

Scores for science assessments showed that there were increases in proficiency for grades 5 (+6.9%) and 8 (+5.8%), but a small decrease was seen in results from students who took the EOC Biology test (-0.4%), when compared to the previous school year.

“The continued rise in student achievement across Mississippi is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers and school leaders,” said Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education. “Our focus now is on building more momentum to guarantee that all our graduates are prepared for the challenges and opportunities they will encounter in college, their careers, and life.”