Mississippi’s literacy success gets national attention

Mississippi’s literacy policies have brought success for students and families in the state, and they provide important lessons for Michigan and the rest of the country, a new study from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy finds.

Mississippi Learning takes a close look at literacy laws the Magnolia State implemented in 2013 and the drastic improvements in student performance that followed. The Mississippi experience is drawing attention from leaders in Michigan and other states, many of whom draw unflattering comparisons with the performance of their own education systems.

“Only 39% of [Michigan] third-graders are proficient in English language arts, and the state ranks 44th in the country for fourth-grade reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress,” writes Mackinac Center Director of Education Policy Molly Macek, the author of the study. The report examines how Mississippi climbed from near the bottom of national literacy rankings to become one of the fastest-improving states, while Michigan declined.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves shared on social media a Bridge Michigan article that featured the Mackinac Center study.

When Mississippi began its effort in 2013 to reverse the course of declining literacy, the state ranked 49th nationally on fourth-grade reading. It now ranks ninth nationally and first for reading and math gains since 2013.

The Mackinac Center study highlights how Michigan followed a different set of policy approaches and ended up with sharply lower results in reading achievement.

“Mississippi’s success wasn’t a miracle or the result of divine intervention,” Macek told Michigan Capitol Confidential in an email. “The literacy law’s focus on early prevention, intervention, evidence-based instruction and accountability was integral to its success.”

Mississippi’s 2013 Literacy-Based Promotion Act built on the science of reading curriculum and focused on ensuring students can read proficiently by the end of third grade.

The law includes a strict promotion requirement. Students who do not meet reading benchmarks face retention or must complete intense remediation, with only limited exemptions.

Michigan subsequently adopted new literacy laws, based on science of reading curricula, that go into effect during the 2027-28 academic year. But Michigan’s legislation lacks accountability measures, including the grade-retention policy, that are needed to make it successful, Macek wrote in the study.

Michigan also took steps to reduce accountability by repealing the 2016 Read by Grade Three law, which included early screening and intervention for struggling readers.

After signing legislation that repealed the Read By Three law in 2023, Gov. Whitmer said the change would “put power back into parents’ hands so they can work with their child’s teachers and make decisions that are best for their family.” Democrats who controlled both legislative chambers at the time echoed that sentiment.

“I am happy to see the governor sign Senate Bill 12 to finally repeal the harmful retention aspect of the Read by Grade Three Law,” said Rep. Nate Shannon, D-Sterling Heights.

Michigan had posted some progress under the third-grade reading law, moving from 41st place nationwide for fourth-grade reading in 2016 to 32nd place in 2019, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The state currently ranks 44th for fourth-grade reading.

The Magnolia State spends $14,418 per pupil, according to the Education Data Initiative and the national average is $16,526.

Michigan spends on average $23,867 per student, counting all sources of revenue.

The state of Michigan prioritizes literacy rates for students, Ken Coleman, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Education, told CapCon in an email.

“Michigan is focused on evidence-based practices to ensure students have a strong literacy foundation to prevent a need to consider retention,” Coleman wrote. “MDE believes that every parent knows their child best. Whether to retain students shouldn’t be a decision made at the state level. Rather, it should be a decision made in collaboration between the school and students’ parents/guardians.”

Michigan is studying teaching strategies in Mississippi, Coleman said, as well as those in Maryland and Massachusetts, which have invested in equity measures to assist students who are economically disadvantaged, receive special education services, or are English learners. The state assesses student literacy by screening and progress monitoring, interventions, curriculum materials, methods grounded in structured literacy and the science of reading, communication with parents and caregivers, a statewide literacy coaching model, and staffing requirements.