By Grace Breazeale I Director of Research and K-12 Policy
This week, the National Center for Education Statistics released 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) assessment results, commonly referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card.” The assessment is administered across the nation every two years in grades 4 and 8. Unlike state-specific standardized tests, the NAEP assessment allows for comparison in student achievement between states and within states over time.
On the whole, Mississippi had a positive showing on the 2024 NAEP assessment. Among other highlights, fourth graders in the state experienced the highest growth in the nation in reading and math between 2013 and 2024. Fourth graders also outscored the national average in reading for the first time. Researchers at the Urban Institute found that when adjusting for student demographics, Mississippi fourth graders scored highest in the nation in fourth grade reading, fourth grade math, and eighth grade math, and scored fourth in the nation in eighth grade reading. Education policy expert Chad Aldeman noted that Mississippi is the only state that has seen improvement across all achievement levels in fourth grade reading over the past decade.
As we wrote in a 2023 analysis, Mississippi has had a long history of success on the NAEP test, showing steady improvement in most test subjects over the past several decades. The 2024 NAEP scores continue this trend. Below, we present an overview of these most recent results before diving into an expanded analysis of how they came to be, and where we go from here.
Fourth Grade Scores
Source: https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/
Mississippi’s 2024 fourth grade reading scale score of 219 was statistically the same as its 2022 reading score of 217. Meanwhile, the national average fell from 216 to 214. Mississippi fourth graders outscored the national average for the first time on the 2024 reading test.
On the fourth grade math test, our students jumped from a scale score of 234 to 239 between 2022 and 2024. This 2024 score is statistically the same as its 2019 score, an indication of pandemic recovery. The national average followed a similar trajectory between 2022 and 2024, rising from 235 to 237, though its 2024 score is still below its pre-pandemic score of 240. Mississippi’s 2024 score matches the national average.
Eighth Grade Scores
Source: https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/
Mississippi’s eighth grade reading score of 253 did not change between 2022 and 2024. The national average fell from 259 to 257 during this period. Though Mississippi is still behind the national average by four points, the gap is the smallest it has ever been.
Mississippi’s math scale score rose slightly between 2022 and 2024, though the increase was not statistically significant. The state’s 2024 eighth grade math score remains lower than its 2019 score, indicating the need for continued recovery from pandemic learning loss. On a national level, the average eighth grade math score in 2024 is statistically the same as in 2022. Mississippi’s 2024 math score is three points below the national average, but as with eighth grade reading, the gap is the smallest it has ever been.
Contextualizing Mississippi’s NAEP Scores
Mississippi’s NAEP achievement is rightly being celebrated across the state. Experts in other states are also pointing to Mississippi as one of the few bright spots in the 2024 NAEP data. The contrast between our state’s results and national trends begs the questions: what is behind the state’s score increases? How is one of the poorest states in the nation experiencing this type of success?
The term “Mississippi Miracle” has become ubiquitous in reporting on the state’s reading achievement. (We have long disliked this phrase, as it implies the idea that Mississippi–of all places–could experience such growth, could only happen with divine intervention.) Policymakers, journalists, and the chattering ed policy class who recognize that our state’s successes are not coincidental may be tempted to try to identify the Magic Solution we found to improve student achievement: we’ve heard the “miracle” pinned on things like our reading policy or the federal ESSER dollars.
As much as we wish there was one Magic Solution, we believe the answer is far more complicated. In this 2023 blog post, we explain that there have been a host of policies that changed over the past decades and contributed to Mississippi’s growth: No Child Left Behind, the nationally aligned Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards, new tests and a new accountability system, and the Literacy Based Promotion Act, to name a few. Most importantly, Mississippi has had a comprehensive approach to improving education in the state since 2012. The best explanation, in our opinion, of the upward trajectory of Mississippi’s scores over the last two decades is due to the state’s long-term commitment to increasing the rigor of state standards and aligning our state testing and accountability systems to match that rigor. Other policies and initiatives (pre-K, high-quality curriculum, the state instructional coaching model, educator preparation reform) as well as their stellar implementation have built on the foundation of these aligned systems for defining and measuring student achievement and are likely now helping us hold our gains while the rest of the country moves backwards.
Why We Have to Keep Going
Despite bucking national trends, Mississippi still has room to grow, and we know we must. Of the four NAEP tested areas (fourth grade math and reading, and eighth grade math and reading), eighth grade reading is where the state has seen the least progress over time. It is also the only area that did not see any improvement between 2022 and 2024 (though not all increases in other areas were statistically significant). Notably, this is on legislators’ radar: the House Education Committee recently passed HB 587, which would increase literacy support to students in grades 4 through 8.
Mississippi’s eighth grade math scores are another area of concern, given that they are still behind pre-pandemic scores. The state likely needs a math-specific initiative that will support and improve math instruction K-12. Alabama’s Numeracy Act might provide a good model.
Finally, the state needs to continue to support the implementation of high-quality curriculum. Now that Mississippi has a strong process for identifying materials, we need to double down on making sure those materials actually get used in classrooms. Helping teachers succeed with the quality instructional materials through training, coaching, and support is the best way to ensure Mississippi students of all backgrounds and achievement levels continue to make progress.