LIBERTY — Following their second try, an additional 30% of third-graders in Amite County passed a literacy test that determines whether they’re reading well enough to move on to the fourth grade.
Superintendent Don Cuevas reported at Thursday’s board meeting that a total of 85% of third-graders have passed the Mississippi K-3 Assessment Support System literacy test.
Just 55% of third-graders passed the test on their first attempt.
Once the scores came back, students who failed retested. The remaining 15% of students who have not passed will take it for a third time at the end of June.
“We got the report on a Friday (that 55% of students passed on the first test),” Cuevas said. “That Monday afternoon, we put a plan together. Tuesday and Wednesday, we tutored the kids.”
Cuevas said he believed most of the third-graders who initially failed knew the information but did not perform well.
“The kids knew the stuff,” he said. “We just made them more confident.”
Cuevas acknowledged some of the students were behind.
“Sometimes there is a student that has really missed background with literacy,” he said. “They’re behind. So sometimes you just have to repeat to catch up.”
Cuevas said tutoring is in place for 15% students who have not passed.
“We’re working with them right now,” he said. “We’ve got them over in summer school and we’re working with them in a small group with our best and brightest.”
