School districts in East Mississippi saw gains on the state kindergarten readiness assessment for the 2018-2019 school year.

The test is broken up into three levels: early reader (300-487), late emergent reader (488-674), transitional reader (675-774) and probable reader (775-900). The state average for the scores was 711, while scores for local districts ranged from 664 to 808.  

BY THE NUMBERS

2018-2019 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Results

On a scale from 300-900

Meridian 703

Lauderdale County 735

Neshoba County 808

Newton County 779

Union 782

Quitman Municipal 749

Enterprise 730

Newton Municipal 716

Philadelphia 685

Kemper County 664

State 711

Source: Mississippi Department of Education

For the third year in a row, Neshoba Central Elementary had the highest scores in the state.

The district scored an 808 for the 2018-2019 school year, an increase from 794 during the 2017-2018 school year.

Tiffany Plott, principal of the school, attributed the scores to an emphasis on early literacy, reading, phonetics, writing and individualized teaching. Teachers used individual student data to assess where they need help.  

Meanwhile, Meridian Public School District saw a 30 point increase in test scores from 677 in 2018 to 703 in 2019.

LaVonda Germany, elementary director of curriculum and instruction for the district, said school staff met with Superintendent Amy Carter to find ways to raise the scores.

One focus was encouraging teachers to have ownership of their teaching. Teachers also spent more time reading to their students and created learning centers in their classrooms.

Germany also said the district encouraged parents to read to their kids.

“We are very excited about the growth,” Germany said. “We want to be the best in the state.” 

The Lauderdale County School District saw its score go up from 723 in 2018 to 735 in 2019. Ken Hardy, director of curriculum, assessment and accountability said they will use the results to find ways to improve next year.

“We are using those results to see how students did and we can remind them in years to come,” Hardy said.

Hardy said the district is planning to get students involved in a pre-kindergarten program by going to Head Start centers and partnering with the Meridian Public School District in an initiative called Excel by 5. Hardy said he hopes those measures will prepare students for kindergarten.

“We are trying to promote kindergarten readiness and make sure that when kids come to us, they are prepared for kindergarten,” he said. “Once we get them, we can take them to the next level.”