A change in the way the Mississippi Department of Education measures student achievement this school year isn’t affecting how local educators are teaching.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, MDE is changing some end-of-year assessments. 

Third graders will be required to take the reading gate test, but won’t be required to pass the tests to be promoted to the fourth grade. MDE will not give school districts letter grades for the 2020-2021 school year. Districts will instead have to submit proper documentation. 

School adminstrators in both Lauderdale County and Meridian said even though state requirements have changed, teachers still have high expectations.

LaVonda Germany, director of elementary curriculum and instruction for the Meridian Public School District, said the decision from MDE alleviates some of the pressure for students and parents who worry about testing.

“In some ways, it’s probably a relief, with all the changes our students had to go through this year,” she said.  

Germany said the district’s goal is to make sure students are meeting basic standards.

“They still have to master the standards; they still have to keep their grades up,” she said.

In Lauderdale County, Karen Williams, director of curriculum and instruction for grades K-8 said third graders are planning on taking the reading gate test. 

“We will not make retention decisions based on those scores,” she noted. 

Williams said the district provides each student with an individualized reading plan, which targets specific reading skills.

“We’ve identified students who need those supports both academically and emotionally,” she said. “We’ve created plans to help them and give extra support as needed so they can be successful.”

Another focus is providing students with grade-level instruction, she said. 

“We try to focus on grade-level standards this year, even though students have gaps in their learning, we know they will test on grade-level material,” she said. “So we tried to really focus on grade-level material.”