With higher benchmark, local school districts see slight declines in third grade reading test

Jun. 21—Some Alabama school districts made big gains on the state's third grade reading test, even as expectations grew tougher, but local districts generally saw a slight drop in the percentage of third graders meeting the elevated benchmark.
Under the Alabama Literacy Act, third graders are required to demonstrate they can read well enough to advance to fourth grade. This is the second year the retention requirement will be enforced, but it's the first time students had to meet a new, higher benchmark score to be considered reading sufficiently.
Each year, the state superintendent of education and a special task force will review information shared by schools and adjust reading proficiency targets for the next school year. The State Board of Education raised the benchmark, or cut score, in October as part of a plan to raise expectations over time. The 2024-25 spring reading tests required a score of 444, compared with 435 in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Data from the State Department of Education showed that out of 1,900 third graders in Morgan, Limestone and Lawrence counties, 1,647, or 86.7%, tested at or above the new cut score.
The scores were slightly higher statewide, with 88.4% of third graders meeting the benchmark. To allow a fair comparison, the Alabama State Department of Education recalculated last year's results using this year's higher benchmark: 86.3% of students would have met that score if it had been applied then. This calculation was only made on statewide data, not for individual districts.
Third graders who didn't meet the benchmark are invited to summer reading camps. Districts are required to offer the camps, taught by reading teachers and designed to be engaging — not just academic drills. However, students aren't required to participate.
On a district level, reading scores in most schools differed only by a few percentage points up or down, though a handful tumbled backward under this year's higher benchmark.
Decatur City Schools' and Hartselle City Schools' passing rates fell less than half a point from last year to this year.
Morgan County Schools' percentage of third graders that met or exceeded the new benchmark reading score dropped by 2.5 percentage points between the 2023-24 school year and 2024-25. Limestone County Schools dropped by the same amount. Athens City Schools dropped by 2.2 percentage points. Lawrence County Schools' passing rate fell by 1.1 percentage points.
Statewide, there is a strong correlation between high poverty rates and low reading scores.
Decatur City Schools, with a 66% poverty rate, had a passing rate of 88.2% this year. Limestone County Schools, with a 59% poverty rate, had an 83.4% passing rate.
Hartselle City tied for fifth place out of the 148 school districts in the state for its rate of passing students, at 98.1%, down 0.04 points from last year. Its poverty rate is 37%.
Lawrence County Schools, with a 59% poverty rate, had a passing rate this year of 88.1%, down from last year's 89.2%.
Limestone County, with a 59% poverty rate, had a passing rate of 83.4% this year, down from 85.9% last year.
Athens City, with a 52% poverty level, had an 89.5% passing rate this year, down from 91.7% in 2023-24.
Huntsville City Schools, with a poverty rate of 49%, dropped from an 87.8% passing rate in 2023-24 to an 86% rate in 2024-25.
Madison City Schools, with a poverty rate of 26%, dropped from a 97.4% passing rate last year to a 95.7% rate this year.
The higher benchmark score didn't appear to be a barrier for nearly three dozen school districts that met or exceeded last year's numbers. Despite the cut score change, several districts — including those serving large populations of students in poverty — saw strong results.
Despite the correlation between high poverty and low passing percentages across the state, some bucked that trend.
Four districts in the Black Belt region and two charter schools stood out for their gains from last year to this year. Even with the higher cut score, each had the following percentage-point gains:
—Covenant Academy of Mobile (charter): 12.5-point gain, 93% at or above benchmark
—Lowndes County: 7.6-point gain, 90% at or above benchmark
—Bullock County: 7.5-point gain, 85% at or above benchmark
—LEAD Academy (charter): 7.5-point gain, 84% at or above benchmark
—Wilcox County: 7.3-point gain, 96% at or above benchmark
—Selma City: 5.8-point gain, 90% at or above benchmark
Not all districts saw progress. Sumter County's passing rate dropped from 81% last year to 66% this year. Montgomery County fell from 82% to 76%, and Bessemer City Schools saw a 17-point decline — from 85% down to 68%.
— GraciAnn.Goodin@DecaturDaily.com or 256-340-2437. Tricia Powell Crain of Alabama Daily News contributed to this story.

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