When Mississippi overhauled its literacy education in 2013, one of the most controversial pieces was a policy to retain third graders if they couldn鈥檛 pass the reading portion of the state’s English language arts assessment.

Years later, as education officials across the country have taken notice of Mississippi鈥檚 literacy gains, more states have adopted their own retention policies. 

More than two dozen states now have laws requiring or allowing schools to retain third grade students who are not reading at grade level, according to an analysis from the Education Commission of the States, a nonprofit that tracks state legislation in the United States. 

But the research on retention is mixed. 

Historically, most studies indicated that students who had to repeat a grade often benefited very little and had long-term negative consequences. Research from the past decade complicates that picture: Younger students may see some positive effects from retention if schools are also combining it with high-intensity tutoring and support, some studies have shown.

Federal data also shows retention rates vary widely by state. 

For most of the U.S., high school students made up a large share of those who repeated a grade level from 2011 to 2021, the most recent years in which national data was available. (The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, the only source for consistent data across all states, is now eight months in releasing new data.) 

Mississippi stands out. The state has one of the highest third grade retention rates in the country. 

鈥淚f the retention happens in earlier grades and is combined with help 鈥� not just a threat, but some kind of positive intervention 鈥� the results, at least in the short-run, tend to be good,鈥� said Dan Goldhaber, director of the Center for Education Data and Research at the University of Washington.

鈥榃e have to do something鈥�

Rachel Canter, an education policy expert who helped craft the Literacy-Based Promotion Act, said that in 2013, the Legislature was desperate to improve reading in Mississippi. 

鈥淭he rationale was that we have to do something about the fact that we have kids graduating high school that are barely literate,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e had been living in that reality for a long time.鈥�

Mississippi lawmakers started looking to Florida, she said, where former Gov. Jeb Bush made ending 鈥渟ocial promotion鈥� 鈥� the practice of passing students because of their age 鈥� one of his signature policies.

鈥淭he argument that won was, 鈥榃e have to do something, and we know how harmful it is when kids pass with no skills,鈥欌�� Canter said. 

Tenette Smith, who at the time helped lead the Mississippi Department of Education鈥檚 literacy initiatives, said the Legislature wanted the retention policy to hold administrators and leaders accountable to the state鈥檚 children. 

The policy was met with criticism. Opponents were worried that it was punitive and would set children up for failure. Across the country, retention policies have become a partisan issue, Canter said, with Democrats largely viewing them as harmful to children. 

School administrators in Mississippi said many children would be retained if the policy was passed. But Canter took issue with that mindset and the assumption underneath it: That it鈥檚 impossible to get kids ready to read.

鈥淲e were sort of taking a leap of faith,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he goal wasn鈥檛 to retain them, but that was what was going to happen if we couldn鈥檛 get them ready.鈥�

Despite arguments from people who doubt Mississippi鈥檚 reading success and claim the fourth grade reading scores are boosted by holding students back, Canter said Mississippi鈥檚 retention rate didn鈥檛 significantly spike after the 2013 act. 

shows that about 4% of students were held back during the 2011-12 school year. By the 2015-16 school year, after the reading gate was implemented, that percentage increased by a point.

Retention became a hallmark of the state鈥檚 literacy overhaul, but the literacy act established other components that were essential to students鈥� success, she said. 

The act funneled money into literacy education across the state, sending literacy coaches to schools and mandating high-quality curriculum. Teachers received literacy instruction.

鈥淚f retention is the only thing we would have done, I don’t think it would have worked,鈥� she said.

Raising the bar for early grades

The state鈥檚 third grade retention policy has had a trickle-down effect: Retentions in Mississippi are concentrated in kindergarten through second grade, too. 

Researchers including Canter say that鈥檚 because the literacy legislation established more monitoring and higher standards in those grades as well.

That holds true at Western Line School District, with schools located on the banks of the Mississippi River. Western Line held back 68 students in kindergarten through third grade during the 2021-22 school year, compared to 56 students in all other grades combined. 

Not all of those retentions are tied to reading, Superintendent Lawrence Hudson said, but the policy raised the bar for students in early grades.

About 4 in 5 Western Line third graders passed the reading component of the state test on their first try last year, higher than the state average of 75.6%. Passing the test wasn鈥檛 the school鈥檚 focus, Hudson said. 

鈥淲e want to make sure kids are successful for the rest of their life,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e know if children have deficits at younger grades, they鈥檒l get to third grade with those deficits. 

鈥淭he longer you wait, the harder it is to clear those deficiencies.鈥�

Rep. John Hines, a Democrat from Greenville, fears the retention policy is making it harder for students to graduate in his Delta district, which is one of the poorest regions in one of the poorest states in the country. He said he doesn鈥檛 want students in his district to be disproportionately retained. 

But Hines can鈥檛 deny how beneficial retention was for his younger brother decades ago.

鈥淗e was extremely shy and nervous, so he wouldn鈥檛 talk, and once he became nervous, he shut down,鈥� Hines said. 鈥淭he teacher talked my mom into letting him stay back in the first grade.鈥�

That marked the beginning of a transformation, Hines said. His brother was coaxed out of his shell and became an honors student. 

Students don鈥檛 automatically improve when they鈥檙e retained, Canter said. To help students, schools have to get them the academic support they need in that year they repeat. The decision to retain a student is difficult, she said, but combined with intervention, it can pay dividends. 

鈥淎ny time a child is retained, it is a signal that we have not done what we needed to do as adults,鈥� Canter said. But the retention policy paired with additional support has 鈥渄one great things for kids,鈥� she said. 

Extending the gains

Despite Mississippi鈥檚 gains among fourth graders on a national reading assessment, those gains haven鈥檛 continued into higher grades. 

With hopes of extending those gains to fourth through eighth grades, Mississippi lawmakers modeled on the 2013 literacy act. 

The state education agency will deploy coaches to schools across the state, provide training for teachers, require screeners throughout the year to assess students鈥� proficiency and mandate that schools use agency-approved curriculum. 

There鈥檚 one glaring difference: The omits the retention policy.

Research shows holding older students back can negatively affect their chances of graduating, so lawmakers intentionally left a retention policy out, said Rep. Kent McCarty, a Republican from Hattiesburg who is vice chairman of the House Education Committee. 

Without a firm accountability component, Canter is skeptical the Adolescent Literacy Initiative will have the same impact as the 2013 literacy act. 

鈥淚s it going to be enough?鈥� she asked.

This story about was produced as part of a collaboration with at Stanford University and , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Ariel Gilreath of The Hechinger Report contributed reporting. The data analysis was conducted by Eric Sagara, senior data journalist with Big Local News.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

A major and final piece of West Virginia lawmakers鈥� 2023 hallmark education legislation goes into effect this school year when schools are required to retain third graders whose reading and math abilities aren鈥檛 at grade level.

Lawmakers carved out some exceptions for students with disabilities and other young learners.

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The robust education , known as the , required aides in kindergarten, first, second and third grade classrooms specifically focused on helping students improve poor reading skills. Those years for intervention if a student falls behind.

鈥淭o put an aide in every classroom and train those aides to be able to instruct using the science of reading has been a game changer,鈥� said Senate Education Chair Amy Grady, R-Mason, who championed the bill. 鈥淲e鈥檙e reaching kids at an earlier level, which is what we want to do. Instead of waiting until third grade, which is why we call it the Third Grade Success Act.鈥�

The measure also implemented special training for teachers in those grades; educators are required to include the science of numeracy and literacy in education. There are now benchmark assessments and screenings for student issues like dyslexia.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 been exciting is to watch year by year how our support for our West Virginia schools are increasing 鈥� I think we鈥檝e had a lot of success,鈥� said Erika Klose, director of the Office of PK-12 Academic Support at the West Virginia Department of Education.

West Virginia recorded its lowest-ever scores in those subjects in 2022, which state education leaders attributed in part to the COVID-19 pandemic鈥檚 education disruptions.

The Third Grade Success Act has contributed to a turn around, and West Virginia is now in the top 10 states for reading growth. Students ranked eighth nationally in reading growth in 2025 and and sixth for improvement in math, according to the .

鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing a tremendous amount of growth, and growth leads to proficiency,鈥� said Grady, who is an elementary school teacher.

Third grade retention policy includes exemptions

The third grade retention piece of the legislation goes into effect for the 2026-27 school year.

Public school third-grade students who demonstrate a minimal understanding of grade-level English language arts or mathematics as indicated on the state鈥檚 testing 鈥渟hall upon the recommendation of the teacher and the Student Assistance Team be retained in third grade for the next school year,鈥� according to a guidance from the WVDE.

There are exemptions in the retention policy for students with disabilities, English Language Learns and students previously retained in a grade level and more.

Last year, officials with the that 2,000 to 3,000 students statewide could be impacted.

鈥淚 think people are starting to think we鈥檙e going to be keeping third graders behind or retaining a lot of third graders. If we鈥檝e been doing it successfully, actually the opposite is true,鈥� Grady said.

鈥淚f all of those interventions are not working 鈥� and they get to third grade and they鈥檙e still showing signs of struggling and not progressing, then retaining them in third grade is really important,鈥� she continued. 鈥淏ecause, there is something going on that we have provided these interventions for three years, and that child still is struggling 鈥� We don鈥檛 want them to move on to where they can鈥檛 be successful.鈥�

The recommendation for retention will be made by the classroom teacher and the Student Assistance Team team based on the student鈥檚 score on the WVGSA, proficiency with the subject matter and preparedness for the next grade level.

Klose stressed that the biggest advice she鈥檇 give to parents 鈥� especially third grade parents 鈥� is to ensure their child is reading and practicing math at home. She also said parents and guardians need to stay in touch with their child鈥檚 teacher.

鈥淚 would say that this is the year that they ensure that they have tremendous communication with their child鈥檚 teacher, that they are aware of how their children are doing on their benchmarks, those regular assessments that they take throughout the year,鈥� Klose said.

The WVDE has been providing information to county superintendents ahead of the retention requirement implementation, Klose said.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing a lot of work with our office of assessment in terms of how to best message this third-grade assessment in a way that doesn鈥檛 stress out third graders,鈥� she said.

Eighteen states . West Virginia lawmakers modeled the Third Grade Success Act after Mississippi鈥檚 reading reform efforts, where helped Mississippi climb from 49th to 21st in national education progress scores.

The Third Grade Success Act was and sponsored by House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, and former Minority Leader Doug Skaff, D-Kanawha.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.

Amid statewide complaints about Tennessee鈥檚 third-grade retention law, legislative Republicans are likely to butt heads over efforts to tweak the measure in 2023.

House Education Administration Committee Chairman Mark White, an East Memphis Republican, said this week he hopes to find middle ground between the new state law and school districts, which are complaining about the reading initiative passed in a 2021 special session.

鈥淢ost of the districts are pushing back on where we are on that third-grade retention,鈥� White said, adding the Legislature will need to deal with bills filed on the matter.

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Asked if the law gives the state too much authority and removes school districts from the equation, White said he believes the Legislature needs to 鈥渓isten to the locals.鈥�

Yet he pointed out the state passed a third-grade retention bill in 2010 leaving the matter up to school districts. Eleven years later, the situation is no better, White said, pointing out too many unprepared students are passing to the fourth grade.

In Tennessee, only one in three third-graders is reading at grade level, based on the state鈥檚 main standardized test.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the answer is leaving it totally to the locals, and it鈥檚 not entirely with what the state wants to do,鈥� White said. 鈥淲e might need to find some type of compromise.鈥�

The lawmaker, who is attending the Southern Regional Education Board meeting in Florida this week, said nearly every state is dealing with the same problem. Some discussion at the conference is focused on dialing back the types of laws adopted in Tennessee since children dealt with two years of COVID-19 when some districts used online teaching and many closed schools and took extended breaks because of illness breakouts, White said.

The Legislature passed the third-grade retention law after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic to force school districts to ensure their young students could read at a third-grade level before moving on to the fourth grade.

To avoid repeating the third grade, students can take summer classes, then retake the test, or go through tutoring in the fourth grade or do both depending how much help they need.

While White wants to broker a compromise on the law, Senate Education Committee Chairman Jon Lundberg believes the state should keep it intact.

He believes the third-grade retention law is a 鈥渟olid piece of legislation and a solid policy.鈥�

鈥淚f we leave it all to localities, no one is going to be held back,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut more importantly, the pressure that we鈥檙e putting, hopefully, on these schools and teachers to improve first through third grade shouldn鈥檛 be replaced.鈥�

Lundberg could hold the education chairmanship or be named chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is focusing on both of those positions in advance of the 2023 session.

Department of Education officials contend summer classes and tutoring enable the state to avoid holding back large numbers of third-graders. They also point out that new rules recently adopted by the Joint Government Operations Committee allow parents to challenge a decision to require students to repeat the third grade.

Legislators such as Sen. Page Walley, R-Bolivar, and Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, questioned the law before a recent vote on state rules to be used in conjunction with it. The measure narrowly passed after the Senate side of the committee rejected it but the House side of the panel gave approval.

Numerous school boards, including those in Anderson County and Metro Nashville, have publicly opposed the law, sending resolutions to lawmakers urging them to give more autonomy to teachers, administrators and parents. Hamilton County School Board, however, reportedly adopted the law as its policy.

Lundberg acknowledges receiving resolutions from school boards across Tennessee, yet he points out children are offered opportunities to keep moving forward through summer school and tutoring.

The goal is not to force students to repeat a grade but to 鈥渟et them up for success,鈥� Lundberg said.

School districts are likely hearing negative comments about the law from parents and 鈥減utting a political judgment鈥� on it, he said. At the same time, school districts realize they鈥檝e promoted too many third-graders over the years when they weren鈥檛 prepared, which causes long-term problems for the student and school system.

鈥淓ventually, they know they鈥檙e going to be held accountable,鈥� Lundberg said, when they haven鈥檛 put enough emphasis on literacy.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on and .