JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — About 1 in 7 students who didn't pass Mississippi's third-grade reading test on the first two tries managed to clear the bar the third time over the summer.
That leaves 2,900, or about 8 percent of all the students who took the test last spring, who didn't pass. However, the number being forced to repeat third grade is lower because some children received exemptions. The Mississippi Department of Education says districts have yet to report exemption numbers.
Many districts hosted summer tutoring programs for students who didn't pass the first two times.
Last year's third graders were the first required to pass, after the Legislature passed the law in 2013.
Lawmakers and Gov. Phil Bryant say students who can't read at a basic level should be retained for special attention.
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