Starting next school year third-graders who cannot pass a proficiency test in reading will be required by state law to remain in the third grade.

The results of a new 50-question computerized test in Mississippi grading the reading abilities of the state’s third-graders have been released and some reports show work to improve the reading abilities of third-graders is working.

Nearly 15 percent of Mississippi third-graders failed the first round of testing of the third-grade reading assessment, but have two more chances to past the test, including one test over the summer.

As for the Vicksburg Warren School District, testing results reported 18 percent of third-graders did not pass, but Superintendent of Education Chad Shealy said those numbers are not finalized, and the number does not account for a number of exceptions.

Although 18 percent is far more than Shealy would hope to see, there is a silver lining to these first results.

“At the beginning of the year we had 52 percent of our kids that were reading below that 40th percentile,” he said. “We were supposed to have 343 students, but what we ended up with, with the exceptions pulled, was 81 instead of 343.”

With the exceptions pulled, about 12 percent of third-graders in the district are at risk to be held back at this point.

Shealy cautions that the 81 students still have two more opportunities to retake the exam, and he predicts the percentage will drop a few more points.

“Considering we started with 52 percent, I am incredibly proud of the work of the teachers,” he said.

With his second year leading the district about to be behind him, the results of Shealy’s passion are beginning to show.

His passion is to make the VWSD the best district in the state.

Education is key to our community’s growth and the numbers show that we are moving in the right direction. Time and testing will bear that out, and early indications look promising.