NYC schools cling to social promotion while Mississippi sees reading gains

New York City’s public-school system has reverted to the discredited practice of social promotion, moving students to the next grade regardless of reading proficiency. In the 2024-25 school year, only 0.4% of students in grades three through eight were held back, even though 40% did not meet state reading benchmarks and 3% fell below the minimum promotion criteria. This decline follows a policy shift begun under Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014 that emphasized “holistic” assessments over standardized test results.

Meanwhile, Mississippi took the opposite route by passing the Literacy-Based Promotion Act in 2013, which bars social promotion and requires third-graders to prove reading competence before advancing. The state also requires every elementary teacher to complete a two-year, evidence-based reading instruction program. Consequently, Mississippi’s fourth-grade students read almost an entire school year ahead of those in New York City, despite the city spending three times more per student. The article argues that New York’s education leaders are ignoring proven strategies to improve literacy.