Hoosier students make major gains on reading exam
Why it matters: The reading gains are a bright spot among otherwise lackluster academic results that have largely shown efforts to recover from pandemic losses stalling out.
Driving the news: 87% of Hoosier third-graders last school year passed the IREAD-3 exam, which measures students' proficiency in foundational reading skills, according to results released Wednesday by the Indiana Department of Education.
Scores increased nearly 5 points from the year before, the biggest gain since the assessment was first administered in 2013.
The last time scores were this high was 2019, the last pre-pandemic administration.
The big picture: The state has invested heavily in literacy over the last several years — more than $170 million since 2022 through a combination of grants, federal funds and state dollars.
Lawmakers required K-12 school districts to adopt a curriculum aligned with what's commonly called the "science of reading," which is based on research about how brains actually learn to read, and mandated that teacher prep programs embed the science of reading into their training.
The state also created a new "literacy endorsement" for elementary schools teachers.
Zoom in: Scores increased for all student populations, regardless of ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Reality check: Wide gaps remain in actual proficiency.
Black and Hispanic students passed at 76%, while white students passed at 92%.
Yes, and: All students still need help. No subgroup has hit the state goal of 95% proficiency, though one-third of elementary schools have.
How it works: All schools test in person and electronically.
The pass rates include third-grade students who passed in either the spring or during a summer retest of their third-grade year, or during their second-grade year.
All second-graders now participate in the exam, which means students have five opportunities to pass the test before the fourth grade.
Threat level: Students who don't pass the exam may be held back to repeat the third grade.
What they're saying: "This is a time for celebration, and it is also a time to double-down on our commitment to helping even more students learn to read," Katie Jenner, secretary of education, said in a news release.
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