IREAD scores improve to record level statewide
During Wednesday's State Board of Education meeting, officials attributed the success, in part, to funding from the Lilly Endowment and the General Assembly to improve literacy, which has lagged behind in recent years.
Based on spring and summer retests, results showed 87.3% of the state's 73,500 third graders demonstrated proficient reading skills.
The DOE didn't release data on the number of third graders being held back. They represent the first group who could be impacted by a 2024 state law calling for them to be retained if they don't pass the IREAD.
It could be significant in some of Lake County's urban schools, especially in the Gary Community School Corp. where all the elementary schools fell below the state proficiency pass rate and two schools — Beveridge and Williams — each posted pass rates of 48.6%.
Officials said the retention data would be released in October.
All of Gary's charter schools fell below the state pass rate, too, but performed above the traditional district's scores.
Among charter schools, just Discovery Charter School in Porter beat the state pass rate.
Exemptions were carved out for a student who's already been retained in third grade; a student with an intellectual disability; a student who passed the math portion of the ILEARN; and a student who received intensive reading help for two or more school years and already retained in second grade.
Third graders in all seven of Porter County's traditional school districts eclipsed the state pass rate and in Lake County, 10 of 16 districts surpassed the state pass rate.
In Porter County, four schools scored 100% pass rates — Jackson in the Duneland School Corp. and Jefferson, Central and Cooks Corner in the Valparaiso Community Schools.
In the private Diocese of Gary, 11 of 17 schools in Lake and Porter counties posted 100% pass rates. They include Aquinas, St. John the Evangelist, St. Mary Catholic Community, St. Stanislaus, St. Mary, St. John the Baptist, Our Lady of Grace, St. Thomas More. St. Patrick, Nativity of Our Savior, and St. Paul.
'Indiana has made extraordinary progress from where we began just a few years ago, when nearly one in five Indiana third graders could not read, to today when literacy rates have increased by nearly five percentage points in just one year,' said Katie Jenner, Indiana secretary of education in a press release.
State board member Patrick Mapes, the Hamilton Southeastern superintendent, hailed the progress.
'This is monumental as far as the state is concerned,' he said. 'The next thing is harder; how do we gain again in the next school year? It doesn't end; students can't take a break.'
The state's goal is 95% proficiency on the IREAD.
This year's results marked the first time literacy rates increased for all student populations, including 7.5% for Black, Hispanic and special education students.
Officials credited requiring IREAD testing at the second grade level to help teachers identify if students are on track to read by the end of third grade.
They also praised the Indiana Literacy Cadre, a partnership between the state, the University of Indianapolis's Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning and Marian University's Center for Vibrant Schools.
The cadre provides early elementary teachers with instructional coaching and support in alignment with the science of reading, an evidence-based curriculum.
The Lilly Endowment provided about $170 million for the cadre in 2022.
To learn more, visit IREAD Assessment Results at: https://www.in.gov/doe/it/data-center-and-reports/
2024 2025
State average 82.5% 87.3%
Lake County
Hanover Central 90.5% 93.4%
River Forest 79.7% 86.2%
Merrillville 79.5% 80.3%
Lake Central 91.8% 93.1%
Tri-Creek 92.2% 94.8%
Lake Ridge 62.7% 65.5%
Crown Point 92.4% 94.6%
East Chicago 56.2% 62.6%
Lake Station 80.3% 79%
Gary 49.2% 55.3%
Griffith 88.6% 91%
Hammond 63.1% 69.6%
Highland 85.2% 88%
Hobart 82% 88.7%
Munster 93.8% 97.6%
Whiting 86.4% 96.6
Boone Township 89.9% 98.7%
Duneland 93.1% 95.2%
East Porter 87.8% 97.6%
Porter Twp. 94.6% 94.4%
Union Twp. 94.3% 96.5%
Portage Twp. 78.1% 89.3%
Valparaíso 94.4% 97.5%
Charter School of Dunes 48.6% 71.3%
Thea Bowman 89.1% 75%
Gary Lighthouse 47.1% 77.9%
21st Century 60.8% 75.9%
East Chicago Urban Ent. 79.1% 75.6%
East Chicago Lighthouse 43.4% 69.2%
Aspire 76.7% 72.9%
Discovery Charter 86.3% 91.9%
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