2 schools achieve 100% IREAD pass rate

At two Wayne County schools, all third and/or second graders passed the most recent Indiana reading test. Several others were not far behind.

Rose Hamilton Elementary School, part of Centerville-Abington Community Schools, and Community Christian School in Richmond both scored 100% on the 2023-2024 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) exam.

Next was Northeastern Wayne Elementary with 94.9%, followed by Seton Catholic with 90.5%.

Charles and Crestdale elementary schools in Centerville-Abington, Hagerstown, Western Wayne and Richmond Community Schools were all in the 80s.

The Indiana Department of Education released ILEARN results on August 14. With a statewide pass rate of 82.5%, third-graders saw the largest single-year gain since the test was introduced in 2013. Scores improved by 0.6 percentage points in the 2022-2023 school year.

Government agencies have set a target of achieving a 95% IREAD pass rate by 2027.

Tests for the second grade

In the third year, schools had the option to administer the IREAD test to their second-graders for free. Of the younger students, 59% passed the test or were on track to pass it by the end of third grade.

According to IDOE, this tactic has already proven successful because it provides educators and families with an early indication of whether interventions are needed.

Of the second-graders who were at risk in 2022-2023, 56% passed this year.

Starting this school year, all second-graders will participate in IREAD. They can take both the spring test and the summer re-test before entering third grade.

Demographics

Beyond the overall results, IDOE also analyzes the results in several ways.

It notes that certain populations are experiencing improved growth. Literacy rates among black students, students with special education needs, and youth receiving free or reduced-price meals have increased for three consecutive years.

For example:

• 88.2% of general education students passed, compared to 57.1% of special education students.
• 84.7% of non-English learners passed, compared to 63.6% of English learners.
• 88.5% of students who prepared their own meals passed, compared to 76% of those who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
• White students had the highest pass rate (88.3%), followed by Asians (86.3%), multiracial students (83%), Native Americans (79.9%), and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (73%). Black and Hispanic students were tied at 68.6%.
• RCS, which has the district’s most diverse student body, mirrored this statistic to some extent. White students had the highest passing rate (76.9%), followed by multiracial students (71.7%), blacks (66.7%) and Hispanics (33.8%).

New programs funded

The Indiana General Assembly, the federal Pandemic Education Relief Fund and the Lilly Endowment have contributed a combined $170 million to improve literacy.

For example, through Indiana Learns, the state has provided nearly 180,000 hours of learning support and tutoring to more than 20,000 students, regardless of family ability to pay.

Indiana Learning Lab has grown from 6,000 users in 2021 to nearly 60,000 users just two years later. It includes a new Parent and Family Support Center that provides parents and families with free, 24/7 access to resources to support their students’ learning.

In addition, teachers can register for an additional training called “Keys to Literacy” for free.

“The ability of Indiana students to read is critical not only to the future of Indiana, but to the individual success of every child,” Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a press release. “The historic investments in literacy we have made over the past few years are beginning to pay off, which is a testament to the hard work of teachers, families and students across every part of our state. Let’s keep this positive momentum going.”

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