Oakhill School second grade teacher Lori Hardwick is reading “Lilly and the Yucky Cookies” by Sean Covey, to her class on Wednesday Aug. 13.
“‘Can we make cookies again? I promise, promise, promise that I'll listen this time,’” Hardwick read. “Do you think she's going to listen this time?”
The Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) is designed to measure “foundational reading skills” through grade three, developed per state legislation. Grade 3 students are tested near the end of the school year. Second-grade students can also be tested.
If they pass, they don’t have to re-take the assessment. If they don't, staff can zero-in on areas for improvement.
The latest IREAD results came out on Wednesday.
According to results, EVSC made substantial improvements to elementary reading scores — so much so that teachers and staff were invited to Indianapolis to meet with state Education Secretary Katie Jenner.
At Oakhill School, 97-percent of their students passed the assessment — either at the end of the 2023-2024 school year, or after targeted intervention over summer vacation.
Oakhill Reading specialist Allison Allen said teaching to the test, starts in Kindergarten.
“We are no longer allowed to promote a child to the fourth grade if they can't pass this state test,” she said. “So those results came out for the state today, and Oak Hills results are great. We're above 97-percent passing.”
School staff works with any children who struggle, or didn’t pass the assessment. Some students for example, need help with comprehension and vocabulary background knowledge. “So we have interventions that support that,” Allen said.
Despite improvements district-wide, Allen said they are never satisfied with the results. “All of our instruction and planning is based on a Science of Reading foundation, and science is always learning new things and adding new things, and so we're constantly incorporating new material and new information, new knowledge, as educators and for our students as well.”
Overall, nearly 84-percent of students tested passed the assessment, reflecting a 10-percent improvement. Many schools improved on their results.
Out of the 24 schools that levied tests, 21 increased their pass rate — six by more than 20-percent. Scott and McCutchanville elementaries schools had the next highest pass rates after Oakhill.
Lodge Community School and Lincoln School had the lowest general education pass rates in the district, according to results.
Statewide, some schools had a 100-percent pass rate. Southwestern Consolidated Schools of Shelby County, Paramount Online Academy and South Knox School Corporations pass 100-percent.
Here are links to statewide results.
Learn more about IREAD-3 here.
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