Northeast Indiana's third graders have made a measurable leap in reading proficiency, hitting marks unseen since before the pandemic. According to the Indiana House Republicans' recent release, these students have accrued nearly a five percentage point improvement on the 2024-2025 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment. With over 87% of third graders demonstrating proficiency, the increase reflects a significant rebound to pre-pandemic levels.
Legislators are tipping their hats to the collective efforts of educators, families, and the education system at large. "These results represent a significant achievement for Indiana's education system," State Rep. Ben Smaltz (R-Auburn) told Indiana House Republicans. Alongside the general uplift, disparities are shrinking as well, with literacy rates for all student demographics witnessing an upward trajectory. State Rep. David Abbott (R-Rome City) captured the essence of this shift, asserting, "Between our IREAD results and Indiana ranking among the top states in reading, it's clear that we're headed in the right direction."
Indiana's educational victories aren't confined to the third grade; the state also earned a notable sixth place in the country for fourth and eighth grade reading, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) rankings. Tony Isa (R-Angola) praised the collective push towards better literacy, saying, "Strengthening literacy among Hoosier students has taken a united effort, and it's encouraging to see improvement."
This momentum is hoped to be bolstered by the 2023 law that implemented science of reading standards and, the following year, a law for earlier screening and intervention for students struggling with reading proficiency.
