Hoosier students are making strides in reading proficiency, with State Rep. J.D. Prescott of Union City hailing the remarkable five percentage point surge in third-grade literacy rates as reported by the Indiana House Republicans. Notably, more than 87% of Indiana's third graders showed proficiency on the 2024-2025 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment — an uplift returning them to pre-pandemic literacy levels. Prescott shared this news with clear satisfaction and placed a spotlight on the educators, their students, and their supporting families for their steadfast efforts towards this achievement.
In celebrating this educational milestone, Rep. Prescott, as well as others involved, look beyond the numbers, seeing them as indicative of broader prospects for students’ futures, highlighting that a climb in reading proficiency opens doors and possibly predictor for continued academic success, "Reading proficiency is a strong predictor of student success and when literacy levels rise, so do opportunities," Prescott said, emphasizing the correlation between literacy and broader achievement, according to the information provided by Indiana House Republicans.
The notable gains in literacy seem mutually reinforced by Indiana's strong showing in the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) rankings, where Hoosier students placed sixth for both fourth and eighth grade reading and this accomplishment comes in the wake of legislation enacted over the past two years aimed at strengthening literacy through evidence-based reading standards and early intervention for students at risk of falling behind in their reading skills — laws that have implemented science of reading standards in 2023 and added screenings in 2024, this information was obtained by Indiana House Republicans.
