INDIANPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Department of Education released data today that shows reading scores for third graders have improved for a third straight year.

The data shows that 82.5% of Indiana third graders passed the I-Read assessment last school year, that’s more than half a percentage above last year’s score.

The results show that the state’s third graders also had the third largest single-year increase since the assessment was launched in 2013.

“Ensuring Hoosier students are able to read is key to not only the future of Indiana, but to the individual success of every child,” said Governor Eric Holcomb said in a press releases. “The historic literacy investments we have made over the past several years are beginning to show return on investment, which is a testament to the hard work of teachers, families and students in every corner of our state. Let’s keep this positive momentum going.”

Results reveal that more than 67,000 Indiana third graders, or nearly 83% demonstrated proficiency in in reading skills in the assessment. That is a .6 percentile improvement over results from the 2022-2023 school year.

“When it comes to supporting every child to reach their full potential, the single-most important thing we can do is help them learn to read,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “Over the past three years, Indiana has made historic investments in ensuring educators and families have the tools and resources they need to best support our students, and today, we are seeing positive results from this all-hands-on-deck approach. Our collective hard work is paying off, yet there is still more to be done. Let’s continue to work together and continue this positive momentum for Indiana and most importantly, our students.”

Prior to the pandemic, Indiana’s literacy rates declined every year, with the exception of 2014 to 2015. In response, the state has made ‘historic investments aimed at helping more students learn to read,’ according to the press release.

The release points to positive achievements across the board, including:

• Specific student populations are seeing improved growth.
  • Literacy rates for Black students, students in special education, and students receiving free/reduced price meals have increased for three consecutive years.
  • Black students:
    • 3.2 percentage point increase from 2023 to 2024
    • 6.6 percentage point increase from 2021 to 2024
  • Students in special education:
    • 2.2 percentage point increase from 2023 to 2024
    • 4.7 percentage point increase from 2021 to 2024
  • Students receiving free/reduced price meals:
    • 1.8 percentage point increase from 2023 to 2024
    • 3.4 percentage point increase from 2021 to 2024
• Hispanic students and English learners both saw decreases in literacy rates (0.3 and 0.4 percentage points respectively) in 2024. Additional, targeted reading support is still needed.

Today, 277 Indiana elementary schools have an IREAD passage rate of 95% or higher, an increase of 35 elementary schools over 2023.

The state is also sharing examples of how Indiana continues to help more students learn to read:

• Launched a new data visualization tool allows educators, parents and families, community leaders, and policymakers to view key literacy data.
• Provided over 180,000 hours of learning support and tutoring services to over 20,000 students through Indiana Learns, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.
• Procurement of a preferred universal screener provider to best support elementary schools with students in greatest need is underway. A complete list of approved universal screeners, including the preferred universal screener, will be available by February 2025.
• Grew the Indiana Learning Lab from 6,000 users in 2021 to over 70,000 users, including launching the Parent and Family Support Hub, which provides no-cost, 24/7 access to resources for parents and families to support their student’s learning.
• Developed online professional development modules supporting Indiana educators with additional science of reading training. Over 5,500 educators have completed the training.
• Provided $10 million in cash stipends to teachers, instructional coaches, and other school staff at all corporations and charter schools who are responsible for the implementation and delivery of early literacy and reading instruction through the Literacy Achievement Grants.