Third Grade Statewide Reading Testing Begins Monday
Kyle Stokes / StateImpact Indiana
Two third grade students at Bloomington's Clear Creek Elementary play 'Concentration' as part of teacher Amy Swafford's lesson on syllables. The exercises were helping the students prepare for statewide reading testing that begins Monday.
Indiana’s third graders being taking one of the highest-stakes exams of their academic careers on Monday.
The IREAD-3 exam is a test of each students’ reading ability. Students who ultimately cannot pass the exam cannot move on to the fourth grade.
The IREAD-3 testing window, which runs between Monday and Wednesday of this week, is sandwiched in between the two ISTEP testing windows. The ISTEP is the state’s benchmark exam for all children in grades 3-8.
The IREAD-3’s stakes are so high because research has shown third grade to be a critical time in a student’s development. Studies suggest students who are behind in reading in third grade are likely to stay behind.
The decision to intervene by holding students back has proven controversial.
As students begin the exams, here’s a look at some of the reporting StateImpact Indiana has done on the testing:
- Will Holding Back Indiana Third Graders Improve Their Future Reading Scores?
- How Data Can (And Can’t) Help Schools Get Ready For High-Stakes Tests
- Like Fiction Or Poetry, School Teaches Standardized Testing As A Genre
- Why Some Indiana Parents Won’t Let Their Kids Take State Tests This Spring
- The ‘Tough’ Testing Questions Bennett Answered In An Online Forum
