Nearly 1 of 5 third graders fell below proficiency in Indiana's spring literacy exam
New exam results released by the Indiana Department of Education show how significantly the coronavirus pandemic disrupted young students' reading skills.
The IDOE shared data last week from 2021's Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination exam for third graders, or IREAD-3.
The exam, typically administered every spring, tests for phonics, vocabulary and comprehension skills at a critical age when educators often say students shift from "learning to read" to "reading to learn."
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This year, according to IDOE data, nearly one in every five Hoosier third graders did not achieve reading proficiency on the IREAD-3 exam.
The 2021 results — with 81.2% of third graders testing proficient — represent a decline from pre-pandemic tests where Hoosier students tested at 87.1% and 87.3% proficient in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
The IREAD-3 exam was not given in 2020 following an order from the governor waiving state testing as schools pivoted to remote learning at the onset of the pandemic.
South Bend, Mishawaka and Penn-Harris-Madison schools all saw a decline in scores this year, some more pronounced than the state's average decrease.
Of the more than 1,100 students tested this spring in the South Bend school corporation, 53.7% passed the test. In Mishawaka, 73.6% passed and in Penn-Harris-Madison, 89.3% passed.
In South Bend, 68.5% of students received passing scores in spring 2019. In Mishawaka, 84.1% of third graders passed, and in Penn-Harris-Madison, 93.1% passed.
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State officials say the 2021 data also show widening gaps among Indiana's racially and ethnically diverse and low-income student populations, as well as English language learners and those receiving special education services.
"Literacy is vital to ensure Indiana's students are prepared to explore and experience a variety of pathways," Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said in a news release. "That's why we're working to empower Indiana's schools and educators with research-based, proven strategies to support our students as they learn to read."
The state plans to offer training to literacy coaches at participating schools, according to the IDOE.
Schools in Michiana, using their own data to map students' learning loss, offered robust summer school programs this year and have continued academic support into the school year using federal pandemic relief money.
The South Bend school corporation is beginning a new Saturday program for second through eighth graders and Penn-Harris-Madison has created a new "What I Need" time allowing elementary students to meet with interventionists in small groups during the school day.
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Mishawaka and South Bend schools are also working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County this year in a first-of-its-kind after-school program. Through the program, the Boys & Girls Clubs will provide one-on-one and small group tutoring for key subject areas like math and literacy and report data back to their school partners to address students' needs and progress both in and out of the classroom.
"Through significant research, we know how important it is that children learn to read by third grade," Jenner said in a news release. "We take that mission very seriously."
Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Carley Lanich at clanich@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @carleylanich.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IREAD-3 exam reveals 1 of 5 third graders fall below proficiency
