Most area school corporations did not break 50% in proficiency in math, social studies and English language arts on the 2024 Indiana Learning Evaluation and Readiness Network (ILEARN) taken in the spring.
In English language arts (ELA), Wa-Nee Community Schools had 57.6% of its students proficient; Wawasee, 37.6%; Warsaw, 43.7%; Tippecanoe Valley, 35.6%; Whitko, 27.7%; Triton, 40.4%; and Manchester saw 44.5% of its students proficient.
For math, Wa-Nee saw a 64.6% proficiency rate; Wawasee, 38%; Warsaw, 45.8%; Tippecanoe Valley, 38.3%; Whitko, 28.1%; Triton, 41.5%; and Manchester, 46.7%.
For fifth-graders taking the social studies portion, Wa-Nee Community Schools saw 48.4% of students be proficient; Wawasee, 36.4%; Warsaw, 35.5%; Tippecanoe Valley, 37%; Whitko, 35.2%; Triton, 53.4%; and Manchester Schools, 45.5%.
In state results, most grade levels had a slight increase in ELA proficiency, while math proficiency slightly decreased following significant growth since the pandemic, according to a news release from the IDOE.
“While many grades have seen increases in both ELA and math proficiency over the past three years, we must continue to keep our foot on the gas pedal to ensure all students have a solid academic foundation in order to maximize their future opportunities,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana secretary of education.
“A number of key tactics have been put in place to support educators, parents/families and students. It is essential that our local schools and parents/families continue to work together and stay laser-focused on improving student learning in ELA, as well as math. As we urgently work to improve student learning, the new ILEARN Checkpoints, launching as a pilot in the upcoming school year, will provide more actionable data throughout the year, resulting in more strategic, increased support for our students.”
Statewide, 41% of Indiana’s students are at or above proficiency standards in ELA, and 40.7% of students are at or above proficiency standards in math. This is up 0.5 and 3.8 percentage points respectively since 2021.
In order to provide more actionable data throughout the year for students, parents/families and teachers, Indiana has been working since January 2022 to redesign the ILEARN ELA and math assessments, which will roll out as a pilot this upcoming year. These new checkpoints will provide improved real-time student data that can be used to better support student learning throughout the year, rather than waiting until the end of the year for results, the release states.
The redesigned assessment will have three checkpoints and a shortened summative assessment at the end of the school year. These checkpoints are not punitive in any way and will be used to guide student learning, according to the release. If a student does not master a particular standard, the student will receive additional intervention and instruction prior to having a retest option.
Over 70% of schools opted-in to participate in the ILEARN checkpoints during the 2024-25 school year. The full rollout, which includes all schools, will begin in the 2025-26 school year.
ILEARN, which meets state and federal assessment requirements, assesses proficiency in content standards in ELA and math in grades three through eight. ILEARN is an Indiana-specific assessment; therefore, ILEARN results cannot be compared to results from other states.