AKRON – Third-graders at both Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. elementaries did well on the IREAD-3 test, according to Superintendent Brett Boggs.
Boggs presented the results of the IREAD-3 to the school board Monday night.
“It’s some very, very good news,” he said.
The purpose of IREAD-3 is to measure foundational reading standards through third grade. Based on the Indiana Academic Standards, IREAD-3 is a “summative assessment that was developed in accordance with Public Law 109, which ‘requires the evaluation of reading skills for students who are in grade three beginning in the spring of 2012 to ensure that all students can read proficiently before moving on to grade four,’” Boggs said.
Third-grade students who fail the IREAD-3 must be retained in third grade the next school year under Indiana law, unless the student qualifies for one of three waivers or retakes and passes the test in the summer.
Of the percentage of students passing without exemptions, Akron Elementary had 57 of 63 third-graders (90.47 percent) pass while Mentone had 71 of 78 (91.02 percent) pass. Overall, 128 students of 141 third-graders (90.78 percent) passed without exemption.
With exemptions, Akron had 60 of 63 third-graders (95.23 percent) pass and Mentone had 74 of 78 (94.87 percent) pass. Overall, 134 out of 141 third-graders (95.03 percent) at TVSC passed with exemptions.
A total of four students earned a perfect score of 650, including one at Akron and three at Mentone.
Boggs said parents of students who did not pass IREAD-3 were notified last week. Parents or guardians will be contacted with information on the individualized remediation program that will be used for the remainder of the school year and during Summer Reading Camp. Students will be retested online and results will be provided immediately in June.
Boggs said he’s seen some scores from other schools, and Valley’s scores reflects very well on Akron and Mentone. He said the scores reinforce the idea that Valley is doing the right thing and needs to stay the course.
Dave O’Brien, board member, asked what the three exemptions were. Akron Elementary School Principal Blaine Conley said the exemptions include: if a student was retained in a grade level before the third grade; English as a second language level; and disability. Before an exemption can be granted for ESL or disability, a case conference must be held on the student first to determine if they qualify for an exemption.
