New state standardized test results show stagnant progress among Hoosier students in grades 3-8, signaling a continued struggle to reverse widespread learning loss following the COVID-19 pandemic.
New ILEARN scores show 41% of Indiana students who were tested earlier this spring were at or above proficiency standards in English and language arts (ELA), according to new data released Wednesday by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). That’s on par with the year prior, when 40.7% of students were proficient.
The percentage of students at or above proficiency standards in math, on the other hand, saw a slight decrease — from 40.9% in 2023 to 40.7% in the most recent school year.
Data released by IDOE reported 30.8% of Hoosier students passed both the math and English sections of ILEARN. That’s slightly up from last year’s spring test results, which showed that 30.6% earned dual passing scores.
Nearly 493,000 students sat for both exams this spring.
“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,” Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said in a statement. “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.”
Test results breakdowns
ILEARN scores continue to trail behind 2019 results, when 47.9% of Hoosiers in grades 3-8 earned passing scores on the English portion of the ILEARN, and 47.8% did so in math. That year, 37.1% of students were proficient in both sections.
But due to instruction changes spurred by COVID-19 and disruption of 2020 assessments, state officials use the 2021 ILEARN results to represent the current Indiana baseline.
When using that baseline, ELA proficiency has increased across most grade levels; third graders decreased 0.1%; fourth graders increased 2.2%; fifth graders increased 0.8%; sixth graders increased 1.2%; seventh graders increased 0.7%; and eighth graders increased 1.3%.
IDOE officials emphasized that many students who were in third grade in 2024 received instruction in either a fully or partially virtual setting during kindergarten due to the pandemic, which likely contributed to decreased student success.
The 2024 statewide ILEARN results show a slight increase in English proficiency across most grade levels compared to 2023.
The highest year-to-year increases were in grade four, up 1.5%, and grade seven, up 2.3%. Proficiency in those grades is the highest since the pandemic, according to IDOE.
Since the 2021 baseline, math proficiency has additionally increased across all grade levels.
But compared to 2023, the latest ILEARN results in math proficiency decreased across the board — except in grade seven, which had a 1% increase in 2024.
ILEARN was first implemented in 2019 to replace the ISTEP exam for students from third to eighth grade. The exam measures proficiency in various subjects starting in third grade, but the main focus is on English/language arts and mathematics. All schools test in-person and electronically, unless an accommodation requires a paper assessment.
With federal permission, the assessment was not given in 2020 due to pandemic-related school closures.
A look at certain student populations
Since 2023, Black students had the highest percentage point increase in English — 1.2% — and also saw an 8% increase in math proficiency. The 2024 results show 20.9% of Black students scored proficient on the ILEARN in English, and 17% in math. About 11.7% of Black students earned passing scores on both portions of the test in 2024, according to the latest numbers.
Compared to the 2021 baseline, Black students have seen a 3.5% increase in English proficiency and a 5.4% increase in math.
Jenner called the data “notable,” given that “it’s not as common to see” such continued improvements. Rather, she said, education officials expect to see more “ups and downs” year over year.
Even so, Scott Bess, head of the Purdue Polytechnic High School in Indianapolis and member of the state education board, cautioned that more rapid improvements are needed.
“While it’s great that our Black students have shown progress, our English language learners have shown progress, the bar was really, really low, right?” Bess said. “If we keep on that trajectory, I’m going to be in a home before we get to any kind of acceptable results,” Bess continued.
Among other student populations, proficiency in both English and math decreased slightly for Hispanic students.
Students in special education and students receiving free or reduced price meals, meanwhile, had slight gains in both English and math from 2023 to 2024.
English learners — who were identified in 2023 as needing continued targeted support in English — have since had a 0.8% increase. IDOE officials said additional targeted support is still needed in math, though, given a 0.3% decrease on that section of the ILEARN. Total English proficiency on the ILEARN among English learners this spring was recorded at 13.8%, and math proficiency at 17.6%.
Changes on the horizon
The new results come amid an ongoing undertaking to redesign the ILEARN assessment and allow an option for schools to divvy up portions of the exam across the academic year.
The assessment plan includes what state education officials call “flexible checkpoints” for schools to administer ILEARN preparation tests in English and math before the typical end-of-year summative tests. A dozen other states already have similar models.
The redesigned assessment will have three “checkpoints” and a shortened summative assessment at the end of the school year. Checkpoints will consist of 20 to 25 questions and hone in on four to six state standards. The exams are designed to be administered to students about every three months, but local schools and districts can speed up testing if they wish.
Checkpoints won’t be punitive; if a student does not master a particular standard, they’ll receive additional intervention and instruction before having a retest option.
So far, 72% of schools across Indiana have opted-in to participate in a pilot of ILEARN checkpoints during the upcoming 2024-25 school year, according to IDOE. The overall system will take effect during the 2025-26 school year.
Jenner and other education officials reiterated on Wednesday that the new checkpoints will provide improved, real-time student data that can be used to better target supports for students throughout the year — rather than waiting until the end of the year for results, “when it may be too late” for teachers to provide support.
Also upcoming are changes to the state’s IREAD tests, which gauges students’ foundational reading skills.
Earlier this year, state lawmakers approved a separate requirement for schools to administer the statewide IREAD test in second grade — a year earlier than current requirements. Local educators must direct new, targeted support to at-risk students and those struggling to pass the literacy exam.
But if, after three tries, a third grader can’t meet the IREAD standard, legislators want school districts to hold them back.
Those changes take effect in the upcoming 2024-25 school year.
Data from 2023 showed one in five Hoosier third graders were not reading proficiently. Jenner said IREAD exam results from the most recent academic year are expected to be made public next month.
By Casey Smith — The Indiana Capital Chronicle.com is an independent, not-for-profit news organization that covers state government, policy and elections.
