Written by Andrew Melin, Superintendent
A key to the academic success of any student is that student's reading ability. While the educational focus for students in kindergarten through third grade is learning to read, a student's academic achievement level from fourth grade until graduation is based on that student reading to learn.
Realizing the importance of improving reading skills, a significant piece of legislation was enacted by Indiana legislators in March 2010 that will begin impacting all third-graders this year. Public Law 109 requires the evaluation of reading skills for all third-grade students beginning in the spring 2012. The legislation was created to ensure all students can read at grade level prior to fourth grade.
Public Law 109 places a focus on the importance of literacy to the future success of every Indiana student. The state believes every student's ability to read proficiently by the end of their third-grade year will reduce the need for future remedial education and greatly reduce drop-out rates and juvenile delinquency. More importantly, the state believes increased literacy will help Indiana develop the highly skilled workforce necessary to compete in today's global economy.
As a result of the 2010 legislation, educators worked with the Indiana Department of Education to develop the Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD-3) Assessment. The purpose of the IREAD-3 assessment is to measure foundational reading standards through grade three, and all Indiana third-graders will take the assessment March 19-21, 2012.
Student passage is critical because, according to Indiana Code, beginning with the 2012-13 school year, a student will be retained if he/she does not achieve a passing score on the IREAD-3 assessment during the previous school year. Valparaiso Community Schools' staff members are committed to preparing our third-grade students for the assessment with the goal to have all students earn a passing score.
Another example of the states' commitment to improving student reading skill is the mandatory implementation this school year of a 90-minute uninterrupted reading block for elementary students. All VCS elementary students are receiving reading instruction during this 90-minute time period each day. In addition, teachers are using collaboration time this year to review student achievement data in order to determine whether students need additional reading interventions.
Much more information will be shared over the course of the next several months related to VCS' commitment to not only meet, but to exceed the state's expectations for student reading proficiency.
In the meantime, the Indiana Department of Education does provide information related to the new IREAD-3 assessment on its website at www.doe.in.gov/assessment/iread_resources.html. There is also an IREAD-3 Item Sampler available at http://www.doe.in.gov/assessment/docs/IREAD-3_Item_Sampler.pdf.