Reading scores rising

School leaders are recognizing their students and employees for successes on Indiana’s reading test for second and third graders.

Indiana Department of Education recently released results from spring and summer Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination, or IREAD-3, testing to the public.

Most Wayne County districts were above or near the state’s 88.7% pass rate; two had perfect scores.

Centerville-Abington Community Schools was one of nine public school districts in Indiana to score 100%. The 17 tested students at private Community Christian School in Richmond all passed too.

To help more students reach proficiency, educators say they plan to continue strengthening early literacy instruction and using student data to identify students needing additional support as early as possible. Those who need targeted small group instruction and intervention will receive it.

Third grade is a key year for future school success. Students must pass the test to advance to fourth grade unless they receive a good-cause exemption.

Nettle Creek

Superintendent Emily Schaeffer said she’s “thrilled” with Hagerstown Elementary School’s 95.6% pass rate.

“Our teachers work very hard to prepare students to perform their best on IREAD. It’s not only our second and third grade teachers, but also our PreK, kindergarten and first grade teachers building the strong foundation,” she said.

The Tigers’ strongest success was in third grade, achieving a 96% pass rate after both the spring and summer assessments. She said summer school and intense intervention after the spring test increased third graders’ pass rate from 84%.

Schaeffer was also pleased with second graders’ progress. Their spring test yielded a 49% pass rate, and with additional spring and summer intervention, it rose to 61%.

Nettle Creek partnered with Every Child Can Read to provide additional after-school tutoring for students identified as needing targeted intervention. 

“This partnership allowed us to provide another layer of individualized support beyond the regular school day and continue strengthening students’ foundational reading skills,” she said.

Northeastern

Northeastern Elementary Principal Tierney Stevenson and Instructional Coach Teresa Ervin said they are proud of their outcomes for all students, especially the continued, positive results with their most at-risk students. The Knights had a 95.5% passage rate.

No Northeastern students needed to retest during the summer.

Ervin and Stevenson said teachers and support staff do a wonderful job of identifying students who might need extra support, and early identification allows them to move quickly and begin interventions.

“All hands on deck! That’s how we get it done,” they told WWN. “From classroom teachers, to interventionists and support staff, we do everything we can to make sure no child falls between the cracks.”

Northeastern employees monitor progress frequently so data is always up-to-date and often make adjustments. They’ve also created a master schedule that allows for strong instruction and times for intervention so all young Knights have the chance to get what they need. 

This fall, Northeastern is piloting a few different reading curricula to see what works best before school-wide adoption.

Centerville

Superintendent Mike McCoy expressed pride in all 95 students passing. 

“We have been doing so many things throughout our elementaries and all of them involve teamwork and collaboration between all teachers and grade levels,” McCoy said. 

CACS educators analyze data on a regular basis and share successes to help others adapt. They also meet students where they are, which is not necessarily based on their current grade levels.

Over the last few years, CACS has developed its professional learning communities and vertical teams of teachers representing multiple grade levels to share ideas beyond the classroom into other buildings.

“This teamwork limits any gaps we have and allows teachers to grow and learn from their colleagues,” McCoy said. “We are very proud of our accomplishments and know it is a direct result of the hard work and dedication put in by our students, staff and Bulldog families.” 

Richmond

For the third year in a row, Richmond Community Schools is celebrating what it calls outstanding growth.

Districtwide reading proficiency increased from 70% in 2024 to 80.2% in 2025 and 86.4% in 2026.

Of RCS’ 338 third graders, 292 demonstrated reading proficiency.

Every RCS elementary maintained or improved its proficiency rate. Significant gains were made at Starr (15.3%), Vaile (14.9%) and Crestdale (8.2%).

“While there has been much criticism over the years, one thing that cannot be argued is the fact that Richmond Community Schools faculty, staff, students, parents, guardians and stakeholders are getting the job done!” said Superintendent Curtis Wright in a news release. “While we humbly recognize that we still have room for improvement, we will also celebrate the fact that we are on the right track.”

RCS also finished second among North Central Conference schools on the test.

Elizabeth Markward, RCS assistant superintendent of elementary education, credited teachers, interventionists, instructional coaches, paraprofessionals, special education staff, English language teachers and building administrators for intentional daily work on literacy. She said the work begins long before third grade.

“From our earliest grades, staff members are building foundational reading skills, monitoring progress, providing intervention and celebrating growth along the way,” Markward said. “Moving forward, we will continue to strengthen literacy instruction across all elementary grade levels, respond to student needs early and build upon the practices that are making a difference for our students.”

Western Wayne

The Golden Eagles scored just below the state average, with 46 of 55, or 83.6%, passing IREAD-3.

Western Wayne Elementary’s latest IREAD-3 percentage declined from its 2025 passage rate of 89.3%.

IDOE data shows 20 of the 21 students, or 95.2% who don’t qualify for free or reduced-price meals passed the test. Twenty-six of the 34 students who qualify for free or reduced meals, or 76.5%, passed.

IDOE also calculates passage rates for general education and special education students.

Forty-three of WWES’ 45 general education students, or 95.6%, passed.

While IDOE doesn’t share results for groups smaller than 10 to protect student privacy, it appears three of WWS’ 10 special education students passed, compared to eight of 12 last year.