All Idaho public school students in kindergarten through third grade take the IRI — now in its sixth year of administration — each fall and spring.

The test measures five foundational reading skills. Assessments of alphabetic knowledge, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension and fluency help teachers address each student’s needs and ensure that they are learning to read early, so they can read to learn in later grades.

Nearly 90,000 students across the state—a slight decrease from last year’s total—took the IRI between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30. The test was administered in-person to most students, but a remote option was available on request. Students’ IRI results are reported in three categories: at, near and below grade level.

Statewide results in the fall IRI indicate that 56.7% of Idaho’s students in kindergarten through third grade are reading at grade level, up from 51% last fall and eclipsing 2019’s pre-pandemic proficiency level of 54.7%.

As for Blaine County, the bounce back from COVID has not been as successful, according to IRI statistics, despite the optimistic outlook of the State Department of Education.

On the fall 2022 IRI, 48.9% of test-takers in the BCSD were reading at grade level, down from 52.9% prior to the pandemic, in the fall of 2019.

In 2019, white students in Blaine County schools had shown a composite of 68.5% of students reading at grade level, per IRI statistics. The percentage slipped to 66.1% of white students reading at grade level in 2022.

Blaine County’s growing Hispanic student body had a composite 32.6% of students reading at grade level in fall of 2019. That figure fell to 29.5% of students reading at grade level in the fall 2022.

Assistant Superintendent Adam Johnson says that despite the slip, Blaine County schools are still dedicated to the individual needs of each student, regardless of their demographic.

“While we realize that 49% of students entered the new academic year reading at grade level based on this assessment, what we are focused on is the growth of each individual student and the development of early literacy skills for all of our students,” Johnson said. “We prioritize the importance of early literacy and developing reading across content areas. Blaine County School District is committed to teaching literacy through the science of reading and has been vigorously engaged in professional development to further this craft.”

State touts reading bounce-back

During the fall testing period, 51.7% of kindergartners statewide scored at grade level, according to data from the state Department of Education, up 10.9 percentage points from 40.8 percent in fall 2021 and 9.4 percentage points higher than 2019’s 42.3%.

In first grade, 55.4% of this fall’s students were assessed at grade level, up 9.4 percentage points from 46% last fall and up 6.5 percentage points from 48.9% in 2019.

For second graders, 58.9% were reading at grade level, up 1.6 percentage points from 57.3% in fall 2021. Pre-pandemic results from fall 2019 showed 62.9% at grade level.

Among third graders, 60.4% were reading at grade level, up from 59.3% last fall. In 2019, 64% were at grade level.

“That we’re seeing marked improvement in our first graders’ scores as well as more proficiency in our incoming cohort of kindergarteners is encouraging,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said.

Ybarra said the data was particularly important as the state considers how it trains instructors to teach reading. The state is “beginning to assess” early learning programs like “Striving to Meet Achievement in Reading Together,” which offers K through three “educators focused training on the science of teaching reading,” Ybarra said.

“That we’re seeing such progress is a testament to the dedication of our students, teachers, parents and everyone with a stake in the quality of Idaho’s education.”

Members of the public can access local district and school results, along with the statewide results, on the State Department of Education website at www.sde.idaho.gov.