Through-Year Assessment in Indiana: Why Teachers Still Need i-Ready

As an educator in a small, rural Indiana school district, I know the challenges teachers face in delivering effective instruction while navigating state standards and assessments. Over the past seven years, i-Ready and Ready Mathematics have become indispensable tools in our classrooms, particularly with the state-mandated through-year assessment model piloted last year. The ILEARN checkpoints are formative, intended to provide data that helps teachers prepare students for the summative assessment. So why do we still need i-Ready?

Tailored for Indiana Standards

One of the most compelling reasons I champion i-Ready is its Indiana-specific edition. Unlike other programs that offer generic, Common Core-aligned content, i-Ready goes the extra mile to align with our state standards. This means less time spent adapting materials and more time focused on teaching. Ready Mathematics, paired with i-Ready, ensures that our curriculum is not only comprehensive but also relevant to what our students need to succeed on state assessments.

Why Through-Year Assessment Checkpoints Alone Aren’t Enough

As a grade-level assessment, ILEARN often falls short in identifying the specific learning gaps of students performing below grade level. Teachers only know that their students have failed, not where they need support or even what skills they know. That’s left to their best guess.

How i-Ready Fills the Through-Year Assessment Gaps

This is where i-Ready makes a real difference in the through-year assessment landscape. As a comprehensive Grades K–12 assessment tool, i-Ready dives deep into each student’s skill profile, helping teachers pinpoint exactly where the gaps are and how to address them with targeted instructional resources. 

When Indiana introduced mandatory checkpoints last year, our staff didn’t want to let i-Ready go. We depend on the program’s detailed and valid student data to drive our Tier 1 instruction and intervention programs. It allows us to set student goals and gives them a chance to work independently on the skills they need through i-Ready Personalized Instruction while teachers focus on small groups. i-Ready is integral to so much of what we do and to our students’ growth. 

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An Integrated Assessment and Instruction Solution That Works

Before adopting i-Ready, our district used a patchwork of tools for through-year assessment, instruction, practice, and progress monitoring. It was overwhelming and inefficient. But even worse, we had holes around student learning that we didn’t even know were there.

i-Ready changed that. The program offers a fully integrated system where all components—assessments, instruction, and progress tracking—work seamlessly together. It does the heavy lifting for teachers, identifying student needs and providing targeted resources to address them. It also eliminates the guesswork, allowing us to focus on what matters most: teaching. With just a few clicks, we can access reports and instructional tools, allowing us to dedicate our energy to our students.

Conceptual Understanding and Student Growth

Since implementing i-Ready, we’ve seen steady improvement in our students’ performance, even bouncing back from the setbacks of COVID in both reading and mathematics. More importantly, our students are developing a deeper understanding of math concepts and learning to apply them in real-world scenarios. Unlike other programs that have students work on one skill at a time and keep drilling on that skill before moving on, i-Ready teaches students in the context of a potential real-world scenario, allowing them to apply what they’ve learned. It’s all conceptually based—the math we actually use day to day. I worry about the kids who will go out in the world wondering, “Where’s my worksheet?” The kids using i-Ready learn the skills they need to determine what size refrigerator they’ll need in their kitchen. 

Celebrating Success and Building Ownership

To combat test fatigue, our district created a culture of celebration around growth. Students track their progress, set goals, and are recognized for their achievements. This encourages a growth mindset and lets students take ownership of their learning. The immediate feedback from i-Ready plays a key role in this process, unlike other assessments that offer delayed and less actionable results. Our teachers are deeply invested in i-Ready, and we’re seeing the benefits in student outcomes and instructional efficiency. In a landscape filled with standalone tools and through-year assessment requirements, i-Ready stands out as a comprehensive solution that truly supports educators and students alike.

Want more from Rachel? Check out her episode of the Extraordinary Educators™ Podcast.

Recommended resources for you:
Why Pairing Assessment and Instruction from Different Companies Generally Doesn’t Work Well
ILEARN Checkpoints and i-Ready: Why Both Matter 
Students Better Prepared for Rigorous State Math Assessment