The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation had 81.8 percent of its 1,834 third grade students pass the IREAD-3 test earlier this year – just over a 1 percent increase from last year’s pass rate.
Velinda Stubbs, director of language arts and literacy support, said that all third grade students take the test — which is required by Indiana House Enrolled Act 1367 (also known as Public Law 109 in 2010). She indicated that there are students who did not pass who may be eligible for waivers due to their qualifications for individualized education plans or individual learning plans and those waivers may be granted through September. Letters were mailed to families in mid-April to let them know if their child had passed the test and what opportunities they had available to them if their child did not.
EVSC students who did not pass the test may take up to 60 hours of free individualized tutoring this summer, as well as work with a licensed teacher in small groups on reading skills and use technology and data to work toward the student’s reading goals. Currently the EVSC has approximately 200 students enrolled for this extra help. Free bus transportation routes have been established for each of the tutoring sites. The summer program for most sites will be June 3-28, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Not passing IREAD-3 has serious consequences. The tutoring program is designed to help prepare children to retake the test this summer. Students who enroll will have another opportunity to pass the test during the final week of summer school and be promoted to fourth grade. State law says every child in Indiana must pass IREAD-3 in order to move on to Grade 4 reading curriculum. Students who did not pass the test, will have to repeat third grade reading curriculum.
