Idaho Reports Statewide Gains on Spring Student Assessments

Idaho students posted higher proficiency results across every measured subject on spring assessments, according to an Aug. 19 release from Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield.

The results came from the Idaho Standards Achievement Test, or ISAT, and the Idaho Reading Indicator. State officials are focused on ensuring students develop strong reading skills by the end of third grade.

Assessment Results

ISAT grade-level proficiency has increased during the past three years. The test is given each spring to students in grades three through eight and includes math, English language arts and science. Students in grade 11 take the math and English language arts assessments, while science is tested in grades 5, 8 and 11.

The IRI is administered each spring and fall to students from kindergarten through third grade. It measures phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Critchfield credited phonics-based instruction for helping Idaho students improve their reading skills. “We’re reading, we’re learning, we’re teaching them how to read,” Critchfield said.

New Reading Assessment

The state’s new Amira IRI assessment is more demanding than the prior format. Students no longer select from four multiple-choice responses for each question.

In Twin Falls School District, high school students matched Idaho’s statewide ISAT proficiency averages in English language arts and math during the spring testing period. District middle school results still require improvement, Associate Superintendent Ryan Nesmith said.

“I think there are areas we can improve on and then there’s other areas where we are knocking it out of the park in regards to proficiency,” Nesmith said.

Twin Falls School District plans to use practice tests as students prepare for future spring assessments.