ILearn scores: 6 of 10 students not a grade level

MARTINSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A longtime elementary school teacher on Thursday said the 2024 ILEARN scores match her own observations in the classroom.

Cheyenne Mappes has taught fourth and fifth grade in Morgan County for nearly 20 years. She said the third graders that took the ILEARN test this year were in kindergarten and first grade during the COVID years, and are still catching up from lost in-person instruction.

“That’s a pretty pivotal year when we’re talking about learning to read,” Mappes said. “And so when they’re taking standardized tests now, it still shows that there’s that big learning gap that they’re still trying to close.”

Data from the 2024 ILEARN tests released this week by the Indiana State Board of Education show third grade English language arts scores dropped by 0.1% compared to last year. Eighth graders, the oldest cohort to take the core ILEARN test, improved their scores by 1.3%. Math scores were up by 3.7 and 3.6%, respectively. Education officials said overall, Indiana’s English language arts scores and math scores have improved by 0.7% and 3.8%, respectively, compared to 2021. But ILEARN data show roughly 60% of students, on average, still do not perform at grade level in either subject.

State Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, a member of the House Education Committee, said he wished he were surprised by those numbers. He said he blames the legislature’s Republican supermajority for diverting school funding to charter and private schools rather than doubling down on traditional public schools.

“We’re sending a smaller percentage of our kids to college and this is one of the reasons why,” DeLaney said. “Our legislature is completely distracted from the realities of education.”

DeLaney said the way to improve ILEARN scores is to increase the amount of property tax revenue available to local school corporations and raise teacher pay. He said Democrats plan to bring up both issues when the legislature returns in January. The 2025 session will be a budget session.

Mappes said individual students can have radically different life experiences that impact their learning and aren’t reflected well in a single standardized test. Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, most schools will switch to giving three smaller tests throughout the year to gauge students’ progress. All schools in Indiana will use this model beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. She said she hopes those tests give a better view of what students need.

Mappes said lawmakers should help teachers by expanding funding for professional development.

“As we continue to learn and we research and we find the best methods to teach students, we’re going to be able to meet their needs more efficiently, and as we do, those test scores are going to reflect that,” Mappes said.

News 8 asked the Republican leaders of both the state House and Senate education committees for comment, but they could not be made available before deadline.