Three times a year your child will take a diagnostic assessment in reading and mathematics called i-Ready.  All districts in South Carolina are required to administer a universal assessment screener during the first weeks of school to determine student achievement and to inform instruction.  Below, you will find information about the i-Ready diagnostic assessment and online program and how we will be using it in our classrooms.

What is i-Ready?

i-Ready is an online program for kindergarten through 8th grade that helps teachers understand your child’s individual needs and monitor their progress all year long. As a compliment to the teacher's classroom lesson, i-Ready work adapts to students' individual needs, adjusting assessment questions to suit your child’s performance. i-Ready encourages students to take ownership of their learning as they receive real-time feedback and motivating messages, and earn credits for completing lessons that they can use to get rewards, such as games. Its purpose is not to give your child a grade but instead to determine where they need the most support. 

The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning.

i-Ready Online Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual strengths and areas for growth. These lessons are interactive and provide strategic supports to keep your child engaged as they learn.

Why is my student taking it?
The purpose of the i-Ready Diagnostic is not to give your student a grade, but instead to determine how best to support their learning. It will help your student’s teacher(s) determine their needs, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the year. 

What if my student is performing below grade level?
This situation can happen, and teachers and schools have many strategies and programs to help accelerate your student’s learning. Having this information can help you, your student, and their teachers have the right conversations to make the needed progress.

What does it mean if my student scored lower on the second Diagnostic than the first?
A lower score does not mean your student did not learn or lost skills. Scores can be affected by things like stress, distraction, taking the Diagnostic in a different place, and receiving help. This can be particularly common when students are learning in different environments and under unique circumstances. Teachers take this into account and use the data from i-Ready as one of many tools to understand your student’s unique needs and progress.

What can I do to help my student?

To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to: 

• Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.

• Try their best on each question and try not to rush.

• Try not to worry about questions they do not know—remind them that it is expected they will only get about half of the questions correct.

• Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish.

To support your child’s learning in i-Ready Online Instruction, you can:

• Discuss your child’s progress on their i-Ready lessons.

• Celebrate their strengths and progress, and collaborate with them on planning how they will reach their goals.

• Reach out to your student’s teacher to get more ideas and resources to support your student in specific domains and/or skills.

• If your student uses i-Ready Personalized Instruction, review their progress on the student dashboard and support their learning at home with these tips, which can be found here.

Check out the tips below to help your child get the most out of i-Ready.

• Download the iReady Parent Guide

• Tips to Support Your Student

• iReady Presentation for Students 

• Understanding Your Student's i-Ready Diagnostic Results

You can also learn more about i-Ready by visiting i ReadyCentral.com/FamilyCenter 

Thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning! We look forward to sharing i-Ready information with you throughout the year.