Results from the first administration of Idaho’s new Reading Indicator (IRI) show strong performance among third-grade students while establishing a new statewide baseline as students and educators adjust to a more rigorous assessment.
The Idaho Reading Indicator measures early literacy skills in phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension for students in kindergarten through third grade each fall and spring. The new assessment was selected after the previous vendor contract expired in 2024
“I’m encouraged to see our third graders outperform last year’s scores, especially with a more rigorous assessment,” said Superintendent Debbie Critchfield. “We did see a small dip in overall results, driven largely by fall kindergarten scores which reflect the wide range of readiness our youngest students bring to school. Some can already write their names while others are just learning to hold a pencil. Because kindergartners are brand new to both literacy and testing, their fall scores are less indicative of long-term performance than what we’ll see in the spring.”
Overall, the skill testing on the new assessment is more rigorous than previous test versions, offering a more complex evaluation of students’ reading abilities. Additionally, the assessment no longer allows students to choose from four multiple-choice answers to each question, eliminating potential false positives from “lucky choice” guesses and removing the advantage that comes with selecting an answer rather than providing one. Instead, students are asked to respond in ways that are more constructive and applied, calling on deeper learning and more advanced test-taking skills.
Although the changes make direct comparisons to prior years more complex, several clear points emerge from the 2025 results. Third graders outperformed both last year’s third-grade scores and their own fall scores from when they were assessed as second graders. Most of the shift in overall K–3 performance is driven by the incoming kindergarten cohort, while students who have had instructional time in Idaho classrooms performed at or near 2024 levels.
“Third grade is a true bellwether because it reflects the impact of the targeted support, phonics instruction, and tools we’ve provided to teachers,” said Critchfield. “Their strong performance shows those early-literacy investments are working and I’m eager to see these same investments pay off for our newest learners as they receive the expert instruction their older peers have benefitted from.”
“The new assessment sets a higher standard, and early results – especially in kindergarten – reflect that increased rigor. This valuable new information helps us better understand how our youngest learners are progressing. Consistent, statewide assessments are important and necessary because they give parents, educators, and policymakers a clear, reliable picture of growth over time and help ensure every child has the support they need to succeed,” Governor Brad Little said.
2025 Amira Learning Idaho Reading Indicator results:
| Fall 2025 | Kindergarten | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | K-3 Overall | ||||||
| Below Grade Level | 37% | 21.44% | 22% | 20% | 25% | ||||||
| Near Grade Level | 19% | 22.21% | 17% | 14% | 18% | ||||||
| At Grade Level | 44% | 56.35% | 61% | 66% | 57% |
2024 Istation Idaho Reading Indicator results:
| Fall 2024 | Kindergarten | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | K-3 Overall | ||||||
| Below Grade Level | 23% | 21% | 21% | 19.4% | 21% | ||||||
| Near Grade Level | 24% | 20% | 18% | 17.2% | 19% | ||||||
| At Grade Level | 53% | 59% | 61% | 63.4% | 60% |
Idaho is one of only a handful of states that tracks both literacy growth and achievement statewide for early learners. The fall 2025 IRI now serves as a baseline for future assessment cycles, providing more detailed data to help educators identify struggling readers earlier and deliver targeted support. The updated assessment also includes enhancements to help identify students with dyslexia sooner, allowing for faster, more effective intervention.
“This new assessment gives us a clearer picture of how Idaho students are performing, what they need from us, and how we can better prepare them for success in reading and writing,” said Critchfield. “I’m grateful to our educators for embracing this change and for putting new tools like expanded phonics instruction and literacy coaching into practice. These investments are strengthening classroom instruction across the state and ensuring every student has the foundation they need to succeed.”
To view 2025 fall IRI results, visit https://www.idahoreportcard.org/.
