By John Rohlf
The Message assistant editor
Nearly a dozen schools in the Diocese of Evansville recorded perfect pass rates on the most recent IREAD assessments.
Eleven Diocese of Evansville Schools scored a 100 percent passage rate on the Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment for the 2023-2024 school year. An additional seven schools scored at least a 95 percent passage rate on the assessment, which is given to third graders in the state. The state of Indiana’s goal is for 95 percent of students to be proficient by 2027.
“We are blessed to have dedicated teachers who invest many hours in preparing our students to become proficient readers,” Diocese of Evansville Associate Superintendent Kari Ford said. “Thank you to the parents for their continued support and partnership in teaching these early literacy skills at home.”
The 11 diocesan schools who scored a perfect 100 percent pass rate on the IREAD assessment conducted last school year are Good Shepherd School, Holy Rosary School, Resurrection School and St. Benedict Cathedral School, all in Evansville; St. Joseph School in Vanderburgh County; Holy Cross School in Fort Branch; St. James School in Haubstadt; St. Bernard School in Rockport; St. Joseph School in Princeton; St. Wendel School in St. Wendel; and Washington Catholic Elementary School in Washington. The seven additional diocesan schools that scored a pass rate of at least 95 percent are Annunciation School and Corpus Christi School, both in Evansville; Sts. Peter and Paul School in Haubstadt; Holy Trinity School in Jasper; St. John School in Newburgh; St. Philip School in Posey County; and Flaget Elementary School in Vincennes.
The diocese had 12 schools score at 95 percent pass or higher during the 2022-2023 school year.
St. Joseph School in Princeton was one of several diocesan schools to score a 100 percent pass rate on the assessment. Principal Kassandra Spindler credited the teachers and staff, who she said go above and beyond to teach foundational reading and comprehension skills.
“Our teachers set high standards, and in turn, our students work extremely hard to uphold the high expectations before them,” Spindler said. “The 100 percent pass rate is a great accomplishment for our school, but all staff and students know that we must continue to show diligence in the classroom to ensure we continue to meet this high standard.”
Spindler added they are very fortunate to be a part of the Diocese of Evansville and their continued commitment to excellence.
Kelsey Meier, principal of St. Joseph School in Vanderburgh County, said the school sets a goal of achieving a 100 percent pass rate on the assessment each year. She said with students first testing in second grade, the early IREAD-3 scores, along with other assessments, help show gaps in earlier reading skills and help redefine how they teach reading.
“St. Joe is implementing the science of reading approach that emphasizes phonics in the hopes it will help students,” Meier said. “Targeted intervention groups are a great way to reach any students who are performing below the benchmark. This is a huge testament to the hard work of our students and teachers.”
Eric Chamberlain, principal of St. James School in Haubstadt, said they were excited to hear that they reached the 100 percent pass rate. He said in a large, single class of 23 third graders, it is a testament to the incredible teachers and hardworking, persistent students at St. James that all students were reached effectively and motivated to succeed.
Nathan Winstead, principal at Holy Cross School in Fort Branch, said they always work to make improvements and see growth for their students.
“A large part of our student success is attributed to our parish and school community and the role they play,” Winstead said. “The support of our parents, school staff, parish staff and the buy-in of our students directly reflects our success. We are blessed to have teachers that seek out new and innovative ways to help our students grow in their academics and students who are excited to learn each day.”
A release from the Indiana Department of Education says third graders had the largest single year increase since the assessment was launched in 2013. Results show more than 82.5 percent of Indiana third grade students statewide demonstrated proficient reading skills on the assessment. This is an improvement of 0.6 percentage points over the results from the 2022-2023 school year, the highest year over year increase since the launch of IREAD.
“Ensuring Hoosier students are able to read is key to not only the future of Indiana, but to the individual success of every child,” Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb said. “The historic literacy investments we have made over the past several years are beginning to show return on investment, which is a testament to the hard work of teachers, families and students in every corner of our state. Let’s keep this positive momentum going.”