i-Ready Parent Memo

Holly Area Schools is excited to announce the implementation of a program called i-Ready that will provide our students with an innovative diagnostic assessment in reading and math.  i-Ready Diagnostic helps teachers to effectively assess their students so we can improve the way we individualize  instruction based on each student’s unique needs.  i-Ready Diagnostic assesses the following skill areas.

Reading

  • Phonological Awareness
  • Phonics
  • High-Frequency Words
  • Vocabulary
  • Comprehension

Math

  • Numbers and Operations
  • Algebra and Algebraic Thinking
  • Measurement and Data
  • Geometry

i-Ready Diagnostic & Instruction begins by giving students an adaptive assessment in reading or math.  Each assessment will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.   An adaptive assessment is a test that automatically adjusts the difficulty of the questions according to each student’s performance in order to determine his or her abilities in reading or math. It will present students with questions that are both above and below their current ability levels as the assessment works to adapt to the student’s individual level of ability.  Each time a student gets an item incorrect, he or she will be presented with a simpler question until the diagnostic finds the skill set within a grade level that the student is currently performing. The assessment efficiently assesses students across multiple grade levels, allowing for identification of root causes of students’ struggles or for identification of areas where a student is ready for further challenge. This information will then provide the teacher with a “road map” to instructional support.

This program provides teachers with a series of comprehensive reports to help educators make informed decisions about the instruction that is right for your child.  This diagnostic provides a great opportunity for our Holly students and staff to engage in a locally implemented assessment that is not only aligned with the standards, but will also provide immediate feedback for targeting support in specific areas where a student may be struggling.  With the implementation of this assessment, we are reducing some of the other diagnostics we have been previously using that do not possess the same degree of alignment and do not offer the same quality of data reporting features for teachers and parents. 

The diagnostic testing windows for the 2022 - 2023 school year are as follows:

  • Fall Testing Window – September
  • Winter Testing Window – December 
  • Spring Testing Window – May

Should you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or the main office.

Sincerely,

Michael Beattie

Principal