LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Indiana students showed slight improvement in most testing categories during the 2021-22 school year, but fewer than half of students in third through eighth grades reached proficiency in every content area, according to ILEARN assessment results released Wednesday.

Across Indiana, 41.2% of students hit proficiency in English, 39.4% reached that mark in math and 30.2% tested proficient in both core subjects in the 2021-22 ILEARN standardized assessments. Those results are up from 40.5%, 36.9% and 28.6%, respectively, from the 2020-21 ILEARN tests.

In science, 38.6% of fourth and fifth graders tested proficient in 2021-22 compared to 37.5% in 2020-21.

Social studies proficiency dropped, but only slightly.  Fifth-grade students tested proficient at a rate of 38.4% in 2021-22 compared to 38.6% in 2020-21. High school students showed the most significant proficiency declines, with 30% achieving proficiency in biology. Those results are down from 31.8% in 2020-21 ILEARN results.

Proficiency rates in the optional U.S. government ILEARN test for high school students dropped to 20.4% in 2021-22 from 32.5% in 2020-21. Few school corporations administered that ILEARN exam, results show.

“Foundational learning in English/language arts and math is stabilizing or recovering for most of our students, and Indiana’s educators and students should be proud of this progress,” Indiana Education Secretary Katie Jenner said in a statement.

“At the same time, we must continue to aggressively pursue innovative solutions to best support all of our students, especially our students who are still overcoming the challenges posed by the pandemic, as well as students who were underperforming prior to the pandemic.”

The Indiana Department of Education says the latest ILEARN results show students’ rates of learning have stabilized and increased following the disruptions prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but many are not where they should be academically. The agency said ILEARN results and a recent study of the pandemic’s impact on education in Indiana with the National Center for Assessment show learning in English and math have stalled or deteriorated for some students.

Getting students on track academically will require years of accelerated learning opportunities, according to IDOE.

“To positively change outcomes for our students, we must act with urgency to chart an innovative path to academic recovery,” Jenner said. “Pre-pandemic education models must be reimagined to meet our students where they are and propel them toward success. Together with our legislative, community, family, and educator partners, we must double-down to bring everyone to the table to implement new, intentional and focused solutions that provide additional support for our students.”

Here's how southern Indiana school corporations fared in the latest round of ILEARN testing, according to their proficiency scores:

New Albany Floyd County Schools

  • English: 48.4%
  • Math: 50.2%
  • English and math: 38.9%
  • Science: 42.2%
  • Social studies: 41.3%
  • Biology: 46.8%

Greater Clark County Schools

  • English: 37.6%
  • Math: 29.6%
  • English and math: 22.8%
  • Science: 31.3%
  • Social studies: 25.2%
  • Biology: 15.2%

Borden-Henryville Schools

  • English: 42.3%
  • Math: 36.7%
  • English and math: 27.3%
  • Science: 37%
  • Social studies: 42.4%
  • Biology: 22.5%

Silver Creek School Corporation

  • English: 46.6%
  • Math: 43.7%
  • English and math: 33.3%
  • Science: 41.3%
  • Social studies: 31.5%
  • Biology: 21.3%

Clarksville Community Schools

  • English: 24.9%
  • Math: 16.2%
  • English and math: 11.4%
  • Science: 19.3%
  • Social studies: 18.7%
  • Biology: 12.9%

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