Officials say reading test scores among Iowa students in the early elementary grades are rising. The reading proficiency of students in kindergarten through third grade went up nearly a percentage point during the last school year. By last spring, more than 70 percent of students in the early grades met or surpassed reading benchmarks according to Iowa Department of Education director Ryan Wise.
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In 2015, Iowa public AND private schools started testing the reading skills of kindergarten through third grade students three times a year. Over the past THREE years, scores have gone up nearly seven percent. Wise says it’s important to have an “early warning system” so teachers know which students aren’t reading well.
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Wise and Governor Kim Reynolds held a news conference in an elementary school in the Saydel Community School District to announce the test results.