Marion Community Schools is celebrating big improvements in their IREAD3 passage rates, which indicate significant growth for our students in reading skills.
Overall throughout the district, the passing rate increased by 14%, to 86% of students passing the state’s required third-grade reading test. That is a more than 30% increase since 2022!
But beyond that already impressive statistic, several subgroups and schools had even bigger gains year over year (2024- to 2025), meaning that students who had been struggling more in the past are now being served well by MCS’s focus on instruction and intervention for our youngest learners. For these subgroups, the numbers are as high as a 37% increase. And at the school level, the numbers are as high as a 21% increase.
“We are so proud of our elementary educators for their work to make sure our students have a bright future ahead of them,” MCS Superintendent Stephanie Lockwood said. “We are bringing this same intentional focus to all subjects at all grade levels, and we can’t wait to see our students grow with the new opportunities we are offering!”
According to state law, third grade students must demonstrate reading proficiency — by way of passing the IREAD-3 — before moving on to fourth grade. (There are certain exemptions available in special circumstances. See the state Department of Education’s IREAD website.
MCS knows that reading skills are the foundation of all other learning in school. We have placed extra emphasis on our reading instruction — based on the Science of Reading — and we are pleased to see our students’ and teachers’ efforts reflected in state data this way!
“When a student needs extra help, we don’t wait,” MCS K-8 Curriculum Director Rianne Aguilar said. “We use data to form small groups and give targeted support right away. Our teachers and school leaders have all been trained in these approaches, and it’s making a real difference for our students.”
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