In the Monroe School District, our mission is for students to experience a deep sense of belonging while being supported, challenged, and inspired to learn at high levels and achieve their goals.

To do that well, teachers need good information about what students know, where they are growing, and what they are ready to learn next. One of the tools we use to provide that information in reading and math for students in grades K–8 is the i-Ready online learning platform.

Why do we use i-Ready?

i-Ready helps teachers better understand what each student needs to continue learning and growing. Because i-Ready Inform adjusts as students answer questions, it can identify strengths as well as earlier skills or concepts a student may need to strengthen. It can also show when a student already understands grade-level skills and is ready to go deeper or take on greater challenge.

This gives teachers more specific information about what to do next. When a student is struggling, teachers can better pinpoint which skills or concepts may be getting in the way and provide targeted support. When a student already understands what is being taught, teachers can intentionally plan opportunities to deepen and enrich their learning.

Students take the online i-Ready Inform assessment in reading and math three times during the school year. This helps teachers see the progress students are making and how their learning changes over time.

Students are not expected to know every answer.
Because i-Ready Inform adapts to each student, they will see some questions that feel easy, some that are challenging, and some they do not know. This is intentional. It helps i-Ready identify what students already know and where they may need additional learning or support.

What do teachers do with the information?

The value of i-Ready is not simply the score. It is what teachers and students can do with the information.

Teachers use i-Ready along with classroom work, other assessments, observations, and what they know about each student to:

• build on strengths and identify areas for growth;
• provide additional support or challenge;
• monitor growth and adjust instruction; and
• help students understand their progress and set learning goals.

i-Ready is one piece of the picture.
i-Ready results help teachers make instructional decisions, but they are considered alongside classroom work, other assessments, observations, and what teachers know about each student.

What is My Path?

Results from i-Ready Inform help create a personalized set of online reading and math lessons called My Path. These lessons give students targeted opportunities to practice and strengthen skills based on their learning needs.

My Path supports, but does not replace, classroom instruction.
Students continue to learn through teacher-led instruction, discussion, reading, writing, problem solving, collaboration, and hands-on experiences.

What about screen time?

Our goal is not more screen time. It is purposeful learning time.

Students typically use My Path for 30–49 minutes per subject each week, often in shorter sessions. i-Ready is intended to be one small part of a balanced learning experience, not the primary way students learn. The focus is on purposeful, consistent use and successful learning. Families can learn more about i-Ready's approach to screen time.

What does the research tell us?

There is strong research behind i-Ready, and we see similar results with our own Monroe students.

Research involving nearly 28,000 students found that students who used i-Ready Personalized Instruction made greater growth in reading and math than similar students who did not.

We see a similar pattern in Monroe.
Our students who consistently completed 30–49 minutes of My Path each week and passed lessons at 70% or higher made more growth than students who did not.

Research on learning also tells us that students benefit when they understand where they are in their learning, where they are going, and what they need to work on next. Feedback and goal setting help students recognize their progress and take a more active role in their learning.

i-Ready gives teachers and students information they can use to talk about:

What am I doing well? • What am I working on? • What is my next goal?

i-Ready and Fall Conferences

The upcoming fall parent-teacher conferences are a great opportunity to talk about your student's learning and growth. Families may see or hear about i-Ready information as part of that conversation and are encouraged to ask questions about their student's strengths, areas for growth, and learning goals.

You can also ask how i-Ready information is being used alongside classroom learning to support your student and what you can do at home to encourage continued growth.

Want to learn more?

The i-Ready Family Center includes family-friendly information about i-Ready, understanding your student's results, Personalized Instruction, screen time, privacy, and ways to support learning at home.

Families interested in learning more about the evidence behind i-Ready can also explore i-Ready Research and Efficacy.

Thank you for partnering with us as we work to ensure every student is supported, challenged, and learning at high levels.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Murphy
Director of Curriculum and Instruction