Understanding your i-Ready results.
Your student took an i-Ready assessment and now you have results. Before you worry about what the numbers mean, read this first.
i-Ready is not a grade or a pass/fail test. It's a tool teachers use to understand where your student is starting and how to support them moving forward.
What is i-Ready?
i-Ready is an online reading and math program that helps teachers understand each student's learning needs and provide personalized support. ACCEL schools use i-Ready for both assessment and instruction. Students complete adaptive assessments throughout the year to measure current skills and growth over time.
Teachers, intervention staff, and Success Coaches use i-Ready data alongside classroom performance and other assessments to support student growth.
- A grade — it doesn't appear on your student's report card
- A pass/fail test — there is no passing or failing score
- A measure of your student's intelligence or potential
How to read your student's score report
Your student's i-Ready report typically shows:
A number that reflects your student's current performance level.
Whether your student is performing at, above, or below grade level in reading and math.
Reading and math broken into sub-areas (phonics, comprehension, number operations) showing where your student is stronger or needs support.
If your student has taken i-Ready before, the report shows how much they've grown since last time.
Your student's report format may look a little different depending on your school. If you're unsure how to read it, ask your Success Coach to walk you through it.
What the scores mean (and what they don't)
An i-Ready score helps teachers understand your student's current skill levels in reading and math, identifying where they're performing well and where they may need more support or challenge.
Simply means your student needs additional support in certain skill areas — especially after interrupted learning. Many students who join mid-year have missed school time or had inconsistent instruction. i-Ready helps teachers identify those needs early so they can provide targeted instruction.
Means your student is ready for additional challenges. Their teacher will use that information to provide it.
Either way, the score is a starting point. Teachers use it to build a path forward that's right for your student.
How your school uses i-Ready
Your student's teachers use i-Ready to better understand their academic strengths, areas for growth, and progress over time. Results help teachers plan instruction, provide targeted support, identify opportunities for more advanced material, and monitor progress.
Many ACCEL schools also use i-Ready Personalized Instruction, which provides online reading and math lessons based on each student's individual skill needs — helping students practice at the right level and build toward grade-level expectations.
i-Ready is one of several tools teachers use when making instructional decisions, alongside classwork, course assessments, teacher observations, and other data. Students typically complete i-Ready assessments multiple times per year so teachers can monitor growth and adjust support.
Frequently asked questions
Not necessarily. A below-grade-level score tells us where your student is right now, not where they're headed. Many students make significant growth over a year with the right support. Talk to your Success Coach about what support looks like for your school.
No. i-Ready is a diagnostic assessment, not a graded assignment. It does not appear on your student's report card or affect their GPA.
Most ACCEL schools administer i-Ready three times per year — at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year — to provide a complete picture of growth over time. Your school will let you know when each assessment is scheduled.
Reassure them that i-Ready is not a test they can pass or fail. It's just a way for their teacher to understand how to help them best. Encourage them to try their best and not to stress about the score.
The best person to talk to is your student's Success Coach. They can walk you through the report, explain what the results mean for your student specifically, and discuss what supports are in place.