Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on January 16, 2026
BOISE, ID – Just over 57% of Idaho students in grades K-3 are reading at grade level or higher, according to data released Friday by the Idaho Department of Education.
The test results are the first from the redesigned Idaho Reading Indicator (IRI). The new test prompts students to respond verbally to questions on a computer screen, a different model from the multiple-choice test students took in previous years.
That change makes it difficult to compare results from prior years, but the fall 2025 results show a 2.4% drop in proficiency from the same time last year.
“The new assessment sets a higher standard, and early results – especially in kindergarten – reflect that increased rigor. This valuable new information helps us better understand how our youngest learners are progressing,” Gov. Brad Little said in a news release Friday. “Consistent, statewide assessments are important and necessary because they give parents, educators, and policymakers a clear, reliable picture of growth over time and help ensure every child has the support they need to succeed.”
New exam targets higher-level knowledge
The fall 2025 IRI results are the first from a new style of assessment from Amira, Idaho’s contractor that administers the exam.
Previously, students in grades K-3 took a multiple-choice test from IStation in late August or early September. The exam was adaptive, giving students questions based on their answers to previous questions.
Last year, IStation merged with Amira, which was selected last January to continue administering the IRI.
“It is 100% a new platform,” said Kacy Proctor, IRI coordinator at the Idaho Department of Education.
The new exam asks students questions, and then they respond verbally. This requires a higher level of knowledge, Proctor said, for students to produce answers on their own rather than selecting from a bank of choices.
“It uses a very different part of your brain,” she said.
It is also an adaptive exam, giving students questions based on their prior answers. The test is graded using artificial intelligence, meaning the data are not shared outside of the program, Proctor said.
All student recordings are deleted at the end of the school year, and the program complies with state and federal student privacy laws.
Leaders moved this fall’s exam to October to allow teachers and students to get familiar with the new platform and style of testing.
Overall, Proctor said, the rollout went well.
The results were in line with expectations of a slight reduction in overall scores due to the new assessment type.
It’s “very typical in a brand new assessment to show a little regression,” she said.
The third-grade cohort’s scores show a marked increase in proficiency, which Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield touted as a success.
“I’m encouraged to see our third graders outperform last year’s scores, especially with a more rigorous assessment,” Critchfield said in a news release. “We did see a small dip in overall results, driven largely by fall kindergarten scores, which reflect the wide range of readiness our youngest students bring to school. Some can already write their names, while others are just learning to hold a pencil.”
“Third grade is a true bellwether because it reflects the impact of the targeted support, phonics instruction, and tools we’ve provided to teachers,” Critchfield wrote. “Their strong performance shows those early-literacy investments are working. I’m eager to see these same investments pay off for our newest learners as they receive the expert instruction their older peers have benefited from.”
Students will take the IRI again in May, which typically elicits higher scores after a full year of instruction.
Ed News Data Analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this story.
