ILEARN test results reveal progress in math but stagnation in English

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Department of Education on Wednesday morning released the 2025 ILEARN results, showing math proficiency has increased across all grade levels, while English/language arts proficiency remains relatively flat year-over-year.

ILEARN stands for Indiana’s Learning Evaluation and Assessment Readiness Network. The test is given to students in grades 3-8 in biology, English/language arts, and mathematics; grades 4 and 6 in science; and Grade 5 in social studies.

A news release issued Wednesday from the department provided a roundup of the English/language arts and math testing.

Statewide, 40.6% of Indiana’s students are at or above proficiency standards in English/language arts, and 42.1% of students are at or above proficiency standards in math. This marks a 0.1 percentage point increase in English/language arts and a 5.2 percentage point increase in math since the 2021 baseline.

Since the 2021 baseline, English/language arts proficiency has increased across most grade levels, although not as significantly as math proficiency. Third grade saw a 1.6 percentage point increase, fourth grade a 1.8 percentage point increase, fifth grade a 1.3 percentage point increase, sixth grade a 0.6 percentage point increase, while seventh and eighth grades saw decreases of 3.2 and 1.2 percentage points respectively.

Math proficiency has increased significantly across all grade levels since the 2021 baseline. Third grade saw a 2.8 percentage point increase, fourth grade a 5.5 percentage point increase, fifth grade a 2.9 percentage point increase, sixth grade a 6.7 percentage point increase, seventh grade a 5.4 percentage point increase, and eighth grade a 6.7 percentage point increase.

Specific student populations also saw improved growth, the state Department of Education said in a news release.

Black students had year-over-year increases in both English/language arts and math, with the highest percentage point increase of all students in English/language arts.

Black and Hispanic students had the highest year-over-year percentage point increases of all students in math.

Indiana says it’s been working since January 2022 to redesign the ILEARN English/language arts and math assessments, which were piloted by approximately 1,350 schools in the 2024-2025 school year. The redesigned assessment will have three “checkpoints” and a shortened summative assessment at the end of the school year.

Results of the 2024-2025 administration of the SAT assessment were also released. The SAT serves as the federal accountability high school assessment for 11th grade students in Indiana. The news release from the Department of Education did not provide details.

• 2025-2026 Indiana Assessment Windows from Indiana Department of Education

Statement

“While we continue to see students growing in math proficiency, this year’s results remind us all of the need to continue our focus in both early and adolescent literacy.”

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, a Republican

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