Indiana is celebrating an 87.3% proficiency rate in third-grade literacy and the largest single-year leap since the IREAD assessment began in 2013. In the Near Northwest Area of Indianapolis, the results are even more transformative. While statewide scores jumped 4.8% over last year, Near Northwest Area schools’ scores are up 8.9%, almost double the state average.
In 2023, the IREAD-3 pass rate for schools in the Near Northwest Area averaged 48.1%. That same year, Marian University launched the Riverside Education Innovation District (REID) initiative to strengthen third-grade literacy and expand lifetime educational opportunities in the community Marian calls home. By 2025, the IREAD-3 pass rate in the Near Northwest Area climbed to 63.6%.
“Marian University has a calling to walk with our neighbors on the path to human flourishing,” said Daniel J. Elsener, President of Marian University. “Our nationally recognized expertise in literacy provides tremendous opportunities for our neighbors to achieve their full potential and the American dream.”
Most schools in the Near Northwest Area participate in the Indiana Literacy Cadre, a partnership between the State of Indiana, Marian University’s Klipsch Educators College, the Center for Vibrant Schools, and the University of Indianapolis’s Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL). Through the Cadre, early elementary teachers receive embedded instructional coaching grounded in the Science of Reading, which emphasizes phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Two schools working alongside Marian through the Indiana Literacy Cadre showed exceptional growth:
- Enlace Academy — 19.5% increase in IREAD-3 proficiency
- MTI School of Knowledge — 18% increase in IREAD-3 proficiency
“Enlace's strong IREAD growth is a testament to the impact of aligning instructional practices with the Science of Reading research and the power of leveraging families as partners in their children's education,” said Katie Dulay, Executive Director of Neighborhood Charter Network.
Overall, the Near Northwest Area schools working with Marian University celebrated an average improvement of 14.5% over last year’s results.
“The work happening within the Center for Vibrant Schools, Klipsch Educators College, and Marian University meets educators where they are today and prepares future educators to hit the ground running when they enter the classroom,” said Dr. Lee Ann Kwiatkowski, Dean and Vice President of Marian University’s Klipsch Educators College.
As part of the REID initiative, Marian and its partners are also transforming the former Larue Carter property into a hub for educational programs and workforce development, advancing their vision of making the Near Northwest Area an exemplary community locally, statewide, and nationally.
For more information, visit Marian.edu/REID.
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