Indy Standard

State Rep. Matt Commons (R-Williamsport) has recognized a significant rise in third grade literacy rates among Indiana students, based on results from the 2024-2025 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment.

According to Commons, reading scores for third graders increased by nearly five percentage points, marking the largest single-year improvement since IREAD began in 2013. More than 87% of Indiana’s third graders demonstrated reading proficiency, which brings the state’s literacy rate at this grade level back to what it was before the pandemic.

Commons expressed appreciation for those involved in achieving these results. "I am proud of the students and teachers who have worked so hard to improve reading skills," Commons said. "It's such an important skill and by prioritizing literacy rates, we are setting students up for success in and out of the classroom.”

The recent IREAD outcomes follow Indiana’s placement as sixth in the nation for fourth and eighth grade reading according to the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) rankings.

In efforts to further improve literacy, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation in 2023 requiring science of reading standards—an approach that uses evidence-based instruction methods focused on phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, oral language skills, and comprehension. Another law enacted in 2024 introduced screenings for students at risk of falling behind in reading proficiency and provided earlier intervention.

Results from the 2025 IREAD assessment for individual schools and school corporations can be found on the Indiana Department of Education's website. Additional information about state literacy standards is also available online.

State Rep. Matt Commons represents House District 13, which includes all of Benton and Warren counties as well as parts of Fountain, Jasper, Montgomery, Newton, Tippecanoe, and White counties.