{"id":81775,"date":"2026-01-08T22:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T22:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/81775\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T22:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T22:56:10","slug":"a-tutoring-program-says-it-improved-indianapolis-reading-scores-its-only-funded-through-this-school-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/81775\/","title":{"rendered":"A tutoring program says it improved Indianapolis reading scores. It\u2019s only funded through this school year"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\tCircle City Readers \u2014 an Indianapolis tutoring program to address K-3 grade literacy gaps<\/a> at public schools \u2014 has improved reading for over 750 students at ten schools since 2023, according to a new report<\/a> from the Mayor\u2019s Office of Education Innovation.<\/p>\n

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\n\tNow, program leaders are seeking new funding to continue beyond the current school year.<\/p>\n

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\n\tThe American Rescue Plan Act infused the program with $1.2 million. It was created to address learning loss during the pandemic \u2014 in 2021 just 67% passed the state\u2019s elementary reading exam. In 2024, the city provided $1 million to sustain the program through next spring.<\/p>\n

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\n\tTutors work with students during the school day, using the science of reading, an evidence-based approach that emphasizes phonics and phonemic awareness.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cIn kindergarten through third grade, you are learning to read, and then from third grade on, you are reading to learn,\u201d said Shaina Cavazos, director of the mayor\u2019s education office, which administers the program. \u201cSo that third-grade proficiency milestone is a really important one.\u201d

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\n\tUnder Indiana law, third graders must pass the IREAD-3 assessment to advance to fourth grade. The test measures whether students have mastered basic reading skills. Last month, new statewide data showed that 3.6% of third graders, or about 3,000 students, did not pass the exam the previous spring and are repeating third grade this school year<\/a> despite a record jump in scores overall<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\n\tAccording to the report from the mayor\u2019s education office, Circle City Readers reduced the share of participating students reading “far below” grade level by more than 20 percentage points last school year. The percentage of students reading at or above grade level rose from 21% to 35%.<\/p>\n

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\n\t“We know that we have a program that works and with the right support, we can scale that to meet the need of our county and really create an opportunity for Indianapolis, I think, to be a model \u2014 even nationally \u2014 for what it can look like to provide this targeted, intensive support for students,” said Cavazos.<\/p>\n

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\n\tThe office estimates that the program costs $2,000 per student.<\/p>\n

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\n\tThe mayor\u2019s education office hopes it can use Circle City Readers to serve the Marion County K-3 grade students struggling with reading. This year, nearly 77% of students in the county passed IREAD.<\/p>\n

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\n\tContact WFYI data journalist Zak Cassel at zcassel@wfyi.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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